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Speaker 1: Well, we understand that there has been quite quite a

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Speaker 1: bit happening when it comes to tourism. We know that

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Speaker 1: there is right around the Northern territory and we were

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Speaker 1: talking just a little while ago about the Darwin Festival

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Speaker 1: statistics and how many people we've seen here in Darwen

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Speaker 1: with the festival. But in Central Australia, we've obviously spoken

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Speaker 1: at different times about some of the issues being experienced

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Speaker 1: in Central Australia, but I understand that there's been some

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Speaker 1: positive news when it comes to the level of visitation

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Speaker 1: that is being experienced. Now joining me on the line

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

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Daniel.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, and good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Listen it now, Daniel.

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Speaker 1: How are things going according to Well, I understand that

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Speaker 1: there's some national stats that come out each and every month.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, Katie, it's showing the ultimate trifecta. Of course, these

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Speaker 3: stats are for right across the territory, so it's also

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Speaker 3: the case up in the top end, but we're seeing

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Speaker 3: a massive increase in visitor numbers. They're staying longer, but

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Speaker 3: most importantly they're spending more and that statistic is amazing.

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Speaker 3: We've seen one hundred and forty four percent increase compared

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Speaker 3: to May twenty nineteen, which is a massive increase and

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Speaker 3: a huge injection into our regional economy.

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Speaker 1: Just repeat that for US, So one hundred and forty

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Speaker 1: four percent increase.

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Speaker 2: So what was that for?

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Speaker 3: So that was May this year compared to May twenty nineteen,

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Speaker 3: and I'll use the actual real figure. We've gone from

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Speaker 3: one hundred and fifty five million in May twenty nineteen

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Speaker 3: to three hundred and seventy eight million in May twenty

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Speaker 3: two So that is a staggering rebound out of the

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Speaker 3: pandemic and it's being felt not just up in the

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Speaker 3: top end, but also here in Central Australia. Wow, that's

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Speaker 3: the culmination of a huge amount of work from our

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Speaker 3: colleagues Tourism Northern Territory and the work that we've been

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Speaker 3: doing with the marketing fund that we've received from the

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Speaker 3: federal government, but also our amazing events right across the territory.

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Speaker 1: That's fantastic to hear, and I think that it's fantastic

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Speaker 1: to hear because we know that the tourism sector is

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Speaker 1: hit so incredibly hard over the COVID period. So to

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Speaker 1: hear that we are bouncing back well better than what

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Speaker 1: we were pre COVID is pretty bloody amazing. Yeah.

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Speaker 3: Look, I'm astonished by how significant this rebound is. And

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Speaker 3: you know, you compare this to other states, you know,

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Speaker 3: we're blowing it out of the ballpark here and it

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Speaker 3: just shows that we've got a lot of interest from

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Speaker 3: domestic and of course statistics don't include international visitation, which

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Speaker 3: haven't really been felt yet here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 3: So you know, we're hopefully going to see this rebound continue.

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Speaker 3: And certainly, just on Saturday, we almost we were only

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Speaker 3: a handful shy of breaking our all time record of

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Speaker 3: a number of people coming into the Alice Springs Information Center,

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Speaker 3: So that certainly shows that there's still a strong out

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Speaker 3: of a visitation happening. And we're just about to launch

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Speaker 3: into our event season, similar to you guys up in Darwin,

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Speaker 3: and you know, we've got the Henley on Todd Brigatta

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Speaker 3: this weekend and the Red Center that's in only a

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Speaker 3: few weeks time. So you know, I expect this visitation

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Speaker 3: statistics to continue and may it last a long time.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think we all hope.

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Speaker 1: So hey, we all want to make sure that it

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Speaker 1: does last as long as possible. Daniel, what do you

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Speaker 1: think is contributed to these strong results?

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Speaker 3: Well, I think there's a confluence of things. One is

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Speaker 3: a lot of people with credit and they were wanting

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Speaker 3: to use it on going somewhere special our weather. Of course,

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Speaker 3: with the weather being so bad on the Eastern Seaboard.

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Speaker 3: I think certainly the marketing efforts from Tourism Northern Territory

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Speaker 3: and Tourism Central Australia have certainly contributed. Plus also the

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Speaker 3: great events and the work at Northern Territory major events

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Speaker 3: and all our event managers putting on our amazing and

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Speaker 3: diversity right across the territory. So I think the confluence

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Speaker 3: of us being the go to place in Australia at

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Speaker 3: the moment.

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Speaker 1: Now just talk us through because you and I have

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Speaker 1: spoken on numerous occasions about the workforce shortage. How tough

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Speaker 1: is it going right now? When you talk about these

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Speaker 1: numbers and how great things are going, you know with visitation,

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Speaker 1: I would imagine that the only potential tough side of

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Speaker 1: that is having enough workers.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, we're still of course struggling and that's being felt

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Speaker 3: not only right across the territory, but around Australia. You know,

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Speaker 3: we're certainly calling upon the federal government to increase the

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Speaker 3: cap of migration. We also need to be looking at

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Speaker 3: innovative strategies. A big area for us here and in

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Speaker 3: Central Australia is working with our indigenous community to encourage

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Speaker 3: training and support to enter in the tourism and hospitality industry.

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Speaker 3: So all those things. There's no one solvable or to

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Speaker 3: fix this, and governments are doing their best at both

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Speaker 3: levels to try and ortis and industry also doing their best.

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Speaker 3: But you know, I see job add after job add

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Speaker 3: job at trying to recruit people at the moment, and

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Speaker 3: it's still a big, real issue.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's still tough going.

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Speaker 4: Hey.

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Speaker 2: Also, we have you and I have spoken quite a

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Speaker 2: few times.

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Speaker 1: As well about flights into our springs being cash. It's

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Speaker 1: been you know, it's been a concern for you in

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Speaker 1: recent weeks. How are things going in that space?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, And you know we do have a great

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Speaker 3: concern not just in terms of capacity decreases but also

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Speaker 3: the cost of airfares. This really goes to the heart

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Speaker 3: of the liveability of our community. Look at the fair

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Speaker 3: Common to say that we've had some engagement with Quanas

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Speaker 3: and other airlines and that's great to see. And look,

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Speaker 3: you know we've sort of put forward our views and look,

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Speaker 3: we look forward to having those continued conversations and hopefully

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Speaker 3: we'll start to see some of that capacity increase and

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Speaker 3: some of those airfares go down, because at the moment

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Speaker 3: it's a big disenabler. When we talk about statistics, a

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Speaker 3: lot of that's been driven by drive tourism. So you know,

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Speaker 3: we need to make sure that airfares are affordable. And

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Speaker 3: what we see is that our airfairs into our springs

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Speaker 3: are way above the averages around the country, and you know,

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Speaker 3: we need a bit of fairness come through to help

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Speaker 3: us drive more tourism. So yeah, we really do. Also

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Speaker 3: could I also just say this is just breaking in

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Speaker 3: Alice Springs at the moment, but we've just got win

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Speaker 3: that the government has now formally acquired anzach Oble for

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Speaker 3: the National Aboriginal Art Gallery. This has only just come

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Speaker 3: to hand in the last few last hour, so that's

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Speaker 3: also good news for tourism in Central Australia. TCA has

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Speaker 3: been advocating for that for a long time and it's

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Speaker 3: now good to go, and I guess now it's back

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Speaker 3: to the Northern Territory government. Let's get it built.

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Speaker 1: So mate, just to repeat that it has like, that's

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Speaker 1: very much breaking news that the government has now formally

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Speaker 1: acquired Zach Oval for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery. How

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Speaker 1: quickly are things going to get underway now, do you think?

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: I think what I understand is that there is a

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Speaker 3: design process in hand that's been going through and obviously

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Speaker 3: such an iconic facility is going to that process is

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Speaker 3: going to bear and needing to go through the process.

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Speaker 3: So hopefully that won't be too far away. And I

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Speaker 3: guess from what I understand, the federal the new Federal

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Speaker 3: abor government has committed significant moneys as well as the

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Speaker 3: Northern Territory government. So the money is the design process

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Speaker 3: is there. Now we need shovels to come out and

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Speaker 3: let's get on with it.

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Speaker 1: It has been a long time in the making that

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Speaker 1: art gallery has nurse.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and look this has only just broke a mayor

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Speaker 3: has only just made that public this morning. So I

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Speaker 3: think this is good news for our town. I know

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Speaker 3: it's a very vexing issue in our community, but DCA

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Speaker 3: has been a very strong supporter of acquiring the anzac

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Speaker 3: Oval and let's just get it on and where this

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Speaker 3: is going to be an amazing facility and a great

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Speaker 3: opportunity for us.

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Speaker 1: Well, we might even see whether we're able to get

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Speaker 1: the Mayor of Alice Springs on the show at some

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Speaker 1: point this morning to get some further detail, because that

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Speaker 1: is certainly some good news fought the whole of the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory, but particularly for Central Australia. Daniel seems like

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Speaker 1: a good day for territorians, particularly in Central Australia today, Mate,

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Speaker 1: is it time to cant we all down the mall?

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Speaker 4: I'm just about to say that I think it's time

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Speaker 4: to get the leopards in left in leotards out and

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Speaker 4: time to do a few flips. So I'm sure my

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Speaker 4: good friend Alex Bruce is very keen to see that.

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Speaker 2: Get someone to film it for us, would you?

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Speaker 3: Indeed?

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Speaker 1: Good? Indeed, Daniel, great to speak to you as always,

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Speaker 1: and I'm really like, it's really good to hear some

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Speaker 1: good news in this space because you know, I know

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Speaker 1: it's been a bloody tough time for you guys, so

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Speaker 1: it is really good to hear some good news.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, and really appreciate your support over this what

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Speaker 3: has been a difficulty.

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Speaker 1: Years now Alex Bruce SE's pretty chafter I think he

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Speaker 1: can't wait to see this video of you can't wheeling.

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Speaker 4: You should join me.

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Speaker 2: Good on you, Daniel. Thanks mate. As always, we'll talk

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Speaker 2: to you soon