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Speaker 1: The Albanezi and the Finocchi Aio governments have activated more

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Speaker 1: than twelve point four million dollars in support for small

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Speaker 1: businesses and nonprofit organizations in the Northern Territory that have

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Speaker 1: been impacted by severe weather, flooding and the impacts of

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Speaker 1: ex severe tropical cyclone norell. Now. One of the communities

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Speaker 1: that was hit incredibly hard is Catherine and joining us

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Speaker 1: on the line is the Member for Catherine. She's also

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Speaker 1: the Minister for various portfolios. Joe Hersey. Good morning to you, Joe.

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

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Speaker 1: Joe. Obviously this is good news in a lot of ways.

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Speaker 1: I mean, twelve point four million dollars is nothing to

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Speaker 1: sort of scoff at, but you know, for some of

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Speaker 1: those businesses, I would imagine they've been hit really hard

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Speaker 1: after what's been a really tough time for the people

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Speaker 1: of Catherine.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, and this is something that I followed up basically

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Speaker 2: while we were still going through the flood, because I know,

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Speaker 2: after being through this in nineteen ninety eight, back then,

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Speaker 2: businesses were given ten thousand dollars from the federal government

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Speaker 2: and so here we are, you know, twenty eight or

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Speaker 2: so years down the track, and I think, you know,

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Speaker 2: small business is the backbone of the territory and of

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Speaker 2: the nation. And I'd spoken to many businesses that had

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Speaker 2: been doing it tough. In actual fact, some had only

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Speaker 2: worked for seven days for the month of March, and

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Speaker 2: basically March was a write off here in Catherine, and

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Speaker 2: businesses still have to go and pay their staff, pay

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Speaker 2: their insurance, all the outgoings that they actually have to

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Speaker 2: deal with in business, as well as front up every day.

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Speaker 2: And it was you know, there did need to be

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Speaker 2: some support. So we put that to the federal government

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Speaker 2: and it did sit on the Prime Minister's death for

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Speaker 2: a very long time and they came back with not

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Speaker 2: quite what we wanted. But any support is better than

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Speaker 2: no support. But I think for those businesses just to

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Speaker 2: let them know in the coming weeks there will be

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Speaker 2: more support that I've asked for as well, because I

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Speaker 2: think this is not going to go far enough. But

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Speaker 2: it's better than nothing.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it is better than nothing. I mean, Joya said there,

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Speaker 1: it wasn't quite what you wanted. What had you wanted?

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Speaker 2: There was a package that we had put forward on

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Speaker 2: a sliding scale from ten thousand upwards and you know,

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Speaker 2: obviously this has come back for businesses and not for

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Speaker 2: profit organizations also to access grants of up to ten

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Speaker 2: thousand dollars. And as I said, ten thousand dollars is

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Speaker 2: what the federal government gave in nineteen ninety eight, so

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Speaker 2: I just thought potentially a little bit more would have

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Speaker 2: been great. But as I say, let's not look a

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Speaker 2: gift horse in the mouth, and I think it will

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Speaker 2: go a long way to helping people. But as I said,

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Speaker 2: there hopefully will be more coming in the next few

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Speaker 2: weeks and potentially maybe with the budget.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Well, and it's not just you know, the residents of

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Speaker 1: Catherine or the businesses in Calton either. It's Komali as

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Speaker 1: well as Litchfield Rope of Golf, Victoria Daily, West Daily

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Speaker 1: where Starnham, belle Ewen, Walgutshire, as well as Greater dough

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Speaker 1: And Unincorporated area and Cox Daily Unincorporated Area and Marrachai

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Speaker 1: Douglas Day. You know, there is no doubt that these

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Speaker 1: weather events have absolutely smashed the territory like that. You

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Speaker 1: know the fact that that many areas have had to

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Speaker 1: be included, and that many small businesses and also not

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Speaker 1: for profits impacted. You know, it's it's something, but I

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Speaker 1: don't I just don't know how far ten thousand or go.

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Speaker 2: Joe, No, that's right. And as I say, I've been

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Speaker 2: in small business before. I know exactly how far ten

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Speaker 2: thousand dollars went six years ago when I was in business,

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Speaker 2: not really that far. But you know, it's it is

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Speaker 2: better than nothing. And for those businesses that have had

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Speaker 2: to get back on their seat, it's something to start

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Speaker 2: them off. But yeah, I mean, what can you say.

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Speaker 2: It is what it is. It is better than nothing.

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Speaker 2: But I know I don't even have to talk to

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Speaker 2: businesses know that that would not be enough, but it

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Speaker 2: is better than nothing.

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Speaker 1: Do you know if they've got to prove their eligibility

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Speaker 1: or how it kind of how it's going to work.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so they will be able to put in, you know,

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Speaker 2: for up to ten thousand dollars to support the recovery

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Speaker 2: from the disaster. So you know, it's eligible businesses that

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Speaker 2: don't and cannot couldn't access a you know, commercial finance

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Speaker 2: or even that had insurance. So you know, I think

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Speaker 2: that would still be a lot of businesses out there,

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Speaker 2: and you know, I just hope that all of the

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Speaker 2: businesses that need support do actually make sure that they

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Speaker 2: put in for it. I know that I as soon

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Speaker 2: as this came out this morning, I emailed all businesses

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Speaker 2: that we have in our database here in Catherine. I've

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Speaker 2: emailed all of them this morning to let them know

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Speaker 2: that this is available. So if you're in Catherine or

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Speaker 2: even across the territory, make sure you put in there's

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Speaker 2: a link with that media release that went out and

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Speaker 2: put in an access that finance for you, because, as

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Speaker 2: you said, this is right across the territory. We did

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Speaker 2: have seven extreme weather events all going on at the

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Speaker 2: same time. It's been a big web season.

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Speaker 1: It certainly has. Joe, how are things going in Catherine

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Speaker 1: at the moment. How are some of those small businesses

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Speaker 1: you know that we're talking about, how are they tracking

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Speaker 1: after what's been a tough time.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think they're definitely. You know, most businesses that

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Speaker 2: I know i've here in Catherine that I've spoken to

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Speaker 2: have a back up and running. There was many of

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Speaker 2: those businesses that actually open over the easter break as

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Speaker 2: well on the public holidays, which was great to see,

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Speaker 2: you know, making trying to make as much money as

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Speaker 2: they can over a holiday period. But I know that

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Speaker 2: definitely some people that I spoke to did not have

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Speaker 2: the amount of tourists through that they potentially thought they may.

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Speaker 2: I think a lot of people did stay at home

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Speaker 2: because you know, on top of this, we've also got

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Speaker 2: the cost of fuel right across the nation, but here

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Speaker 2: in the territory, and when you're paying nearly three dollars

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Speaker 2: a liter, even two dollars whatever it is for eighty five,

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Speaker 2: I think maybe for unleaded it certainly makes you think

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Speaker 2: twice about driving your car. I know it's certainly got

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Speaker 2: my pushbike out the other day, KDI. But you know,

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Speaker 2: it's okay that you can do this kind of thing

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Speaker 2: when you're in a small town that maybe in a city,

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Speaker 2: or when you're living remotely. It's not that easy, right,

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Speaker 2: And it's certainly not that easy for businesses that have

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Speaker 2: got trucks. And we've got many businesses here in the

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Speaker 2: territory that you know, trucking our goods around and freight

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Speaker 2: and all the rest of it. So it's very challenging

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Speaker 2: times for all businesses right across the territory, and I

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Speaker 2: certainly feel for them at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you spot on, Hey, Joe, tell me in terms of,

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Speaker 1: you know, the state of the roads around Catherine as well,

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Speaker 1: because I know there was well, you know better than anyone.

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Speaker 1: There was so much rain and I would imagine quite

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Speaker 1: a bit of damage to some of those roads. How

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Speaker 1: are things going at the moment.

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Speaker 2: I can tell you that I went out to Cooinda

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Speaker 2: over the weekend and had a little bit of a

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Speaker 2: staycation in our own backyard, which was wonderful. The road

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Speaker 2: between Catherine and Pine Creek is not too bad. I

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Speaker 2: won't say it's amazing, it's not too bad. A lot

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Speaker 2: of potholes have been filled in. But between I've had

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Speaker 2: many reports back to me just today and yesterday. Between

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Speaker 2: Pine Creek and Adelaide River, steel is a major issue,

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Speaker 2: and there are some potholes there, Katie, that are seriously

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Speaker 2: I would not like to be driving a small car.

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Speaker 2: I'm heading up to Darwin again tomorrow afternoon for some

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Speaker 2: work and I'm constantly onto Minister End's offers to let

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Speaker 2: him know I'm doing a road report basically whenever I

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Speaker 2: drive these days of sending they're probably sick of me

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Speaker 2: sending them photos of the roads. But you know, we

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Speaker 2: need to make sure that people are safe out there

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Speaker 2: on the road and that these potholes are being filled

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Speaker 2: by all of the providers that we've got out there

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Speaker 2: doing roads right across the territory. And there's a lot

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Speaker 2: of potholes to fill in let alone just ones around

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Speaker 2: Catherine here in town, and like.

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Speaker 1: You said, you know, it is a safety concern. I

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Speaker 1: know that for you know, all of us are doing

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Speaker 1: a bit of complaining I suppose, or a bit of

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Speaker 1: reporting of potholes and of traffic lights and things like that,

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Speaker 1: but it is important because we want to make sure

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Speaker 1: that you know, that they do get sorted and yeah,

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Speaker 1: that we're able to Yeah, that we're really able to

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Speaker 1: ensure that people don't then wind up in a crash

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Speaker 1: or an accident on our roads hitting one of those

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Speaker 1: potholes or you know, due to that damage.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. And I think you know, like listeners

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Speaker 2: are your eyes and ears out there, you can be

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Speaker 2: the eyes and ears for the council areas as well.

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Speaker 2: I know here in Catherine we have snaps in sol

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Speaker 2: I know in Alice maybe they have neat streets or

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Speaker 2: something like that, and so there's different areas where you

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Speaker 2: can actually take that photo upload it to that app

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Speaker 2: and send it off to your local council. And that

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Speaker 2: is another way of people out in the community letting

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Speaker 2: the people that are in charge of those areas, whether

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Speaker 2: it be the government roads or council roads, of letting

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Speaker 2: them know because you know, there is so much work

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Speaker 2: for councils to do that they can't potentially get to

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Speaker 2: them all at once as well.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, just thinking of an update Katie while I've

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Speaker 3: got you on the phone or on me even. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: As the Minister for flood Recovery, this Friday, I will

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Speaker 3: be catching up with Ken Davis again on one hundred

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Speaker 3: million relief right across the territory for the Flood Recovery Fund.

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Speaker 3: So we will then be working out some of those

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Speaker 3: areas and he'll be letting me know. He's been out

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Speaker 3: to a lot more places more recently, and I think

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Speaker 3: today he was hoping to get down to Murray Downs

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Speaker 3: good stuff, and so having a look at all those

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Speaker 3: places and actually visiting them, not just going on what's

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Speaker 3: being said to him, is actually out there on the

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Speaker 3: ground visiting all of these places so that we have

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Speaker 3: a very informed report that he can give back to

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Speaker 3: me on Friday and then we can work through that

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Speaker 3: and prioritize what the most pressing needs are and make

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Speaker 3: those decisions moving forward on where that money will be spent.

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Speaker 1: Also, do you reckon you might be able to make

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Speaker 1: a decision on where some of that money might be spent.

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Speaker 2: I think within a couple of weeks meeting with him Friday,

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Speaker 2: so maybe even towards the end of next week, we'll

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Speaker 2: have an announcement, depending on what we get through this Friday,

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Speaker 2: of where some of that money will be spent. So

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Speaker 2: let us know we want to get that money out

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Speaker 2: the door as soon as we can because we across there.

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Speaker 1: That's exactly right. You want to you know, you don't

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Speaker 1: want to be sitting on it. Well, Minister Joe Hersey,

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Speaker 1: Member for Catherine as well. It's always good to catch

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Speaker 1: up with you. I appreciate your time this morning, and

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Speaker 1: no doubt we'll probably have a chat to you next

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Speaker 1: week or the week following about that that funding and

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Speaker 1: where some of that money might be spent.

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Speaker 2: No worries, good, thank you,