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Speaker 1: We know that the Northern Territory government has today announced

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Speaker 1: that they are investing twelve point eight million dollars in

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Speaker 1: a bid to lure international holidaymakers and workers to the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory. These measures are going to capitalize on the

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Speaker 1: federal government's announcement last week to reopen international borders to

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Speaker 1: tourists later this month. The Chief Minister touched on some

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Speaker 1: of those some of that marketing and some of what

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Speaker 1: this is going to entail. Joining me on the line

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Speaker 1: right now from Tourism Central Australia the CEO, Daniel Rochford.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Good.

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Speaker 2: Morning, Katie, and good morning to your listeners. Sounds like

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Speaker 2: a busy morning, Cadie.

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Speaker 1: Oh it's been very busy, that's for sure. Daniel. What

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Speaker 1: was your reaction to the announcement this morning about this

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Speaker 1: twelve point to eight million dollars going into tourism.

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Speaker 2: Love, this is good news. We suddenly welcome all investments

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Speaker 2: sore the tourism, hospitality in event sectors. And as you know,

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Speaker 2: our industry has been on its knees and we baked

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Speaker 2: down certainly our darkest days and as you and I

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Speaker 2: I've talked about in recent weeks, We need our government

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Speaker 2: to start to be proactive in international marketing, to tell

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Speaker 2: the world that the NT is open for business moving forward,

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Speaker 2: and this news and the committed funds is good news

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Speaker 2: to do that and certainly great to hear that the government's.

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Speaker 1: Listened, and I know that they've also you know they're

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Speaker 1: also looking at not just the marketing side of things,

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Speaker 1: but also one point three to five million dollars to

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Speaker 1: boost the territory skilled migration capacity, increasing the skilled migration

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Speaker 1: in the territory and providing that engagement support for territory businesses.

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Speaker 1: Is this going to be a good thing for Central

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Speaker 1: Australia or is it not really needed right now until

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Speaker 1: you get more tourists into town.

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Speaker 2: So chicken and egg this one. But as we speak,

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Speaker 2: the Central Australian Region on loan needs over a thousand

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Speaker 2: staff to get ready for the upcoming tourism season. Re

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Speaker 2: energizing of the Workstay Play program that they announced today,

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Speaker 2: plus also to the proactive initiative to courage working holiday

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Speaker 2: making is going to be great not just for Central

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Speaker 2: Australia but for the top end as well. So look,

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Speaker 2: we certainly welcome that and we also welcome the work

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Speaker 2: that's being done by federal government through working holiday maker programs,

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Speaker 2: plus yesterday's major international marketing announcement. So we're trying to

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Speaker 2: put Central Australia back on the map to visitors and

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Speaker 2: hopefully we'll see the results of that later this year.

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Speaker 2: You know, it takes a few many months for international

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Speaker 2: marketing efforts to spoil up.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to ask that, how long do

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Speaker 1: you think it's going to take, Daniel before you really

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Speaker 1: see the flow on of this announcement.

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Speaker 2: Look, everyone thinks with Gome's announcement that the international borders

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Speaker 2: are reopening on the twenty first, suddenly we're going to

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Speaker 2: see plane loads of people coming into the Northern territory.

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Speaker 2: Unfortunately that's not going to be the case. It's going

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Speaker 2: to be a marathon and not one hundred meter sprengths.

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Speaker 2: The CEO of the Brisbane Airport said just last week

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Speaker 2: that he doesn't see international tourists getting back to pre

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Speaker 2: COVID until twenty twenty four. So you know, we're in

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Speaker 2: a we're in a fight of our lives. We're coming back.

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Speaker 2: We want the government to be there facilitating support for

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Speaker 2: our industry and this is a good first step but

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Speaker 2: one thing I would say, Katie, is that we need

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Speaker 2: more from our governments at the federal and territory levels now.

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Speaker 2: We need support to rebound and to be as proactive

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Speaker 2: as we possibly can. You know, the Chief Minister talk

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Speaker 2: today about at Alice Spring's regional deal package of one

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Speaker 2: hundred and fifty million dollars. We need our federal and

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Speaker 2: territory governments to be supporting that. For we need our

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Speaker 2: federal and territory governments to.

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Speaker 3: Be committing as much money for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery.

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Speaker 3: And let's for thirty five years of talking about it,

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Speaker 3: let's seal the Marini loop.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, there is so much you know, like there are

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Speaker 1: so many different ways that I guess a lot of

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Speaker 1: us feel like there's always so much talk and maybe

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Speaker 1: not as much action as we'd like to see. But

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Speaker 1: right now we need to see that action.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the time for talking is over.

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Speaker 4: As an industry, we look to our governments for support.

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Speaker 4: They have done an amazing job at all levels to

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Speaker 4: keep us safe during COVID and I know the passion

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Speaker 4: of your listeners this morning, and there's still a lot

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Speaker 4: of passion.

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Speaker 2: There, but you know they've done the job of keeping

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Speaker 2: a safe during the pandemic, but now we need to

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Speaker 2: move our head mindset to the economic recovery to support

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Speaker 2: the economic growth of the territory, and now is that

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Speaker 2: time to put this major investment into place.

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Speaker 1: Now, Daniel I did ask the Chief Minister on the

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Speaker 1: show a bit earlier this morning whether those international tourists

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Speaker 1: are going to need to be double vaxed or triple vaxed,

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Speaker 1: and he gave that certainty that they will just need

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Speaker 1: to be double vaccinated because that's the case internationally. Do

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Speaker 1: you think that provides enough confidence for those that are

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Speaker 1: looking at booking flights right now.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely.

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Speaker 2: I think the industry and I know hospitality in TA

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Speaker 2: are very strong on this issue as well. We don't

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Speaker 2: want to have one rule federally and one rule at

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Speaker 2: the territory level. Have their consistency. Places like Germany have

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Speaker 2: long league times between second and third booster shops, so

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Speaker 2: we need to make sure that there's some consistency in place,

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Speaker 2: and that's good news. I hadn't heard that, and if

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Speaker 2: that's the case, great news.

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Speaker 1: No, we made sure we got that confirmed this morning

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Speaker 1: because I know that there were so many people who

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Speaker 1: were still confused and don't worry. I asked him a

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Speaker 1: few times just to make sure that it was definitely

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Speaker 1: the case. Daniel.

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Speaker 2: Well, the last thing, of course we want is all

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Speaker 2: this money to be invested to people here for then

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Speaker 2: to read in the fine though they can't actually come

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Speaker 2: to the North terat because they don't have the third shot.

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Speaker 2: But you know, let's you know, you know most people

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Speaker 2: are getting that third booster, and you know there are

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Speaker 2: strong booster programs internationally, so look, I think that adds

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Speaker 2: a base level of great news.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, no, your spot on there, that's exactly right. We

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Speaker 1: need to make sure that it is very clear for

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Speaker 1: those tourists if we're going to be spending a bucket

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Speaker 1: load of money on marketing, as we should be, because

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Speaker 1: we need to get them back into the territory very much.

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Speaker 2: So, and look for what I'm hearing from operators, it's

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Speaker 2: looking like a solid season hit number bookings are looking good.

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Speaker 2: So hopefully come April, come Easter, we've got Padma coming

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Speaker 2: up and great number of events here in Central Australia,

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Speaker 2: So there is no better time for you folk up

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Speaker 2: in the top end to come down and visit us

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Speaker 2: here in beautiful Central Australia in the Red Center.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely well, Daniel Rochford, always great to speak with you mate,

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Speaker 1: and finally with a bit more good news, we'll talk

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Speaker 1: to you again very soon.

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Speaker 2: Thanks, thank you,