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Speaker 1: Now we know that some changes are on the way

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Speaker 1: that could mean real benefits for local territory businesses. The

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Speaker 1: government it's just appointed Tom Harris as the very first

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Speaker 1: Territory Procurement Champion. It is a new role and it

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Speaker 1: seemed at making it easier and fairer for local businesses

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Speaker 1: to work with government. And with these pecurement reforms kicking in,

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Speaker 1: there are promises to cut red tape, boost transparency and

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Speaker 1: most importantly give our local businesses a better shot at

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Speaker 1: winning government work. Now, Tom is a long term territory

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Speaker 1: and multi generational territory and I think you'd say, and

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Speaker 1: he joins me in the studio right now, good.

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Speaker 2: Morning, good morning, great to be here, Great.

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Speaker 1: To have you on the show. What a title champion.

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Speaker 2: I know it's not often you get that, is it.

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Speaker 2: I love it. People sort of taking the mickey out

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Speaker 2: of me a little bit about it, but very very

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Speaker 2: proud to have the opportunity.

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Speaker 1: Well, mate, I've worked with you obviously through your previous

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Speaker 1: role with the Civil Contractors Federation, and you know you

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Speaker 1: you are a long term territory and you have worked

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Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory for a very long time

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Speaker 1: and lived in the territory for a very long time.

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Speaker 1: I mean, how exciting is it, I suppose for you

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Speaker 1: to take on a role like this where you'll continue

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Speaker 1: to sort of hopefully better things for other territories.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, I think it's a I just see it as

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Speaker 2: such a positive role and not often in life you

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Speaker 2: get those opportunities, you know, and I know there's going

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Speaker 2: to be challenges with it. There as certain components of

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Speaker 2: the role that will present challenges to me and will

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Speaker 2: be relatively difficult. But the fantastic bit about this, it's

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Speaker 2: about getting out and engaging with businesses right throughout the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory, taken on board issues they might have ways

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Speaker 2: that we can improve the system. I've got the opportunity

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Speaker 2: to deal both internally within government agencies as well, so

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Speaker 2: it's not just an industry focus or a business focus.

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Speaker 2: It's certainly looking at within agencies how we can improve

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Speaker 2: things to give better opportunities to Northern Territory businesses to

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Speaker 2: partake in what Northern Territory cover with procurement activities.

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Speaker 1: And I would imagine that throughout, you know, the different

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Speaker 1: jobs that you've had in the Northern Territory as well

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Speaker 1: over the years, you would have seen the way in

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Speaker 1: which some things work really well, you know, the way

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Speaker 1: in which we might be able to improve things to

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Speaker 1: some degree. And you know it is about sort of

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Speaker 1: cutting some of that red tape and giving locals more opportunities,

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Speaker 1: isn't it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's opportunity for sure, and also then trying to

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Speaker 2: provide more certainty in the way that those particular procurements

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Speaker 2: attended out of the market. So it's about a business confidence.

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Speaker 2: It's about understanding of the way I guess the government

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Speaker 2: does business understanding. I think government understanding how business is

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Speaker 2: about their day to day activities and what they need

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Speaker 2: that surety and opportunity. And it's just a lot of

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Speaker 2: different facets molded under one. And that's why it's such

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Speaker 2: a fantastic role. And as I said, I get I've

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Speaker 2: got a direct feedback through government, both through the see

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Speaker 2: of the Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations Hailee Richards,

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Speaker 2: who in my direct report. So you know what, anything

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Speaker 2: that I find feel needs to be changed, some adjustments,

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Speaker 2: I'm able to make those. I guess it'll be advice

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Speaker 2: government don't necessarily have, but at least I've got that

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Speaker 2: direct feedback and I am tasked with engaging widely across

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and Tom, I mean in terms of obviously have

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Speaker 1: not stepped into the role yet. But you know, when

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Speaker 1: you look at and when you kind of you know,

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Speaker 1: you take a look at some of the discussions that

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Speaker 1: you've had with local businesses already, with different territorians already

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Speaker 1: before stepping into the role, can you see some areas

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Speaker 1: where we need some improvement already?

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Speaker 2: I think, look, I'm not going to be I've certainly

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Speaker 2: obviously had a great focus on construction, in particular civil construction,

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Speaker 2: so I certainly will take that experience in. But now

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Speaker 2: I'm going to go in I think fairly open on it. Initially,

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Speaker 2: I look to engage pretty actively throughout November. I'm hoping

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Speaker 2: to work with the department fairly swiftly to block and

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Speaker 2: load some dates throughout the Northern Territory to get in

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Speaker 2: front of people and then you know, and I'll take

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Speaker 2: on board that that feedback. But look, of course, there

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Speaker 2: are definitely things that I've gained through with the construction,

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Speaker 2: and a big part of that's just that the quality

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Speaker 2: of information up front at tender time is really important,

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Speaker 2: Like the better quality information you can provide to tenders. Obviously,

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Speaker 2: the better quality of the tender they're able to businesses,

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Speaker 2: better able to understand the particular risks involved with certain

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Speaker 2: tender activities. So if risks are known, yeah, price will

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Speaker 2: often be you know, you'll get better pricing opportunities, and

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Speaker 2: hopefully we'll get better value for territory opportunities falling out

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Speaker 2: of that as well, which is what this is all about.

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Speaker 1: I know that there'd been some certainly the government had

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Speaker 1: said that they are going to you know, they've got

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Speaker 1: some reforms that they want delivered in terms of that

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Speaker 1: cutting red tape and giving locals more opportunities. But also

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Speaker 1: I understand that they've changed some of those some of

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Speaker 1: the tiers as well, you know, the Tier one purchases

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Speaker 1: jumping from fifteen to fifty thousand. I guess you're going

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Speaker 1: to have to get your head around all this stuff,

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Speaker 1: but you probably already do to some degree.

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Speaker 2: And look and even from the civil construction, So we

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Speaker 2: were very supportive of those raising those tiers. They had

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Speaker 2: moved for a long long period of time. As you know,

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Speaker 2: a lot of costs and everything has gone up, So yeah,

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Speaker 2: moving the tier one up to fifty made sense. The

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Speaker 2: fifty to two hundred for Tier two, and I think

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Speaker 2: engaging in more direct procurement for what they're deeming day

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Speaker 2: to day in the fairly stand that activities is probably

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Speaker 2: a smart move. It will ensure that those I think

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Speaker 2: a lot of transactions will be able to move fairly

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Speaker 2: quickly through the government system and get more money flowing

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Speaker 2: out of the local economy.

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Speaker 1: So, Tom, how do you plan to hit the ground running, mate,

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Speaker 1: I'm guessing it's by the sounds that you're going to

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Speaker 1: be trying to get out there and meet with as

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Speaker 1: many people as you can.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the that's the first part of this project.

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Speaker 2: It's literally just get out on the ground, be engaged,

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Speaker 2: big front facing, Yeah, be able to I mean think

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Speaker 2: that's what the Minister Carl wanted. You know, I've got

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Speaker 2: to be out there basically on their vehicle if you like,

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Speaker 2: to not only be able to recommend and hopefully make

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Speaker 2: some tweaks to the way things are done, but also

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Speaker 2: be that front facing. And if there's it's positive and

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Speaker 2: this also maybe negative, there's going to be potentially complaints

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Speaker 2: that might come through us. But of any pecurement that

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory government carries out. That's also another part

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Speaker 2: of this role where I will be that I guess

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Speaker 2: arm's length review person that will look at that the

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Speaker 2: outcomes of those tenders and see if there's been you know,

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Speaker 2: the correct process have been followed and you know, look

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Speaker 2: at potential tweaks if needed.

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Speaker 1: Now, one thing I mean I mentioned this before. Obviously

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Speaker 1: you grew up here in the Northern Territory. You know,

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Speaker 1: your family born and raised here in the Northern Territory,

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Speaker 1: You've raised your kids here. If there's one thing I

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Speaker 1: know about you, you want to see the Northern Territory thrive,

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Speaker 1: if you want to see this place do really well.

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Speaker 1: And you know, I think that that's a positive thing.

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Speaker 1: That's what we all want, right you know, how do

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Speaker 1: you hope working in this role you might sort of

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Speaker 1: be able to do that.

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Speaker 2: I just look, I'm taking on board at the moment.

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Speaker 2: It's an amazing positive opportunity. It's a great role up.

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Speaker 2: Just as said, I'm honored to be given the change.

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Speaker 2: I actually think you can really make a difference a

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Speaker 2: lot of things. You go into roles and you're active

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Speaker 2: and you know you're doing things and you think you

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Speaker 2: know you're making a difference this one. I actually do,

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Speaker 2: I genuinely in the bottom of my heart that this

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Speaker 2: will be a It's a great opportunity. So yeah, I'm

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Speaker 2: very positive about it. As you said, A long term territory.

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Speaker 2: And one of my great grandfathers first came through the

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Speaker 2: top end of the Northern Territory in the eighteen nineties.

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Speaker 2: They settled in in Darwin was Palmeston back then in

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Speaker 2: nineteen oh six. One of my grandmothers was born here

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Speaker 2: in ninety and oh eight. Yeah, I've had We've got

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Speaker 2: twin arties who were born in Alice Springs in forty five.

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Speaker 2: They've just had their eightieth birthday up here, not long ago.

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Speaker 2: My dad unfortunately through war years nineteen forty you had

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Speaker 2: to be born in Brisbane. That's why my grandmother made

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Speaker 2: sure she didn't make that mistake again. She brought the

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Speaker 2: family back to Alice for my aunties to be born.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, I was born here, my kids are here,

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Speaker 2: so now I'm invested. I'm in and yeah, I generally

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Speaker 2: I love local business. It's a massive engine room for

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Speaker 2: the economy and every dollar that we can get into

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Speaker 2: those businesses that then moves around the economy two or

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Speaker 2: three times, and that's a great benefit for the North

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Speaker 2: of two.

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Speaker 1: Because this is the thing. We always look at the

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Speaker 1: big major projects as we should, right, we absolutely need

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Speaker 1: to look at those major projects. But do you think

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Speaker 1: that if we can sort of you know, if we

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Speaker 1: can get things working more efficiently across the board, you know,

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Speaker 1: with all of the other stuff and with our smaller businesses,

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Speaker 1: with procurement, et cetera, what kind of impact do you

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Speaker 1: think that that could have on our economy.

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Speaker 2: It's massive. Often get a little bit frustrated that I

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Speaker 2: know is Look, it's that you've got to be doing

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Speaker 2: all things to get the economy going. But we have

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Speaker 2: a large engine room sitting here. If we can just

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Speaker 2: make some slight tweaks around the edges and we get

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Speaker 2: a little bit of an improvement here, another percent spent locally,

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Speaker 2: we get those multipliers a little bit before. If you

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Speaker 2: can get there that money going around the economy two three,

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Speaker 2: four times, all of a sudden, an inte government spend

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Speaker 2: you know, the annually procure It varies year to year,

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Speaker 2: but so it's about one point five billion dollars they

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Speaker 2: procure annually. All of a sudden if you're going around

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Speaker 2: the economy, you know, three and four times doing at

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Speaker 2: four point five billion, six billion dollars, it's a significant

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Speaker 2: driver that's benefiting all of us. It's leading you to

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Speaker 2: local employment, then people buying houses, settling in the territory.

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Speaker 2: You know, obviously their kids going to school, am using hospitals, shopping,

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Speaker 2: all those sort of things. Then all something economy grows.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, look, I'm a fan, I really I just

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Speaker 2: think those businesses that we've got to give them support,

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Speaker 2: give them opportunities, and said, if I can do my

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Speaker 2: little bit in this new champion role, absolutely we'll give

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Speaker 2: it everything I've got and really positive about potentially getting

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Speaker 2: some good outcomes.

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Speaker 1: What date do you hit the ground running as the

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Speaker 1: territories first Procurement Champion? Well, it did?

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Speaker 2: I think the press release happen as November one, which

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Speaker 2: I do not. It's a Saturday, so I guess that's

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Speaker 2: my day, but I'll probably go with Monday, the Monday

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Speaker 2: the third. Yeah, and I'd like to said, I'll recently

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Speaker 2: engaging with the department immediately to try and get some

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Speaker 2: dates locked in for a top end Catherine Tenant Alice

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Speaker 2: and then a sort of Anula Boy forum. I like

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Speaker 2: to get in front of people. I'd like to get

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Speaker 2: them locked in now for early November, get out and

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Speaker 2: about and then really I'll be trying I engage with

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Speaker 2: industry groups like my previous role CCFS, with Master Builders,

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Speaker 2: with Chamber of Commerce, all those sort of bodies around

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory and have opportunities to speak with their

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Speaker 2: members and engage with individuals right across the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: Well, Tom Harris, the Northern Territories first Procurement Champion, good

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Speaker 1: to have you in the studio and let us know

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Speaker 1: when those forums and things are happening, and we'll make

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Speaker 1: sure that our listeners know. I know that there are

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Speaker 1: plenty of businesses that listen and they be keen to

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Speaker 1: find out more.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, thanks for the opportunity anytime.

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Speaker 1: Good on your Tom, Thank you