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Speaker 1: We know the roll out of the COVID vaccine is

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Speaker 1: well and truly underway in the Northern Territory. There were

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Speaker 1: reports late last week though, that there'd been delays and

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Speaker 1: not as many of the vaccines had been administered as

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Speaker 1: what we'd maybe hoped. Now joining me on the line

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Speaker 1: is the Health Minister, Natasha Files.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.

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Speaker 3: Minister.

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Speaker 1: Let's get an update on the vaccine. How many have

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Speaker 1: now been administered?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, last week we saw seven hundred and forty

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Speaker 2: eight territorians through Royal Zone and Alice Springs Hospital vaccinated

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Speaker 2: and four hundred and twenty nine residents in nine facilities

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Speaker 2: and that age care and disability care facilities vaccinated for

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Speaker 2: coronavirus in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 3: All right, so that was last week.

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Speaker 1: Have we had much of an update this week or

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Speaker 1: have we got more vaccine here yet?

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Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, an important question. We did see a delay.

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Speaker 2: We saw the supply impacted on Thursday. It did arrive

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Speaker 2: on Friday and we were able to work into Friday

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Speaker 2: evening catching up on the people that were impacted Thursday

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Speaker 2: afternoon and Friday morning, and we are teething issues right

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Speaker 2: across Australia with the role out of this vaccination. But

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Speaker 2: it is pleasing to see that number of territories vaccinated.

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Speaker 2: Vaccinations resumed yesterday and as we work towards vaccinating the

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Speaker 2: general population, we'll see some changes, particularly with the big

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Speaker 2: freezer arriving here in Darwin, which means we'll be able

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Speaker 2: to store the vaccine, the fizor vaccine at that minus

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Speaker 2: seventy degree temperature here in the territory and then we

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Speaker 2: can dispense it from there.

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Speaker 3: Okay, so when did that big freezer arrive.

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Speaker 2: It hasn't arrived yet, Katie, So I expect it to

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Speaker 2: arrive in the coming weeks, late March early April, and

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Speaker 2: that will allow us at the moment we are relying

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Speaker 2: on the vaccine to be put into smaller containers and

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Speaker 2: distributed into the territory. Once we get that freezer, we

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Speaker 2: can have trays of the vaccine here and stored here

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Speaker 2: safely that we can then disperse and dispense.

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Speaker 1: How far off do you think that that fraezer equipment

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Speaker 1: is from arriving.

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Speaker 2: So we had a meaning of State and Territory health

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Speaker 2: ministers on Thursday evening to get an update from the Commonwealth.

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Speaker 2: We're working closely with them and they said that we

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Speaker 2: should have that by the end of March early April

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Speaker 2: here in the territory.

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Speaker 1: So is it delaying things the fact that we can't

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Speaker 1: or the fact that we don't have that freezer equipment

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Speaker 1: here yet, or is everything moving along as you'd hoped.

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Speaker 2: No, kat those figures, I think point to the fact

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Speaker 2: that the vaccination program is rolling out. We will have

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Speaker 2: teething issues. There is no doubt Australia has never taken

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Speaker 2: on a vaccination challenge such as the coronavirus vaccine. It's

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Speaker 2: important for territories to note, Katie, it's safe, it's effective,

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Speaker 2: it's been rigorously tested and there's strong plans in place

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Speaker 2: for it to be dispensed right across the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: And it's pleasing to see. You know, we saw the

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Speaker 2: Prime Minister vaccinated on the Sunday and by Monday we

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Speaker 2: were vaccinating here in the territory. So we didn't lag

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Speaker 2: behind the other jurisdictions just because we're in a more

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Speaker 2: remote place.

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Speaker 1: So just going back to those numbers, seven hundred and

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Speaker 1: forty six in Darwen and Alice Springs, hospitals four hundred

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Speaker 1: and twenty nine.

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Speaker 3: Sorry, what was that?

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Speaker 1: Ye? In Darwen and Alla Springs hospitals four hundred and

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Speaker 1: twenty nine in aged care? Have there been any updates

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Speaker 1: on those numbers? I would imagine that there are more

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Speaker 1: vaccinations administered yesterday.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, the program regime yesterday Monday. I haven't had

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Speaker 2: those latest figures, but we certainly will get them and

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Speaker 2: we'll be happy to provide regular updates to the media

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Speaker 2: so that they can see through the figures of territories

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Speaker 2: being vaccinated that the program is rolling out.

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Speaker 1: Well, now, can I just ask is it the staff

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Speaker 1: at the quarantine facility who are receiving the vaccine first?

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Speaker 3: Or where are the stuff base.

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Speaker 1: That are receiving the vaccine first?

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Speaker 2: That's a really important question. So Phase one A covers

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Speaker 2: our most at risk frontline workers. So, Katie, these are

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Speaker 2: people that are working in our emergency departments that I

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Speaker 2: see you are respiratory clinics and our quarantine facilities. And

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Speaker 2: so there is the center at Royal Zarwen Hospital. People

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Speaker 2: get notified by text message that they have an appointment

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Speaker 2: and they attend that facility. We clearly couldn't pull everyone

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Speaker 2: out of the quarantine facility once because we need to

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Speaker 2: run the facility and the same goes with those other

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Speaker 2: parts of the hospital. So Phase one A, we've allowed

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Speaker 2: ourselves four weeks to vaccinate those Territorians that are in

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Speaker 2: that category.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So have most of the staff though out at

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Speaker 1: the quarantine facility now been vaccinated, Katy.

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Speaker 2: I don't have the specific figures and would be hesitant

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Speaker 2: to say most of the staff, but I can absolutely

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Speaker 2: say that late last week I was advised that, you know,

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Speaker 2: thirty staff a day we're getting that vaccine. So certainly

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Speaker 2: those numbers of seven hundred and forty eight that have

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Speaker 2: been vaccinated through Rodo and Alipring Hospital, they are Territorians

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Speaker 2: in that Phase one A.

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Speaker 1: I guess what I'm getting at is I would imagine

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Speaker 1: that those that are maybe working in the international section

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Speaker 1: or the international arrival section of the quarantine facility would

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Speaker 1: maybe be those that are deemed most urgent, given the

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Speaker 1: fact that we have had still a number of people

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Speaker 1: arriving into the territory and in that part of the

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Speaker 1: facility with COVID.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, the Howard Springs facility has seen most of

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Speaker 2: the territory's cases, but they have been dealing with this

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Speaker 2: highly infectious disease for around twelve months now, over twelve

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Speaker 2: months making sure that they have those good personal protective

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Speaker 2: equipment practices. Of course the vaccine will be an additional

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Speaker 2: benefit and provide them with a little more comfort, but

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Speaker 2: we need to be systematic in the way we roll

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Speaker 2: this out now.

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Speaker 1: Is the Northern Territory government in talks with the British

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Speaker 1: government at the moment and are they getting advice from

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Speaker 1: us around setting up a quarantine facility in the UK?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, we certainly have caught the attention around the world,

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Speaker 2: and yes, the British government has been asking what we

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Speaker 2: have done for our facility and so it was at

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Speaker 2: the request of the Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and

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Speaker 2: our National Critical Care and Trauma Response Director Lenataris that

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Speaker 2: they have provided advice to UK government representatives about the

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Speaker 2: os MAT COVID nineteen facility.

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Speaker 3: All their minister, yes, can you hear me?

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Speaker 1: Yeah? Sorry, I thought I lost you there now, So

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Speaker 1: obviously giving them that assistance, I mean, are you likely

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Speaker 1: are they likely to take us up on that? I

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Speaker 1: mean I would imagine that the situation in the UK

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Speaker 1: is indeed very different to what it is here in

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Speaker 1: terms of the space to be able to set up

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Speaker 1: a facility like the one we've got a Talent Springs.

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Speaker 2: So where it came from, Katie was the United Kingdom

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Speaker 2: Home Affairs Committee, which comprises of cross party MPs in

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Speaker 2: the UK contact of the Northern Churchard Government wanting to

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Speaker 2: speak not only to the national Critical Care and to

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Speaker 2: a mor response census Lennataris, but also to our Chief

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Speaker 2: Health Officer about the border and quarantine measures that we

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Speaker 2: put in place in the territory and it's for them

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Speaker 2: to make effective policy but also look at some of

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Speaker 2: those practical hurdles. Of course their situation is very different

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Speaker 2: over there, yes, but it's looking at what the future

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Speaker 2: might look like in terms of quarantine and border measures

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Speaker 2: in the longer term as we return to normality, but

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Speaker 2: keeping them in place to protect in this case the

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Speaker 2: UK community and what we've seen here has protected our

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Speaker 2: community from community transmission.

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Speaker 1: Let's move along on to another topic, one which is

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Speaker 1: a massive concern nationally at the moment and includes the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory, that of aged care. We know that a

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Speaker 1: Royal commission into age care has found unacceptably high levels

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Speaker 1: of substandard care in the crisis plague sector. The final

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Speaker 1: report of the Royal Commission into Age Care Quality and

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Speaker 1: Safety was released yesterday. Now the federal government has announced

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Speaker 1: an extra four hundred and fifty two million dollars in

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Speaker 1: funding to address immediate priorities identified by that two year investigation. Now, Minister,

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Speaker 1: I know that this is well. The age care is

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Speaker 1: obviously a federal issue. But have you had much of

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Speaker 1: an opportunity to look at that report and will there

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Speaker 1: be changes implemented in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, that sits with Minister Kate Warden as the

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Speaker 2: Minister responsible for senior Territorians. But we do know that

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Speaker 2: Territorians who are older over sixty five seniors they like

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Speaker 2: to be referred by different names. They do interact with

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Speaker 2: our health system and we also see an impact in

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Speaker 2: the sense that they do feel in some cases hospital beds.

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Speaker 2: So it is very important there are such an important

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Speaker 2: part of our community, but we do need to make

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Speaker 2: sure they are protected and cared for when they're their

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Speaker 2: most vulnerable.

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Speaker 1: Minister, speaking of our wonderful sceniors in the Northern Territory community,

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Speaker 1: I'm not sure if you heard my opener before you

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Speaker 1: came on here. But yesterday at Casarina there was an

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Speaker 1: eighty year old woman who allegedly had her bag stolen

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Speaker 1: by a fifteen year old girl. We've seen this situation

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Speaker 1: unfold unfortunately over the last week or so. In fact,

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Speaker 1: in Alice Springs last week there were three occasions where

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Speaker 1: seniors were targeted by young people when it comes to theft.

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Speaker 1: I'm really disgusted in this kind of behavior and I'm

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Speaker 1: interested to know what your reaction.

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Speaker 2: Is, Oh, Katie, similar I think that to pick on

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Speaker 2: someone who is most vulnerable, to pick on someone who

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Speaker 2: we should be supporting and caring in our community. If

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Speaker 2: you see a scene you're out and they are, you know,

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Speaker 2: you should be offering them help, not picking on them

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Speaker 2: because they're vulnerable. And so I find that behavior disgusting

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Speaker 2: and unacceptable.

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Speaker 1: Do you think it demonstrates so as well, Minister and

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Speaker 1: Oma where that's not your portfolio, but does it demonstrate

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Speaker 1: yet again we need to make some change in this

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Speaker 1: space of youth crime.

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Speaker 2: So Katie, I don't have to go on together. You

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Speaker 2: know the measures that the government has put in place

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Speaker 2: to seectv in the police in twenty twenty one. We

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Speaker 2: are going to put in place new laws around ring

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Speaker 2: leaders who recruit young people to commit these crimes, looking

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Speaker 2: at the penalties around property crime, work on reforms around

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Speaker 2: giving young people the best start in life, and we

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Speaker 2: will continue that hard work. There's no silver bullet, There's

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Speaker 2: not one thing we can do, but we will continue

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Speaker 2: to work as hard as we can so that we

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Speaker 2: can have a safe community.

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Speaker 1: How will changes like that help people like the eighty

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Speaker 1: year old who was targeted yesterday?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, we need to prevent a crime before it happens.

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Speaker 2: People need to know that there is strong wa ro

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Speaker 2: US penalties in place, so they think twice before they

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Speaker 2: prey on someone who is particularly vulnerable. And we can't

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Speaker 2: have a tolerance or an acceptance for it in our community.

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Speaker 2: And that's why we must continually look at the measures

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Speaker 2: we have in place and put in place more measures

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Speaker 2: and be agile with the responses we have.

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Speaker 1: Are the changes that the government's announced at the moment

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Speaker 1: going to go far enough?

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Speaker 2: Katie? I think that this is a difficult space to

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Speaker 2: work in. But you know, sentencing options for young offenders,

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Speaker 2: you know, such as camp community work orders make them understand,

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Speaker 2: you know, through victim conferencing, but through those community work orders.

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Speaker 2: How hard it is to be less mobile, to be

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Speaker 2: of an age where you know, your mind wants you

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Speaker 2: to stick up those stairs or get away from you know,

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Speaker 2: be able to defend yourself, yet your body can't. So

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Speaker 2: these are difficult issues that we certainly will continue throwing

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Speaker 2: everything at it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I am I'm finding it really sad the

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Speaker 1: way that we are continuing to hear about how our

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Speaker 1: elderly are being preyed upon, and I just you know,

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Speaker 1: it's it's really upsetting. I think.

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Speaker 3: Look, we're going to move.

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Speaker 1: Along because there is a few other things I want

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Speaker 1: to ask you about this morning. I'm aware that you

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Speaker 1: press for time and there is an issue at the

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Speaker 1: moment that well. There are calls underway in the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory News today about paramedics in Alice Springs saying that

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Speaker 1: they're approaching breaking point and a rallying support from the

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Speaker 1: community to bring ambulance services under government control. A paramedic

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Speaker 1: who didn't want to be named, has told the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory News that AMBOS are attempting to negotiate new terms

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Speaker 1: of their enterprise agreement with Saint John to try and

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Speaker 1: improve working conditions in Alice Springs. Is the government in

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Speaker 1: talks with Saint John at all about these working conditions

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Speaker 1: of our paramedics.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, we recognize the important roles of our paramedics.

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Speaker 2: They're on the front line. They're going into situations each

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Speaker 2: and every day that most of us would not want

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Speaker 2: to be in or would walk away from. In terms

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Speaker 2: of the issues and around rostering and resources. Saint John

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Speaker 2: Ambulance of the non government organization that has the government

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Speaker 2: contract contract to provide our ambulance services right across the territory.

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Speaker 2: We did in twenty seventeen Katie undertake an independent review

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Speaker 2: which found that the service was operating satisfactorily and didn't

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Speaker 2: recommend that the government perhaps take control of that service.

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Speaker 2: So these would be questions the best place to Saint John's,

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Speaker 2: but certainly from our perspective, we make sure that in

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Speaker 2: those contracts that Saint John have the tools they need

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Speaker 2: to do their job. And this is a matter between

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Speaker 2: the paramedics and that John.

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Speaker 1: So by the sounds of it, the government has indeed

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Speaker 1: ruled out managing all those paramedics falling under the management

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Speaker 1: of the government.

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Speaker 2: So Katie that review. Again, that independent review did not

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Speaker 2: recommend the NTI government takes control of the ambulance services.

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Speaker 2: There was recommendations and I understand they have since been

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Speaker 2: implemented Katie, to improve services such as the critical response

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Speaker 2: in its Inbo Darwin and Alice Springs. And so for

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Speaker 2: us as a government, we will negotiate the next contract

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Speaker 2: with John Ambulance and we will make sure that in

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Speaker 2: there that there is you know, servi service enhancements that

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Speaker 2: territories would expect. But this would be a matter between

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Speaker 2: Saint John's and the Paramedics Union.

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Speaker 1: All right, Minister, I will ask you to just put

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Speaker 1: your tourism hat on for a moment, given the fact

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Speaker 1: that you are the tourism minister. Now, yesterday there were

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Speaker 1: obviously some significant changes in the fishing space. We are

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Speaker 1: going to be catching up with Minister Paul Kirby much

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Speaker 1: later this morning. But are you concerned about the impact

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Speaker 1: that this is going to have in the tourism sector, Katie.

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Speaker 2: This has been a long running issue around you know,

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Speaker 2: from the Blue Mud Bay decision and the access for

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Speaker 2: recreational fishes into those intertital waters. And so we saw

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Speaker 2: changes announced this week and we certainly I enjoy at

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Speaker 2: times when I get the opportunity to go out fishing,

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Speaker 2: but certainly I know my partner very much and his

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Speaker 2: friends enjoy it. So what we saw yesterday was that

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Speaker 2: fishes wanting to access some of those areas will need

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Speaker 2: to register with the Northern Land Council's website and so

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Speaker 2: registration will be valid th roun til the end of

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Speaker 2: December twenty twenty two, and it's approved immediately and it's

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Speaker 2: free of charge. So it is complex. It's around respecting

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Speaker 2: those native title rights and the land owners right, but

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Speaker 2: also ensuring we have access to some of our amazing

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Speaker 2: fishing coastline.

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Speaker 1: We did also hear from our fans David gi Rovolo,

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Speaker 1: and he said that places like Dundee are going to

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Speaker 1: be significantly impacted. Have you spoken to any of those

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Speaker 1: small tourism operators out there and what have they said

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Speaker 1: to you?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, fishing tour operators who have an existing arrangement

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Speaker 2: with the landowners remain unaffected, and they're separate arrangements in

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Speaker 2: place for commercial fishes. So red fishes, tourism operators and

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Speaker 2: commercial fishermen fishes, I should say, are different categories and

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Speaker 2: that's reflected in the agreement.

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Speaker 1: What about those that are accommodation providers and you know,

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Speaker 1: have different businesses at the likes of Dundee where it

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Speaker 1: is very much their bread and butter that people go

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Speaker 1: and stay out there and then go out and fish

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Speaker 1: in some of those areas which are now going to

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Speaker 1: be much more difficult.

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Speaker 3: I mean, it is going to have an impact on them,

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Speaker 3: isn't it.

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Speaker 2: Of course, Katie, We'll make sure that people wanting to

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Speaker 2: access some of those areas, so whether it is somebody

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Speaker 2: that goes out and and hires a boat and rank

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Speaker 2: some accommodation, that they understand that it's simple to register

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Speaker 2: on that Land Council website and that it's free of charge.

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Speaker 2: So we'll certainly make sure that that information is out

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Speaker 2: there so that people don't think I don't want to

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Speaker 2: go somewhere for the weekend because it's all too difficult.

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Speaker 2: So this is that balance between respecting the rights of

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Speaker 2: native tidal landowners and also making sure that we have

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Speaker 2: access to large parts of the territory.

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Speaker 1: All right, Minister for Health and Tourism, Natasha Files, we

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Speaker 1: will leave it there.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for your time today.

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Speaker 2: Thank you