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Speaker 1: Now the territory could have more senators as soon as

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Speaker 1: the next federal election as part of a new commitment

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Speaker 1: to increase our political representation. So as you may or

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Speaker 1: may not have heard, obviously, the National Labor Party agreed

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Speaker 1: to this well last week end at their conference addressing

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Speaker 1: what they described as the historic proportional underrepresentation of the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory and the Act at its national conference, and

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Speaker 1: they also gave a commitment to give each jurisdiction more senators.

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Speaker 1: Now joining me on the show is one of our

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Speaker 1: senators for the Northern Territory, Labor's Melanderie McCarthy. Good morning, Mallandiarie.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katy, and good morning to all your listeners.

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Speaker 1: Now tell me, Mallanderie, are Territorians going to see additional senators?

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Speaker 2: Well, that's the huge question, really, Katie. I certainly would

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Speaker 2: like to see that happen, but there's a fair bit

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Speaker 2: of work that still needs to take place before it can.

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Speaker 2: It can happen in one or one of two ways

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Speaker 2: of this. There has to be an agreement between the

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Speaker 2: Senate and the House of Reps in terms of any

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Speaker 2: major additional numbers, just for the benefit of their listeners.

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Speaker 2: Every state has twelve senators, we have two the territory

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Speaker 2: and the Act has two and what we would like

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Speaker 2: to see is obviously more than two, maybe at least

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Speaker 2: and you know, maybe another four would be great, but

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Speaker 2: again that would have to be something that the Parliament

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Speaker 2: has to consider.

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Speaker 1: So Melandari in terms of the process now, like obviously

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Speaker 1: that's something that at the Labor Party conference has been

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Speaker 1: agreed to. But in terms of the process, now, what

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Speaker 1: needs to happen and is this actually a reality?

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Speaker 2: Well, what happened at Labor conference was really about delegates

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Speaker 2: agreeing to the policy, Katie, So that's one step, but

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Speaker 2: in terms of the reality of whether it can happen,

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Speaker 2: that's going to be determined by the actual parliament. So

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Speaker 2: all it did in terms with last weekend was just

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Speaker 2: get agreement from members across the country that this would

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Speaker 2: be a policy that the party would support. So that's

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Speaker 2: a key. The second step now is well, there's quite

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Speaker 2: a few steps. The second one would be that there's

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Speaker 2: currently a parliamentary inquiry underway which will report to the

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Speaker 2: Parliament at the end of the year, and that parliamentary

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Speaker 2: inquiry is looking at a lot of things including Senate

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Speaker 2: representation for the Northern Territory and the APT.

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Speaker 1: What do you reckon, Melanderie, should we have more senators?

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Speaker 2: Look, I want to see us as a state, Katie.

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Speaker 2: I think I've been pushing that for a very long

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Speaker 2: time and I'd like to think that the future growth

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Speaker 2: is the Northern Territory. You know, we deserve to be

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Speaker 2: on equal status with the other states. Hopefully we'll get

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Speaker 2: there one day, and if we do, we definitely need

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Speaker 2: to have the same representation if we want to go

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Speaker 2: down that path.

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Speaker 1: It does seem though like there is still quite a

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Speaker 1: body of work on the increase in the number in

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Speaker 1: the Senate. It does seem as though there's still quite

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Speaker 1: a body of work that needs to happen before this

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Speaker 1: could become a reality.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, I just say to your listeners, watch this space,

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Speaker 2: listen to your show, because once the Parliament delivers its

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Speaker 2: report in October November, I can certainly come back to

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Speaker 2: you with what that report sees and what will our

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Speaker 2: next steps be. And I'm hopeful that there might be

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Speaker 2: some positive steps.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we'd definitely be keen to have you back on

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Speaker 1: to find out more. Now I understand a new disability

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Speaker 1: accommodation has been opened in Darwin today. Where is it

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Speaker 1: and what are its features?

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Speaker 2: Look? It was wonderful, Katie. We have the Minister for

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Speaker 2: ndis Bill shortened in town and we have the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory Minister Maria kid who opened the facility this morning

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Speaker 2: in one Guri, so your listeners would know that Harry's

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Speaker 2: place around one guries actually around that area and it's

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Speaker 2: a beautiful home where three people will be able to

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Speaker 2: live with people with complex needs, but also on a

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Speaker 2: more intimate basis, not having to be in any kind

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Speaker 2: of formal home. This is something more personal and intimate

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Speaker 2: and it was beautiful. And there is actually another one

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Speaker 2: in Woldman that's also being open today. And the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory government announced another area of land in our Springs

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Speaker 2: and two others I think which we'll see some more.

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Speaker 2: So this is a good news for those people living

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Speaker 2: with complex needs in terms of disability.

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Speaker 1: And so Senator to people like can anybody sort of

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Speaker 1: utilize that accommodation or is there a process? I'm assuming

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Speaker 1: there's a process that they've got to be able to

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Speaker 1: go through.

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Speaker 2: There would be a process, Katie, This particular one open,

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Speaker 2: this morning comes under Carpenteria, and I would certainly encourage

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Speaker 2: your listeners that if they want to know information that

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Speaker 2: they get in touch with Carpentry, the board with there,

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Speaker 2: certainly the CEO who's done an amazing job in this.

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Speaker 2: They're all very excited about it, and I certainly encourage

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Speaker 2: your listeners to get online and have a look.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'll be keen to have a bit further of

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Speaker 1: a look. And I do think that it is absolutely

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Speaker 1: needed that accommodation is pivotal and also making sure that

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Speaker 1: it's fit for purpose.

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Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, And you know, we all deserve to live

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Speaker 2: with dignity in our lives and you know, whether you

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Speaker 2: have a disability or not, I think it's important to

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Speaker 2: have the compassion and obviously the security of a home.

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Speaker 2: We've certainly got a long way to go with trying

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Speaker 2: to get houses more broadly for people who are living

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Speaker 2: homeless and rough. But I was pleased to be a

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Speaker 2: part of this announcement with Bill short in this morning

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Speaker 2: in terms of people who live with disabilities in our

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Speaker 2: community now Melandarry.

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Speaker 1: I also understand that quite a significant amount announcement was

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Speaker 1: made yesterday funding for Central Australia targeted towards fas D,

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Speaker 1: a HD and autism being rolled out. Talk us through

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Speaker 1: how exactly this is going to happen and what it's

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Speaker 1: going to mean.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, it's a serious concern. We know that a

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Speaker 2: lot of our youth are not just in Central Australia,

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Speaker 2: but indeed right across the country experience feed al alcohol

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Speaker 2: spectrum disorder and that does impact their behavior and the

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Speaker 2: way they react, whether it's in our classroom setting or

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Speaker 2: whether it's on the streets the Darwin or Alice Screens,

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Speaker 2: Tenant Creek. So we've certainly invested a considerable amount in

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Speaker 2: Central Australia that starters to assist the identification of fas

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Speaker 2: D in some of our youth who are having a

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Speaker 2: rough time in Central Australia, to make sure that we

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Speaker 2: can provide the clinical support as much as the general

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Speaker 2: home and accommodation support. But there's clinical need to here

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Speaker 2: that need to be addressed, so we focus. We're focused

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Speaker 2: on that with Congress. The average community health organization in

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Speaker 2: our springs but clearly says there is something that impacts

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Speaker 2: so many people across the country.

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Speaker 1: How many kids do you anticipate this is going to

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Speaker 1: be able to help and support.

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Speaker 2: Well, there'll certainly be in terms of the list of Congress,

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Speaker 2: and they'd be more than happy to speak with you

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Speaker 2: about it in greater detail than I can. But we

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Speaker 2: are looking at a couple of hundred people who are

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Speaker 2: just on a waiting list and their family, so this

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Speaker 2: will be quite significant to be able to reach out

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Speaker 2: to them and give the assistance that's required at a

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Speaker 2: much quicker rate, but also with the substantial funds that

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Speaker 2: come with it.

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Speaker 1: And is that funding part of the money that had

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Speaker 1: been announced by Anthony Albanezi earlier this year for Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: Is that part of that?

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Speaker 2: That's correct, that's part of the two hundred and fifty

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Speaker 2: million for Central Australia. In terms of the package that

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Speaker 2: we've provided, there's still a quite considerable amount of funding

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Speaker 2: still being finalized with the Indigenous Leadership Group in Central Australia, Katie.

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Speaker 2: So we are on target and I'm very asked can

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Speaker 2: I just reach out to the businesses as well. We've

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Speaker 2: worked very closely with the businesses and Marion Scrimer is

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Speaker 2: the Membershilling Gower. He has certainly done that there and

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Speaker 2: I know they've been incredibly appreciative of the changes, especially

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Speaker 2: with the Luatip Aboriginal Rangers who walk the streets around

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Speaker 2: Alice Springs to keep giving the assistance that's required.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we did actually speak to a business in them all.

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Speaker 1: It was a couple of months ago now and they

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Speaker 1: had said that the luatiper Arrangers had made a significant difference.

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Speaker 1: Can I just ask Senator because something that we did

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Speaker 1: speak about really extensively last week and the week before

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Speaker 1: was the situation that we've seen with those very young

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Speaker 1: children that were allegedly involved in the theft of a

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Speaker 1: bus and also a vehicle. We've spoken to the principle

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Speaker 1: of the IPRA and your school and he called again

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Speaker 1: for the for a boarding facility for that school. Is

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Speaker 1: that something that is being considered or discussed.

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Speaker 2: What's happening with Central Australian in terms of education, Katie,

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Speaker 2: is that Jason Claire, as a Federal Education Minister, has

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Speaker 2: been there and they every school in Alice Springs is

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Speaker 2: going to receive a substantial funding to assist under the

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Speaker 2: gon Ski review and that's close to over forty million

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Speaker 2: dollars that will be spread across not only Alice Springs

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Speaker 2: School but the Central Australian schools as well, So all

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Speaker 2: of that is going towards working with our youth. It's

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Speaker 2: not just one school that's dealing with this. We've got

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Speaker 2: Urarra which is also a boarding school. In Alice Springs.

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Speaker 2: You've got Saying Phillips which is also a boarding school.

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Speaker 2: This has to be a holistic approach so that every

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Speaker 2: area of Central Australia is taking responsibilities.

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Speaker 1: So with that additional funding or with that funding it's additional,

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Speaker 1: it's on top of there already, they're already operational funding,

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Speaker 1: is it.

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Speaker 2: That's correct. I was just speaking to a principle from

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Speaker 2: one of the schools yesterday just to see how they

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Speaker 2: were going. We just happened to be flying back to

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Speaker 2: Darwin together and you know, she sent me informed me

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Speaker 2: that it's been sort of groundbreaking for them and they

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Speaker 2: know that every school has received the additional funds. And

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Speaker 2: this is what we've got to do as a community

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Speaker 2: is we've got to work at this together, not just

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Speaker 2: as individual groups. And I'm certainly appreciative of Jason Clear

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Speaker 2: as our education menstro bringing that forward.

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Speaker 1: And do you reckon like have you spoken to you

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Speaker 1: for in your school and is that going to assist

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Speaker 1: them in terms of that boarding facility.

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Speaker 2: Look, I'm not aware yet as to whether Yippriinya have

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Speaker 2: had the additional funds that they need on top of

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Speaker 2: the Gonsky one. I know that's a decision that Linda Bernie,

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Speaker 2: as the Mensacre Indigenous Affairs is looking at. But I'm

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Speaker 2: certainly happy to get back to you once i understand

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Speaker 2: more of you about that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, well, good to speak to you as always,

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Speaker 1: Senator for the Northern Territory, A labor Senator Melanderry McCarthy.

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Speaker 1: Thank you very much for your time this morning.

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Speaker 2: No worries, Katie, thank you, thank you,