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Speaker 1: We know. At the end of last year, I spoke

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Speaker 1: to the Member for Fanny Bay, Laurie Zeo, about the

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Speaker 1: treehouse at the Botanic Gardens.

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Speaker 2: Well.

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Speaker 1: She then sprung into action after hearing concerns from students

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Speaker 1: at the Larochieir Primary School that that tree house had

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Speaker 1: been fenced off and out of bounds for about six

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Speaker 1: months now. The students started a petition over fears that

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Speaker 1: it was going to be demolished, and the local member

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Speaker 1: went to the Department of Infrastructure seeking to get it fixed.

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Speaker 1: Now Laurie Zeo joins me on the line now for

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Speaker 1: a bit of an update. Good morning to you, Laurie.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. How are you?

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Speaker 1: Yeah? Really good? Now, tell me what is the latest

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Speaker 1: on the situation there at the Botanic Gardens.

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Speaker 2: Oh, look, I've got some really good news, but I've

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Speaker 2: also got a little bit of disappointing news. So the

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Speaker 2: fence has gone up at the Botanic Gardens and the

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Speaker 2: scaffolding has gone up, so work is underway and I

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Speaker 2: think the still construction is going to be happening soon.

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Speaker 2: I think on Thursday, the metal fabrication stuff. But there

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Speaker 2: was a little bit of delay with getting compliance with

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Speaker 2: the designs that happened, So I'm not convinced that it's

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Speaker 2: going to be open for the school holidays in the

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Speaker 2: middle of the year, which I'm really sad about.

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Speaker 1: But it is under that's disappointing that it's going to

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Speaker 1: take a little longer. But I guess you know, the

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Speaker 1: good thing is is that it is going to reopen again,

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Speaker 1: but your feeling as though it might be a little

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Speaker 1: take a little longer then the school holidays.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't want to get anybody's hopes up. I'm

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Speaker 2: a bit sad that this has happened. I just got

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Speaker 2: an update yesterday and they said there was a little

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Speaker 2: bit of a delay just trying to get that compliance

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Speaker 2: with the design that they're doing to make sure it's all,

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Speaker 2: you know, safe for everybody. They do a fair bit

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Speaker 2: of work to make sure it's safe, and yeah, we

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Speaker 2: want to get that right to make sure it can

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Speaker 2: stay open. So I'm really hoping the delay isn't too long. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: And I have really really given the Department of Instructure

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Speaker 2: a bit of a push and said if there's any

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Speaker 2: way that you can make this happen for me, that

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Speaker 2: it'd be great. Yeah, but obviously they want to get

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Speaker 2: it right.

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Speaker 1: So, Laurie, in terms of in terms of the work

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Speaker 1: that's happening, are they just making repairs or are they

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Speaker 1: actually having to replace the whole thing.

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Speaker 2: No, they're just doing repairs. So one of the things

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Speaker 2: that those kids said, I don't know if you remember

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Speaker 2: our conversation, but they really wanted it to stay as

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Speaker 2: it was. They really liked the design of the treehouse

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Speaker 2: and they loved that it wasn't all new and modern.

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Speaker 2: So what they're doing is just making it absolutely safe.

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Speaker 2: I think they're putting some new soft fall down to

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Speaker 2: make sure that kids don't hurt themselves if they fall over.

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Speaker 2: They have to do a bit of a change to

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Speaker 2: the slide because I don't know if you've been down

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Speaker 2: there recently, but the slide that came off of the

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Speaker 2: treehouse was quite big and steep, So they just have

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Speaker 2: to make that slide safe and a little bit of

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Speaker 2: extra work to make sure all the safety rails around

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Speaker 2: the treehouse are all compliant as well. So they're not

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Speaker 2: changing the design, they're just making sure it's absolutely safe.

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Speaker 1: Well, look, my kids are a bit older now, I

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Speaker 1: know yours are as well, but they still love tearing

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Speaker 1: down that slippery slide.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, the amount of photos I've got in my

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Speaker 2: albums of kids going down and meet up to the

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Speaker 2: Botanical Gardens with the Stream Healths group. Yeah yeah, absolutely, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: Well I'm really excited.

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Speaker 1: Well yeah, and I bet the kids do. The kids

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Speaker 1: feel pretty happy with themselves as well, those students from

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Speaker 1: Larrykia Primary School that they were able to Like, I

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Speaker 1: love a situation where young people can see that if

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Speaker 1: they you know, like if they write a letter, if

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Speaker 1: they do a bit of lobbying in a positive way,

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Speaker 1: that their voices can be heard.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's democracy in its finest form when things get

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Speaker 2: moved along because some people join together. But yeah, they're

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Speaker 2: absolutely happy with themselves. I spoke to the teacher that

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Speaker 2: run the Botanical gardens group. Yeah, and they were absolutely

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Speaker 2: stoked with all the action. We took photos and they

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Speaker 2: were really pumped that they sort of got the outcome

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Speaker 2: that they really wanted. So that's really cool.

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Speaker 1: And have you spoken to them to give them a

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Speaker 1: bit of an update in terms of when you're hearing

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Speaker 1: it's going to be complete and how are they feeling

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Speaker 1: about that?

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Speaker 2: No, well I haven't. So some of those kids were

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Speaker 2: in year six last year, so they've moved into middle

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Speaker 2: school now and the teacher that was running that program

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Speaker 2: went tom maternity ly you leave, so I haven't actually

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Speaker 2: had the chance to spoke. And it's also not a

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Speaker 2: school in my electorate, so I don't just go in

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Speaker 2: there and make contact without kind of touching base with

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Speaker 2: the relevant member. But yeah, I will. I will absolutely

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Speaker 2: get in there and make sure any kids that are

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Speaker 2: still in that school that thought for that, I'll let

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Speaker 2: them know what the status is.

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Speaker 1: I was going to say that probably some of their

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Speaker 1: parents might be listening this morning, so hopefully they get

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Speaker 1: that good news. And even though it may be delayed slightly,

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Speaker 1: I think it's wonderful that it is going to stay.

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Speaker 1: That treehouse is awesome.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it is. It's amazing. Yes, so cool.

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Speaker 1: Oh well, Laurie, it's lovely to speak to you this morning.

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Speaker 1: Thank you very much for keeping us up to date

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Speaker 1: with this. And as I say, I know there's plenty

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Speaker 1: of parents that will be listening that will be pleased

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Speaker 1: to know that it is going to reopen. It's going

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Speaker 1: to take a little while still, but good news that

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Speaker 1: it is reopening with the repeats.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm absolutely speaking if there's a playground in Darwen

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Speaker 2: that is truly Doe and style, it's definitely that treehouse.

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Speaker 2: So I'm really glad it's staying the way it is.

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Speaker 1: It's so true, hey, I can tell you though, as

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Speaker 1: a parent there is definitely an occasional or two where

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Speaker 1: I've had to go up and rescue my child once

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Speaker 1: I've maybe ventured up slightly too high.

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Speaker 2: Yep, be there, done that.

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Speaker 1: Good stuff, Laurie. Good to catch up with you this morning.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time.

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Speaker 2: Thank you