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Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the Deputy Chief Minister,

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Speaker 1: Nicole Madison. Good morning to you, minister.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie now.

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Speaker 1: Minister, the situation in the Barkley region has been very

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Speaker 1: challenging by the sounds of things when it comes to

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Speaker 1: those bushfires. From your perspective, what is the latest in

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Speaker 1: terms of the government's response.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks, thanks Katie. In personally, I just want to

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Speaker 2: say a huge thank you to all of the teams

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Speaker 2: that have been working very hard since last week as

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Speaker 2: this fire broke out. But also just knowing that the

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Speaker 2: conditions there, we've had some wet conditions for the last

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Speaker 2: few years, which meant that there's a lot of fuel

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Speaker 2: out there. Uh you know, the wind speed, you know,

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Speaker 2: the heat is just made for unfortunately very difficult conditions

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Speaker 2: out there. So there have been there's been a huge

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Speaker 2: amount of work happening in terms of dealing with the fire,

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Speaker 2: for mitigating the risk against the fire, for planning of

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Speaker 2: all different possible scenarios that could happen with the fire.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, there's there's been a huge amount of activity

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Speaker 2: and people have worked incredibly hard on that. So just

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Speaker 2: you know, a big thank you to the teams out

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Speaker 2: there for everything that they're doing right now. We're meeting

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Speaker 2: regularly about this, making sure all of our agencies are

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Speaker 2: working closely together, that they've got the people, the resources,

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Speaker 2: and the assets that they need. Because this is the

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Speaker 2: difficult thing about it. You know, the weather changes and

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Speaker 2: you know, so we're trying to plan for many different scenarios.

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Speaker 2: But I'd assure that people of Tenant Creek and the

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Speaker 2: surrounding communities that there's been a lot of planning. There's

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Speaker 2: a lot of mitigation work happening around the township to

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Speaker 2: protect them from any issues.

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Speaker 1: Now, tell me, are we expecting issues when it comes

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Speaker 1: to supply lines or transport at this point in time.

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Speaker 1: I know that the Barkley Highway, as understand all the

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Speaker 1: Highway was closed for a little while there, I understand,

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Speaker 1: and it's back open. How are things going when it

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Speaker 1: comes to those supply lines and those road closures.

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Speaker 2: Well, you would have noted that the Barkley Highway has

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Speaker 2: been opened and closed a few times now of this

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Speaker 2: FIA activity. And we've been looking closely at the Barkley,

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Speaker 2: the Stuart Highway, the rail line, and we've got our

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Speaker 2: logistics groups that have been meeting and discussing. We've got

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Speaker 2: departments Infrastructure, planning and logistics at the table too, so

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Speaker 2: we try to keep those road closures to a minimum.

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Speaker 2: Safety comes first, you want to make sure people can

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Speaker 2: get through safely, but we've kept them to a minimum

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Speaker 2: because we need our supply chains to keep continuing food

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Speaker 2: security and those supply chains are always a very big

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Speaker 2: point of discussion in our emergency preparing and planning and

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Speaker 2: at this stage we don't see any compromises to our

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Speaker 2: supply chains. However, you know, we keep it very close

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Speaker 2: eye on this and try to minim disruptions so I

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Speaker 2: thinks can keep flowing where they need to go.

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Speaker 1: Well, Minister will certainly keep an eye and an ear

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Speaker 1: on things that are happening as they progress in the

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Speaker 1: Barclay region. And yeah, no doubt it's an unnerving time

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Speaker 1: for a lot of people there. But I know, like

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Speaker 1: you've said, our fire ees, everybody that's working on the

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Speaker 1: front line working incredibly hard to keep everybody safe.

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Speaker 2: And can I shout out to the pastoral us out

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Speaker 2: there in the area as well. There's been it's been

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Speaker 2: a huge amount of week by bush Fries NTEA, by police,

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Speaker 2: Foreign Emergency Services and We've also had conversations, lots of

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Speaker 2: work done with the pastor US have been doing a

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Speaker 2: big job out there trying to mitigate the risk of

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Speaker 2: their property, their stock, which ultimately helps the whole area

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Speaker 2: and region as well. So thank you to them too,

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Speaker 2: because I know we've got some very tired pastor USTs

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Speaker 2: out in the area. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Well, we are going to be catching up with the

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Speaker 1: Cattleman's Association after ten o'clock this morning, so we'll talk

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Speaker 1: a little bit further about that. So I do want

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Speaker 1: to ask you. I know this morning you've actually been

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Speaker 1: out talking tourism, announcing a revised NTY tourism industry strategy

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Speaker 1: for twenty thirty. Now, as I understand it, you're aiming

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Speaker 1: for an ambitious target of two point eight is it

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Speaker 1: million or billion million visitors I should say, accounting for

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Speaker 1: an associated spend of five point three billion by twenty thirty.

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Speaker 1: It's been six How do you plan to increase these numbers?

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Speaker 2: It's a range of different areas. We need to get

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Speaker 2: all the different aspects of our tourism industry working together

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Speaker 2: to get this right. That includes airline connectivity and getting

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Speaker 2: greater services coming in there, enhancing the road traffic and

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Speaker 2: making sure that you know, we've got the tourism experiences

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Speaker 2: that people want. So for me, it's really important to

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Speaker 2: see continued investment into those great natural assets like Ularu Kakadu,

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Speaker 2: but making sure that when people get here at our

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Speaker 2: tourism businesses are delivering what they want. And today with

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Speaker 2: great so also announce another round of the BEEP Grants,

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Speaker 2: which is the Visitor Enhanced Experience Enhancement program where we

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Speaker 2: work with industry. We've invested three million dollars, industries investing

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Speaker 2: another ten, so that's a thirteen million dollar investment going

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Speaker 2: right across the territory to upgrade and enhance our tourism

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Speaker 2: businesses are hospitality businesses, so people have a better experience

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Speaker 2: when they go.

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Speaker 1: Minister, how many visitors do we currently get a year?

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Speaker 2: So the number tends to fluctuate, but you know we'll

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Speaker 2: heading towards of course, sorry, I've just got the numbers

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Speaker 2: there in front of it. We have got the numbers

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Speaker 2: are fluctuated between one point six to about two and

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Speaker 2: basically you know it is seasonal. We look at it

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Speaker 2: every quarter, but we really want to enhance those numbers.

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Speaker 1: And so heading from around one point six to two million,

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Speaker 1: all the way up to two point eight million. How

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Speaker 1: are we going to do this when you know, one

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Speaker 1: of the biggest issues we've got is the expense and

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Speaker 1: how bloody much it costs to fly into the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and in your spot on, you know, it's the

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Speaker 2: biggest point of conversation in tourism, not just here in

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Speaker 2: the territory but nationally. You would have seen a huge

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Speaker 2: amount of debate over the last week about Qatar Airlines

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Speaker 2: and their access into Australia. So as you know, we're

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Speaker 2: working with our Aviation Attraction scheme, we're working with the

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Speaker 2: airports to try to get more people into the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: That's really important to us. And making sure that you've

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Speaker 2: got that air connectivity, like for example, when I was

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Speaker 2: out at Yallara just in the middle of the year

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Speaker 2: talking to voyagers out there, like their air connectivity to

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Speaker 2: Queensland isn't quite what it used to be and for

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Speaker 2: them that's about a sixteen seventeen percent hit on their visitation,

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Speaker 2: you know, trying to make sure that we've got as

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Speaker 2: many planes coming in from as many different destinations at

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Speaker 2: a reasonable price. Is what we all want to see

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Speaker 2: and that plays a critical role in tourism. International tourism

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Speaker 2: numbers have not returned to pre pandemic yet. We are

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Speaker 2: still working through that and we do need that connectivity.

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Speaker 2: So when people either come into the Northern Territory direct

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Speaker 2: or if they come through other airports, that they've got

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Speaker 2: connectivity to get in here.

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Speaker 1: So where are things at with those discussions with other airlines?

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Speaker 1: I mean you mentioned then Qatar Airlines. Is that a

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Speaker 1: possibility for the Northern Territory that we could see some

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Speaker 1: flights with Qatar Airlines?

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Speaker 2: That's not the immediate possibilities we're looking at, Katie, to

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Speaker 2: be really blunt, but I'm hoping to have some good

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Speaker 2: news for you very soon.

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Speaker 1: Okay, I want to ask I guess what I'm trying

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Speaker 1: to get to know. If we're looking at boosting these

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Speaker 1: tourism numbers from you know, the one point six two

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Speaker 1: million per year to two point eight, how are we

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Speaker 1: going to get there? You know, if we don't have

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Speaker 1: that greater connectivity yet, are you saying that it is

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Speaker 1: on the horizon?

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Speaker 2: Well, our Tourism Aviation and Attraction Scheme, Our Territory Aviation

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Speaker 2: Attraction scheme has been getting interest out there, and we're

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Speaker 2: working very hard to get some of those airlines over

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Speaker 2: the line, working with the airports out there, and I'm

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Speaker 2: hoping to have some good news for you soon.

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Speaker 1: All right. Now, with the you know, with the situation

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Speaker 1: as well with Quantas, we know that they've well had

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Speaker 1: some pretty scandalous issues over the last couple of weeks.

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Speaker 1: Alan Joyce is out. The new CEO of Vanessa Hudson

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Speaker 1: has stepped in. Have you had a chance to meet

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Speaker 1: with the new CEO or are you expecting to over the

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Speaker 1: coming weeks.

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Speaker 2: Well, we have already met with her, so she's already

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Speaker 2: had a history of coming to the Northern Territory and

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Speaker 2: gosh it, two months ago we had Vanessa here, the

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Speaker 2: Chief Minister and myself spent some really good time with her,

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Speaker 2: having a good chat about the circumstances of the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory and where were to go. And so yeah, it's

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Speaker 2: fair to say we've already well and truly started that

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Speaker 2: relationship with the new chief executive of Quantus.

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon we get to see some more connectivity

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Speaker 1: under the new CEO, because it's been you know, fair

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Speaker 1: to say that the Territory has been coppying the rough

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Speaker 1: end of the stick in a lot of ways when

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Speaker 1: it comes to flights.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so you know, we'll see in time, Katie. But

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Speaker 2: we've always advocated for more services and stronger connectivity here

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Speaker 2: and the best possible price for territorians. And Quantus do

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Speaker 2: do some territory deals with the residents of Central Australia,

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Speaker 2: which you know we are very grateful for. But you know,

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Speaker 2: they are a national carrier. They do have the largest

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Speaker 2: market share here and the message we always send a

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Speaker 2: Quantist is that we want more services. We want to

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Speaker 2: make sure that there's good flight availability for people in

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory and at the right price. And when

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Speaker 2: they don't prioritize Northern Territory and or if they change schedules,

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Speaker 2: it just has such a greater impact on us here

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Speaker 2: because of our remoteness and our isolation. We are so

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Speaker 2: dependent on airlines like we just need them because people

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Speaker 2: just can't jump in a car and drive here if

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Speaker 2: they can't get on a plane.

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Speaker 1: Well, this is the thing, Minister. I know you are

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Speaker 1: pressed for time, but I guess what I'm trying to

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Speaker 1: get to is there's going to be people listening this

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Speaker 1: morning thinking to themselves, all right, we've got this strategy

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Speaker 1: for twenty thirty. We want to try to increase that

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Speaker 1: visitation to two point eight million visitors and also the

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Speaker 1: associated spend of five point three billion dollars by twenty thirty.

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Speaker 1: But aside from the incentive that you spoke about just

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Speaker 1: a moment ago, you know, it sounds as though we're

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Speaker 1: a bit lacking on detail.

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Speaker 2: No, there are rafter different things that we do, Katie

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Speaker 2: to get visitors here. So yeah, we are trying to

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Speaker 2: build the aviation sector. Today, I've just announced again more

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Speaker 2: grants to go out there to boost the tourism offering

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Speaker 2: and the products that we have out there so people

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Speaker 2: have a fantastic experience here in the Northern Territories. They'll

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Speaker 2: inject an under thirteen million dollars into tourism and hospitality

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Speaker 2: businesses across the Northern Territory. We've got our do Summer

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Speaker 2: Differently campaign out in market right now, you know, while

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Speaker 2: people are freezing, telling them to come and have a

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Speaker 2: magnificent holiday here in the Northern Territory. And there's a

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Speaker 2: lot of material going out there right now that we're

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Speaker 2: looking to convert into people taking real holidays here. So

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Speaker 2: there's a huge amount of work that also happens with tourism,

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Speaker 2: NTEE and industry going to agents selling products, showing people

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Speaker 2: the great offerings. We've got the cruise ship season about

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Speaker 2: to kick off in October, and I'm delighted to say

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Speaker 2: it looks like we're going to have record numbers coming

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Speaker 2: through Darwin this year.

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Speaker 1: So you're our wedsits, you definitely reckon that we're going

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Speaker 1: to You know that we are going to reach this

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Speaker 1: visitation of two point eight a million visitors. It's not

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Speaker 1: going to be sort of a number that a lot

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Speaker 1: of people don't have great confidence in. I know, when

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Speaker 1: we talk about the economy, the forty billion dollar economy

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Speaker 1: by twenty thirty, there's a lot of people that sort

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Speaker 1: of roll their eyes and think, are we going to

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Speaker 1: get there?

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Speaker 2: Make no mistake, it's an ambitious target, Katie, But I

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Speaker 2: think it's important to be ambitious because it sunds a

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Speaker 2: really clear message to our public sector about the pace

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Speaker 2: we want them to work at and what we want

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Speaker 2: to deliver, but also to investors that we are open

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Speaker 2: to business and that we want them to come and

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Speaker 2: invest in the tourism sector up here, and also just

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Speaker 2: our determination of backing in our hard working tourism operators here.

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Speaker 1: Deputy Chief Minister, A quick one. We know that speaking

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Speaker 1: of those flight prices, much has been said over the

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Speaker 1: last week or so about the cost of the Chief

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Speaker 1: Minister's trip to the US for ten days. Ninety two

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Speaker 1: thousand dollars was the cost to the taxpayer? This was

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Speaker 1: for the Chief Minister and one staff member. Were public

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Speaker 1: servants from the department also traveling on that trip?

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Speaker 2: Yes, I believe we've got some public servants also on

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Speaker 2: that trip. But what I would say.

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Speaker 1: How much did that cost for them to go?

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Speaker 2: I don't have that in front of me, but we

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Speaker 2: can get that for you. But what I will say, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Is so can I just clarify that that's on top

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Speaker 1: of the ninety two thousand dollars?

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Speaker 2: Of course, yes, that would be, but I just don't

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Speaker 2: have that figure in front of me, Katie. But again,

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Speaker 2: can I just talk about what these trips actually generate

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Speaker 2: back into the Northern Territory economy. And it's important to

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Speaker 2: note that you know, other states have offices, they have

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Speaker 2: os trade representatives, they have staff full time over in

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Speaker 2: these countries working to build up trade and investment. These

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Speaker 2: types of trips are important to do. We haven't had

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Speaker 2: one six prior to COVID to make sure that in

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Speaker 2: America investors but also those important decision makers in defense

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Speaker 2: can see what we have on offer here in the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory and this trip could generate billions of dollars

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Speaker 2: into the Noise and Territory economy. And the other thing,

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Speaker 2: Katie that has changed is the Inflation Reduction Act coming

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Speaker 2: into place and having a free trade agreement with the

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Speaker 2: States as well. That really does open up critical minial

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Speaker 2: supply chains as well.

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Speaker 1: Look, I don't have a huge issue with this trip

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Speaker 1: with the you know, with the Chief Minister traveling to

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Speaker 1: the United States. I do believe that there's going to

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Speaker 1: be a huge investment, of course when it comes to

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Speaker 1: defense into the Northern Territory, and those discussions do need

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Speaker 1: to happen. But I guess a lot of people questioning

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Speaker 1: why it is costing so much, and you know, hearing

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Speaker 1: that there are public servants as well traveling in addition

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Speaker 1: to the Chief Minister and that staff member this morning

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Speaker 1: is probably going to be a bit of a shock

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Speaker 1: to people as they listen this morning without knowing the

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Speaker 1: cost of that. But then you know, when you look

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Speaker 1: at Minister Moss traveling for six days to attend a

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Speaker 1: United Nations Water conference and the cost of that trip

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Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars of that was on flights for her

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Speaker 1: and her staff member. I mean, do you think that

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Speaker 1: passes the pub test?

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Speaker 2: And again, Minister Moss was asked to represent Australia at

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Speaker 2: the United Nations conference and it was about indigenous water

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Speaker 2: and that is a very important issue to economic development

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Speaker 2: here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon though fifty grand for flights is good enough?

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Speaker 2: Just the cost of travel these days, as we know about.

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Speaker 1: The first class travel, that's very different to you know,

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Speaker 1: to flying premium economy or economy.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think Katie, it's one of those things you know,

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Speaker 2: you want to go over there, you want to do

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Speaker 2: the job well when you do go represent the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory and Australia.

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Speaker 1: Well, like I say, I know that a lot of

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Speaker 1: people will be continuing to question that cost. Particularly I

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Speaker 1: know you were very critical when in opposition of others

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Speaker 1: traveling at the taxpayer's expense, you know, on flights that

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Speaker 1: were that expensive.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and again what else say is that when we

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Speaker 2: go overseas to do these trips, Katie, it's for a reason,

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Speaker 2: and it is to help get investments into the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory and build the economy. What you don't see with

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Speaker 2: us on these trips is people doing it like the

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Speaker 2: CLP used to do, which was trying to line their

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Speaker 2: own personal investment portfolios racking up huge It's.

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Speaker 1: Still a huge amount of money, you know, it is

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Speaker 1: still a huge amount of money. Is it time motto

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Speaker 1: for these expenses to just be put on a press

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Speaker 1: release before you guys go away like you're doing when

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Speaker 1: you're first in power.

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Speaker 2: Yes, yes, you know they will be going out there, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think they should. I think that it's good

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Speaker 1: to be upfront for people to be able to see

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Speaker 1: exactly how much money has been spent on these trips

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Speaker 1: and to know exactly what they are for. Deputy Chief Minister.

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Speaker 1: I appreciate your time this morning. I will be keen

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Speaker 1: to find out the cost for those public servants too

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Speaker 1: also travel across to the US with the Chief Minister

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Speaker 1: and that staff member. But we appreciate you having a

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Speaker 1: chat with us this month morning.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you