1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,640
Speaker 1: Joining us live on the line is Daniel Rochford, the

2
00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:08,880
Speaker 1: CEO of Tourism in Central Australia. Good morning to you, Daniel, Good.

3
00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:10,320
Speaker 2: Morning Kadian, Good morning to your listeners.

4
00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,920
Speaker 1: Daniel. We thought yesterday that we had that clarity that

5
00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,239
Speaker 1: was going to be needed, or that is most certainly

6
00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,360
Speaker 1: needed when it comes to our borders and traveling around

7
00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,320
Speaker 1: the place, whether you're talking about tourists traveling into the

8
00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,919
Speaker 1: territory or territory and is traveling away. But it seems

9
00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:30,120
Speaker 1: as though it's not actually good news for everybody. Daniel.

10
00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,000
Speaker 1: Can you talk us through your concerns.

11
00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:38,240
Speaker 2: Oh look, Katie, I'm just devastated. I'm angry and I'm

12
00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:43,319
Speaker 2: heartbroken for the tourism operators and small business operators right

13
00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,920
Speaker 2: across the Northern Territory. The decision by the Chief Health

14
00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,559
Speaker 2: Officer and the Government yesterday has essentially slam shut the

15
00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:55,320
Speaker 2: doors to tourism in the Northern Territory and we're essentially

16
00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:59,400
Speaker 2: as a sector, been thrown under the bus. Fully, we're

17
00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,480
Speaker 2: under this polis. We're not going to see any visitors

18
00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:08,000
Speaker 2: come to the Northern Territory until such time those directives

19
00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,800
Speaker 2: are wound back, and that's going to have a huge

20
00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:16,399
Speaker 2: detrimental impact across not just Central Australia, but the wider

21
00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:17,280
Speaker 2: and northern territory.

22
00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,559
Speaker 1: And Daniel, for a lot of people listening this morning,

23
00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:21,720
Speaker 1: they'll be hearing this for the first time and thinking,

24
00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:23,360
Speaker 1: what do you mean. It means that we're going to

25
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,399
Speaker 1: be able to travel into state and then come back.

26
00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:27,840
Speaker 1: But the devil's in the detail here, isn't it?

27
00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, very much. So for instance, you can only fly

28
00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:36,120
Speaker 2: into Alice Springs, Catherine or Darwen. So for instance, you

29
00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,679
Speaker 2: cannot fly in into Yulara Airport, and I guess the

30
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,919
Speaker 2: same would be the case we'd go for those coming

31
00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:47,000
Speaker 2: in who live outside of the urban areas. You must

32
00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,320
Speaker 2: essentially stay within the urban areas within fourteenth day. So

33
00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,120
Speaker 2: if you live in tennin Creek for instance, and go

34
00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:57,360
Speaker 2: away for Christmas, you must then come back to Alice

35
00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,160
Speaker 2: Springs or Catherine or Darwin stay for teen days before

36
00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:06,280
Speaker 2: going back to ten and Creek. So eventually, effectively, for

37
00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:11,360
Speaker 2: those communities and many Bush communities and people living on stations,

38
00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:13,160
Speaker 2: Christmas just got cancers.

39
00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:18,360
Speaker 1: So Daniel, realistically then as well, when you talk about tourists,

40
00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,239
Speaker 1: if you're traveling to the northern Territory and you then

41
00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:26,920
Speaker 1: want to go to Litchfield, to Kakadoo to ull LaRue.

42
00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:29,760
Speaker 1: Does this mean that tourists are not going to be

43
00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:30,840
Speaker 1: able to do that as well?

44
00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,320
Speaker 2: No, you can, but you can't do it until fourteen

45
00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,480
Speaker 2: until you stay in an urban area for fourteen days.

46
00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:40,160
Speaker 1: Wow.

47
00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:42,320
Speaker 2: Lets you listeners digest.

48
00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,040
Speaker 1: That for yeah, So just repeat that for us, because,

49
00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:46,360
Speaker 1: like I said, a lot of people are going to

50
00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,880
Speaker 1: be hearing this for the first time this morning and

51
00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,480
Speaker 1: are going to be absolutely surprised upon what they're hearing.

52
00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,799
Speaker 2: Yeah. So look, if you come to the Northern Territory

53
00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,840
Speaker 2: and want to go to many of our iconic gems

54
00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,440
Speaker 2: outside of the urban parts of the Northern Territory, you

55
00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,399
Speaker 2: have to stay within those urban areas for fourteen days

56
00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,160
Speaker 2: before going out. So if someone wants to go from

57
00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:15,280
Speaker 2: Brisbane to Ularu via Ola Springs, they have to come

58
00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:18,280
Speaker 2: and stay in our springs for fourteen days. So what

59
00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,280
Speaker 2: that means is we will have no visitation.

60
00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:26,480
Speaker 1: Wow, Daniel, I mean it's going to be devastating for

61
00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:27,400
Speaker 1: you guys, isn't it.

62
00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,160
Speaker 2: Well, you know, as we talked about earlier in the week,

63
00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:33,960
Speaker 2: you know, this is the thing that's heartbreaking about it.

64
00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:38,760
Speaker 2: You know, our industry was very supportive and congratulatory of

65
00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,160
Speaker 2: the governments in their roadmap forward and opening up. And

66
00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,080
Speaker 2: you know, for the first time in what feels like eternity,

67
00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,360
Speaker 2: we had a light at the end of the tunnel

68
00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:53,840
Speaker 2: and some green buds of optimism. And the rug's just

69
00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,280
Speaker 2: been taken out from Argan Duris with this decision, and

70
00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,280
Speaker 2: you know, I'm really deeply concerned about the mental health

71
00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:03,560
Speaker 2: and stability of many of our operators.

72
00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,760
Speaker 1: Daniel, what is your message for the government this morning,

73
00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:10,040
Speaker 1: you know, upon this decision, because I know that they're

74
00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:15,040
Speaker 1: obviously thinking about ensuring that our indigenous communities and remote

75
00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:20,120
Speaker 1: communities stay safe and that until everybody is vaccinated, But

76
00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,600
Speaker 1: what is your message to the government today.

77
00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:25,680
Speaker 2: Cool heads need to prevail and we need to sit

78
00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,479
Speaker 2: down and look through this and work through policies that

79
00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:34,719
Speaker 2: obviously keep our vulnerable communities safe, but also doesn't throw

80
00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:39,040
Speaker 2: our major one of our major economic drivers for our

81
00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:43,320
Speaker 2: economy under the bus. You know, sensible approaches like putting

82
00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,520
Speaker 2: in place abobble around you are, or looking at sort

83
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:50,480
Speaker 2: of minor bubbles around Alice Springs. All of these are

84
00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:54,200
Speaker 2: effective ways, but you know. I'm sure through the health

85
00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:58,200
Speaker 2: professionals we can look at some sensible, common sense approach

86
00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:00,000
Speaker 2: that meets a common ground here.

87
00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:05,400
Speaker 1: Daniel Rochford, the CEO of Tourism in Central Australia, I

88
00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,200
Speaker 1: really appreciate your time this morning. There's no doubt that

89
00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,800
Speaker 1: this will be something that we discuss on the week

90
00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:14,800
Speaker 1: that was this morning after ten o'clock. Thanks Codie, Thank you.