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Speaker 1: Continuing on with the discussion out of Alice Springs, we

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Speaker 1: know that the Alice Springs Mayor, Matt Patterson is supporting

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Speaker 1: calls for a solutions based approach to curtail crime and

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Speaker 1: anti social behavior, but he's proposing a possible model under

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Speaker 1: which things could operate a little bit differently. He joins

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Speaker 1: me on the line right now, Good morning to you, Matt.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, thanks for having me.

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Speaker 1: Now, Matt, what was your reaction, firstly to the announcement

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Speaker 1: by the government yesterday.

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Speaker 2: I look, with Counsel have endorsed the document in regards

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Speaker 2: to the Social Order Response Plan, So you know, I

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Speaker 2: sit on that committee and I guess the proofs want

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Speaker 2: to be in the pudding as we go further down

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Speaker 2: the track to see some changes within our springs. So look,

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Speaker 2: I think at the moment people are just willing to

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Speaker 2: try anything to try to curb what we live through

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Speaker 2: every day.

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Speaker 3: It sounds that way.

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Speaker 1: And I did just catch up with Daniel Rochford from

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Speaker 1: Tourism Central Australia and he said that, you know, it

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Speaker 1: looks as though some of those longer term and medium

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Speaker 1: term measures are good, but that there needs to be

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Speaker 1: a good circuit breaker right now, in terms of short

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Speaker 1: term measures, what do you think I mean, are we

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Speaker 1: in a situation where in Alice Springs there should be

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Speaker 1: those security patrols with dogs similar to what we see

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Speaker 1: in the likes of Parama and Malac.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think even you know, the short term's fine,

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Speaker 2: but let's talk about immediate term stuff. You know that's

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Speaker 2: tonight and tomorrow night rather than you know, short term

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Speaker 2: can be anywhere. I've asked for more resources as patrols,

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Speaker 2: whether that these dogs, I certainly support the dogs, and

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Speaker 2: as I said, I'm happy to support anything at the moment,

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Speaker 2: and it's not to add fear. It's just to try

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Speaker 2: to get the safe streets back and where people are,

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Speaker 2: you know, more people will go. We know that passive surveillance,

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Speaker 2: when you've got a busy CVD, there's less crime. All

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Speaker 2: of those sort of things happen. So how do we

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Speaker 2: get that pulse back into the part of our CVD.

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Speaker 2: And look, I think that the more patrols are better,

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Speaker 2: the visual pol of patrols, that's what everyone's been asking

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Speaker 2: for for a long time.

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Speaker 1: What do you make of the argument, then you know

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Speaker 1: that it just moves the problem to another location.

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Speaker 3: Do you think that that has any merit?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I certainly I appreciate that. But as I said,

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Speaker 2: if you don't have a CBD, what do you have.

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Speaker 2: You know, our CBD is flat and so we're certainly

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Speaker 2: looking at ways as a council to revitalize and rejuvenate that.

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Speaker 2: But I think at the moment we still need to

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Speaker 2: give confidence to the public that it is a safe

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Speaker 2: place to go.

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Speaker 1: Now, Matt, you've actually come through with some other solutions

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Speaker 1: as well, some different things.

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Speaker 3: That you think could be happening. Now.

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Speaker 1: I understand as well that the town council's past emotion

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Speaker 1: calling on the Territory government to implement a curfew.

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Speaker 3: Firstly, is that correct.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. So previously we have asked, you know,

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Speaker 2: we would support the government if they implement of a curfew.

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Speaker 2: We understand that we can't do that, you know, the

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Speaker 2: rangers can't pick up kids obviously, but we certainly support

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Speaker 2: if the Northern Territory government tried something. Now I've come

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Speaker 2: out today and just said that I think it's the

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Speaker 2: Child Protection Act that we need to start enforcing and

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Speaker 2: we need to pick the kids up if they're on

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Speaker 2: the street and they're not safe and we need to

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Speaker 2: pick the kids up. It might be an unpopular decision,

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Speaker 2: but it's certainly in the benefit of the children. If

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Speaker 2: they don't have somewhere safe to go, then we need

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Speaker 2: to provide them that facility. We have two youth hubs

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Speaker 2: here in our springs that do shut at nine to

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Speaker 2: ten pm, but where do they go after that? And

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Speaker 2: the comparison I've used is, if you suffer domestic violence

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Speaker 2: as a woman, you go to the women's shelter. Drug

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Speaker 2: an alcohol provide a service equaled DASA if you are

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Speaker 2: recovering from drugs in ourcohol But if you're a youth

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Speaker 2: that's disengaged, you need somewhere to go. Well, unfortunately there's

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Speaker 2: nowhere for you to go. And I think that that's

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Speaker 2: the real problem that we need to provide that facility.

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Speaker 2: The infrastructure is I've pushed for Yarra College. Now all

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Speaker 2: the infrastructure is there, it is a boarding facility. I

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Speaker 2: can't see why that wouldn't work in the short term.

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Speaker 2: We know that the summer's ramping up and summer for

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Speaker 2: us is the busiest time of year in regards to

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Speaker 2: any social behavior, so we certainly need that six month

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Speaker 2: approach till next year to make sure we're better. But

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Speaker 2: also we're looking after the kids because if the longer

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Speaker 2: we leave it, the worst it's going to get in future,

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Speaker 2: in another generation.

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Speaker 3: So we'll fly past us.

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Speaker 1: So Urara College is the location that you are proposing

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Speaker 1: that have you raised this with the Northern Territory government

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Speaker 1: and has there been you know, like have you got

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Speaker 1: support on this?

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Speaker 2: Look when I was in Darwin recently, I certainly raised

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Speaker 2: this to the Chief Minister and you know, to her credits,

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Speaker 2: is it sounded like she would consider the option. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: And you know, I want to be clear, it's not

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Speaker 2: lot these kids up there. It's just to provide them

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Speaker 2: a safe place, you know, provide them a bed, provide

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Speaker 2: them a warm you know, a feed or whatever it

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Speaker 2: may be that they're in a safe environment. So the

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Speaker 2: Chief Minister did sound like it's something she would entertain,

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Speaker 2: and I urge, you know, the government and people from

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Speaker 2: both sides that you know, we need to try something different.

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Speaker 2: And the legislation is there to the Child Protection Act

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Speaker 2: to enforce it. So let's have a go. And I

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Speaker 2: can say to you, OK, it's not going to get

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Speaker 2: any worse if we try it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, get any worse? And the government keeps saying

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Speaker 1: there all is. You know that if people have got

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Speaker 1: ideas that there all is. So you know the thing

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Speaker 1: is now we have got the community coming out with

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Speaker 1: some different ideas. How big a difference do you reckon

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Speaker 1: this would make?

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Speaker 2: Well, I mean the proof will be in the pudding.

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Speaker 2: As I said, I can't get any worse, So what's

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Speaker 2: the harm in trying? And you're right everyone talks about

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Speaker 2: community led solutions. I think that this is certainly something

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Speaker 2: in a solution that is worth investigating. We can see

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Speaker 2: how and I echo the chair of PCA the other day.

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Speaker 2: I echo his words around COVID and how quickly they

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Speaker 2: could move and try things. And you know we were

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Speaker 2: the safest place in Australia at that time, so that

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Speaker 2: can be flexible. At one point. We need to be

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Speaker 2: flexible here and make some changes to look after the

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Speaker 2: kids and look after the community.

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Speaker 1: Matt, look at the moment, you know, are you are

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Speaker 1: you upset with how long this is taking to really

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Speaker 1: try to sort out and to make any kind of difference.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean pulling the hair out. I mean I'm

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Speaker 2: not the only one, but it's not. You know, it

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Speaker 2: has spent a long time coming and we've just had

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Speaker 2: this explosion of events. Will happen at the same time,

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Speaker 2: you know, the Stronger Future's legislation laps. All of these

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Speaker 2: sort of things happen within the same time, and it's

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Speaker 2: because of years of decisions out of CANBRA that have

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Speaker 2: made this effect as well. Like, let's be real about that,

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Speaker 2: a lot of these kids' age around the baby bonus age.

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Speaker 2: You know, I'm not sure that the parents necessarily want

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Speaker 2: the kids at the time, and you can see that

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Speaker 2: they're so disengaged now that the age of these kids

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Speaker 2: goes to the policy change in CANBRA. So whilst thying

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Speaker 2: frustrated that has taken so long, I certainly welcome a

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Speaker 2: trial of anything. And you know, we've got the Social

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Speaker 2: Order Response Team with Chelsey, Families, players, counsel or a

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Speaker 2: tip all of the people sitting at the table to

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Speaker 2: come up and you know, enforce some things to change.

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Speaker 2: So we'll wait and see what changes happen.

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Speaker 1: Matt, just on the proposal that you're putting forward around

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Speaker 1: you are a college. Just paint a picture for our

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Speaker 1: listeners here in Darwin and in the top end, how

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Speaker 1: far out of Alice is it? And who do you

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Speaker 1: reckon could run us?

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Speaker 2: So, I mean it is a school at the moment.

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Speaker 2: It is a boarding school. And I'm not saying that

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Speaker 2: we picked these kids up and put them into a

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Speaker 2: shared dorm with everyone. I think that you know, there's

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Speaker 2: four or five dorms out there. It is probably six

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Speaker 2: or seven case outside of the CBD, so it's probably

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Speaker 2: in between the gap and the airport. People have been

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Speaker 2: here before. Yeah, And I mean it's a fantastic facility,

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Speaker 2: and I'd say that it's incredibly underutilized. It's got a

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Speaker 2: footy oval, it's got basketball courts, it's got assuming pool, dormitory,

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Speaker 2: it's got all of those things that you could imagine

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Speaker 2: well underutilized. It's a safe space for kids. I just

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Speaker 2: think it's absolutely worth a try. And you know, if

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Speaker 2: we don't try it, we're not going to know if

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Speaker 2: it works or not, and we're going to be in

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Speaker 2: the same scenario. And I suppose the end of the decade,

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Speaker 2: if there's one child who's in harm's way and we

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Speaker 2: do this and it gets them on a straight, narrow

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Speaker 2: and in a safe environment, well then you'd have to

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Speaker 2: say that just one child.

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Speaker 1: It would be worth it, really, Matt, just to make

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Speaker 1: it really clear for our listeners as well, because we

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Speaker 1: did catch up with the principle of your Pernia school

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Speaker 1: a little while.

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Speaker 3: Back, a couple of weeks back.

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Speaker 1: So this is a different facility, and obviously what you

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Speaker 1: bring your you know, what they are in the process

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Speaker 1: of doing is they're trying to secure funding so that

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Speaker 1: their students are actually able to board there. That's not

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Speaker 1: sort of being confirmed at this point in time whether

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Speaker 1: they've got that funding. But this is a different location,

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Speaker 1: a different school, isn't it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, different school. I mean, you know, in future, you

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Speaker 2: for Inia is probably you know, it's closer in the CBD,

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Speaker 2: so it can be more flexible. But we don't have

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Speaker 2: that resource right now that community asking for right now

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Speaker 2: implementation of things that are going to make a difference.

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Speaker 2: You Ara is set up. That's why I suggested youur

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Speaker 2: Ara College. So in the future if the principle for

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Speaker 2: me Brenian, if they do get that funding and it

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Speaker 2: does become a boarding school, then I'd welcome anything to

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Speaker 2: be trialed there or maybe even a second facility.

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Speaker 1: Yep.

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Speaker 2: The reason I'm suggesting you are ra is because it

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Speaker 2: is ready to go. Yeah, and we could do that tomorrow.

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Speaker 1: Well, Matt Patterson, we are going to be catching up

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Speaker 1: with the Minister just after ten o'clock this morning, so

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Speaker 1: we'll see what we can find out. We always appreciate

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Speaker 1: your time. Thank you very much for having a chat

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Speaker 1: with us this morning.

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Speaker 2: No worries, thank you very much, so I'll make sure

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Speaker 2: I tune in to the minister.

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Speaker 3: Thank you.