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Speaker 1: And unfortunately yesterday we learned that Quantas are set to

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Speaker 1: suspend direct flights from Alice Springs to Perth from July

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Speaker 1: one due to low passenger numbers. Now, Tourism Central Australia

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Speaker 1: says that the national carrier has an obligation to remote

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Speaker 1: and regional Australians, and the chief executive, Daniel Rochford, said

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Speaker 1: that the move could impact corporate activity as well as

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Speaker 1: tourism and is really calling for more support for other

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Speaker 1: operators providing flights to and from Central Australia. Now, Daniel Rochford,

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Speaker 1: the CEO of Tourism Central Australia, joins me on the

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Speaker 1: line right now get a Daniel.

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

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Speaker 1: Now, Daniel, this is obviously a decision which is going

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Speaker 1: to impact not just tourism, but as you've rightly pointed

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Speaker 1: out to other media as well, it's going to impact

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Speaker 1: corporate activity. Tell us when you found out this was

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Speaker 1: happening and what your reaction was.

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Speaker 3: I found out from a media outlet who rang me

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Speaker 3: up about it. So would you be appointing at the

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Speaker 3: first instance, because if we knew that there were low

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Speaker 3: numbers on this flight. As the tourist authority representing Central Australia,

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Speaker 3: we could have rolled up athletes and supported.

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Speaker 2: Our national Austraia. But that which think you had been

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Speaker 2: to as you say, it just have any impact.

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Speaker 3: The livability of living in central as If we need

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Speaker 3: the most community access to our nation Australia and international

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Speaker 3: flight earth quit Ran, we've lost now that.

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Speaker 2: Connective from those from those international flights.

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Speaker 1: You know, what a disappointing situation to be in because

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Speaker 1: obviously you know when people are coming from overseas, one

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Speaker 1: of the places that they all want to get to

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Speaker 1: is Central Australia and particularly out to all the ruins

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Speaker 1: some of the other wonderful destinations that you've got there

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Speaker 1: in Central Australia you.

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Speaker 2: Vetta and you know it is certainly a kick in

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Speaker 2: the gap through our industry and well acation so critical

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Speaker 2: for any promote the destinations like ours. It would have

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Speaker 2: been nice to be able to work with us ride

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Speaker 2: and build up then the service and we all know

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Speaker 2: West Australians the big sailor.

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Speaker 3: Coming back a lot of time.

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Speaker 2: I've put a lot of the time to stab through

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Speaker 2: to the perm over the issue back and now would

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Speaker 2: have done. We've been friends up room and it is

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Speaker 2: disappointing that they've made the decisions. So I still appreciate it.

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Speaker 2: It's been up time for all our life from the

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Speaker 2: welders honest to be passively, but you know we need

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Speaker 2: a positive at it too, especially as so get.

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Speaker 1: It, Nataniel, I know that you know that obviously it's

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Speaker 1: it's this is going to have an impact. As we've

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Speaker 1: just discussed. How are those passenger numbers looking at both

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Speaker 1: well Alice Springs and also the Ularum Airport.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, numbers are going actually relatively well across the region.

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Speaker 2: So the flights into Ulu. I really ram back up

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Speaker 2: a quintus of announced new flights from Sydney into which

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Speaker 2: is great news. Certainly, we were watching very closely now

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Speaker 2: the Brisbane services into our springs because you know, I'm

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Speaker 2: you know, it's a not too dissimilar framework for the

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Speaker 2: Perth services. So that's that's what I'm going to watch

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Speaker 2: very carefully and certainly very keen to talk to all

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Speaker 2: stakeholders on. But you know, it's certainly coming back from

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Speaker 2: where we were. Of course, we were down to just

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Speaker 2: a handful of flights in and out of Alice Springs.

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Speaker 1: D'artaniel. We've been talking this morning as well throughout the week.

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Speaker 1: That was about the staffing shortages which are being experienced,

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Speaker 1: you know, right around around the nation. That's something that

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Speaker 1: you and I have discussed on numerous occasions. But I

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Speaker 1: guess what we're starting to see now is that in

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Speaker 1: some of our other states and some of the other

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Speaker 1: locations around Australia is they've got some interesting initiatives really

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Speaker 1: to try and get stuff into those locations. I understand

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Speaker 1: that CANS is doing something a bit different.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, Katie, this is a really interesting you know,

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Speaker 2: we're all facing the same issue and you know, everyone's

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Speaker 2: being as proactive as they possibly can. But ends up

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Speaker 2: have been ounced yesterday that they're putting free first class

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Speaker 2: air tickets with Singapore Airlines from Europe to can plus

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Speaker 2: I think up to one thousand dollars worth of free tours.

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Speaker 2: So that's I just go back over that free first

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Speaker 2: class who are airfaes. So that's the level of the

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Speaker 2: work that the Queensland Government, in Australian Government and the

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Speaker 2: local authorities and CANS are doing to try and track

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Speaker 2: to tropical North Queenslane. So that's the competition that the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory is facing because this is a competitive environment

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Speaker 2: and you know, we're unfortunately going to get if we're

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Speaker 2: not careful and we need to be more proactive in

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Speaker 2: this space. We're going to be consumpt by other destinations

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Speaker 2: and other regions.

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Speaker 1: Well this is the thing, isn't it. You know again,

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Speaker 1: you and I have spoken on quite a number of

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Speaker 1: occasions about the fact that you know that other states

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Speaker 1: are doing different things. I believe in South Australia like it.

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Speaker 1: You know you've touched on as well. In South Australia,

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Speaker 1: they're trying different things. But now to hear that kans

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Speaker 1: is offering first class flights and free tours, I mean,

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Speaker 1: what better way really to get people working in the

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Speaker 1: industry because they're not only are they getting across here

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Speaker 1: in some you know, like you know, on a nice flight,

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Speaker 1: but then they're actually experiencing the different you know, the

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Speaker 1: different offerings. I work in that industry.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly right. And look, you know, to our government

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Speaker 2: spread it. You know, they've got three million dollars on

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Speaker 2: the table for innovative different strategies and that's something that

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Speaker 2: I don't know, we've sat down with Minister Manison on

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Speaker 2: just this week, and you know, we really need to

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Speaker 2: come together and do this quickly to look at some

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Speaker 2: innovative strategies to try and get back into the game here,

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Speaker 2: back into a competitive brain because other destinations and other

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Speaker 2: jurisdictions are just going over the top of us. And

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Speaker 2: you know, at the moment we've got a couple of initiatives,

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Speaker 2: but you know that's they're paling into insignificance compared to

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Speaker 2: what other jurisdictions doing.

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Speaker 1: Daniel, what do you reckon we could offer here? What

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Speaker 1: do you think we could look at?

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Speaker 2: Look? I think you know, it's the ability to get

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Speaker 2: here easy. And you know the great thing is we

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Speaker 2: have those thingafore our flights airline sites coming into Darwin,

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Speaker 2: and you know we have such great attraction and you're

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Speaker 2: great things to experience. But I think it's really getting

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Speaker 2: down to overcoming some of the dollar issues in terms

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Speaker 2: of being able to come to the Northern territory, especially

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Speaker 2: from interstate. You know, I get feedback from many tourism

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Speaker 2: operators here that when they're trying to attract staff, the

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Speaker 2: issue becomes you know, it's so costly, and that goes

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Speaker 2: back to that issue of the airfare. You know, on

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Speaker 2: that flight from Perth to Alice Springs, a return airfare

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Speaker 2: was fifteen hundred dollars to Alice Springs. So you know,

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Speaker 2: this is the level of expense that many of our

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Speaker 2: businesses have to incur to attract staff. And our ability

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Speaker 2: to be able to pump prime and overcome some of

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Speaker 2: these expenses is going to be really critical in encouraging people.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I certainly is well, Daniel Rochford, It's always great

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Speaker 1: to talk to you. I know we're battling a little

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Speaker 1: bit with the sound that we're hearing down here at

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Speaker 1: the track at the Merlin Darwen Triple Crown still now

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Speaker 1: quiet and down just as we're finishing our interview.

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Speaker 2: It's great to you know. Obviously we had think last

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Speaker 2: week here in Alisair which went off like a prominent

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Speaker 2: stock and you know to have the event up in

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Speaker 2: dar One at the moment, well, you know, I'm obviously

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Speaker 2: very proud about promoting Central Australia. But as long as

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Speaker 2: you know, to see events like the one up in

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Speaker 2: dar One this weekend, it's great to see so many

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Speaker 2: people throughout the territory and they'll get out and get

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Speaker 2: amongst it. And it's good for our industry and good

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Speaker 2: for good for our economy.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely well. Daniel Rochford, CEO AF Tourism Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: Always good to talk to you. Thank you so much

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Speaker 1: for your time this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, Cheers