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Speaker 1: Now we know that Darwin Shiplift has been thrown a

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Speaker 1: lifeline following the collapse of developer Cloff. The Italian construction

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Speaker 1: company we Build as signed a contract with the administrators

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Speaker 1: to acquire Cloff's assets and its ongoing projects. The Minister

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Speaker 1: for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Evil all Us says that

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Speaker 1: the government is going to undertake due diligence on the

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Speaker 1: arrangements and we'll continue to work through environmental approvals. Now,

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Speaker 1: this has been a huge part of the Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: government sort of push for our forty billion dollar economy

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Speaker 1: by twenty thirty. I mean it's part of that plan.

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Speaker 1: But joining me on the line to talk a little

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Speaker 1: bit more about this and plenty of other things. He

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Speaker 1: is the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. Greg Island,

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Speaker 1: good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Greg.

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Speaker 3: Thanks so much for your time.

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Speaker 1: What do you think that you know, what do you

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Speaker 1: think about the situation now that we find ourselves in

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Speaker 1: with the shiplift. It does seem as though it's good

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Speaker 1: news yesterday that Italian construction company we Build has now

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Speaker 1: signed that track with the administrators to acquire class's assets.

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Speaker 2: Look absolutely, Katie it's a step in the right direction.

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Speaker 2: Obviously there's a fair bit of water to go under

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Speaker 2: that particular bridge in that process, but it's a great

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Speaker 2: outcome to see that project continue along those lines. We

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Speaker 2: still are aware that there's been no formal contract sign

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Speaker 2: with Anti government for the delivery of the ship lift project,

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Speaker 2: and that's very much concern in terms of additional delays

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Speaker 2: that we're all going to experience.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, right, so no formal agreement signed because we've now

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Speaker 1: got a got a new construction company on board.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, I think that has been a sticking point

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Speaker 2: for a while contractually, so there has been no contract

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Speaker 2: sign and obviously this needs to get pass and due

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Speaker 2: diligence process undertaken, formal contract sign after that, and then

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Speaker 2: we might get to see some activity on site that

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Speaker 2: I was at a meeting this morning when Defense we're

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Speaker 2: talking about there closing down of the existing asset shiplift

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Speaker 2: at Lara Kia and that date's going to roll around

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Speaker 2: pretty quickly.

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Speaker 3: So are we going to get this up and going

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Speaker 3: fast enough.

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Speaker 2: That's been a concern for quite some time, Katie. It's

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Speaker 2: delay after delay after delay, and there is very much

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Speaker 2: a clock ticking on getting this thing up and commissioned.

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Speaker 2: If it's not building here, it will be built somewhere else.

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Speaker 2: Somebody is going to win this work, and we're not

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Speaker 2: really going about in stilling confidence in those investors with

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Speaker 2: this particular process. So, yes, it's good news and it's

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Speaker 2: great to see some steps forward.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well, look it does.

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Speaker 1: It sounds like it's good news that there's the steps forward,

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Speaker 1: but it does sound as though there's there's quite a

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Speaker 1: bit of a way to go.

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Speaker 2: It seems that way. But urgency needs to be part

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Speaker 2: of the conversation in terms of it's still going to

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Speaker 2: be getting all right, but just don't sit around and

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Speaker 2: wait for things to happen, push them through and let's

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Speaker 2: hopefully get some construction underway.

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Speaker 1: Is it a concern that we build might have different

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Speaker 1: sort of requirements or may not be able to deliver

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Speaker 1: the project in the same way that Clough had proposed.

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Speaker 2: Look, that's an interesting conversation. And you know Cloff had many,

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Speaker 2: many national projects on the go, and this is one

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Speaker 2: of them, probably arguably one of the smaller ones as well.

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Speaker 2: So it'll get wrapped up in a whole bigger process.

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Speaker 2: I would hope that the urgency on some of the

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Speaker 2: other projects around the country will drive a good outcome

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Speaker 2: for us. So I would expect that, you know, the

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Speaker 2: proponents will talk about that in due course, but it

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Speaker 2: is one of the risks for sure, Greg.

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Speaker 1: How important is this ship left to the Northern Territory particularly,

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Speaker 1: you know, when we talk about that forty billion dollar

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Speaker 1: economy in.

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Speaker 2: The scheme of things, it's hugely important. You know, we

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Speaker 2: can see that not only is the defense activity around

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Speaker 2: the territory going to continue to increase and they will

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Speaker 2: be a significant user of this particular asset, but the

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Speaker 2: whole maritime structure around oil and gas and everything else

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Speaker 2: that's going to happen in our harbor is very contingent

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Speaker 2: on having some support services for those vessels. So it's

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Speaker 2: a huge and hugely important project in the context of

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Speaker 2: territory's future.

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Speaker 1: Now, when you talk about the contractors, obviously we're talking

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Speaker 1: about the delivery of the project, but also talking about

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Speaker 1: making sure that we you know, that we win contracts

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Speaker 1: as well. I'm assuming to ensure that it is a

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Speaker 1: busy ship lift.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's exactly right, and that's where those negotiations need certainty,

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Speaker 2: and certainty is not what we're dealing with right now.

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Speaker 2: But that's hopefully that's the case. And you know, we

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Speaker 2: have the same situation brewing with some cable. You know,

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Speaker 2: we really do need a positive outcome with that one

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Speaker 2: as well.

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Speaker 3: Just on that, I mean some cable.

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Speaker 1: We all know that over that Christmas period the dispute,

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Speaker 1: I think you'd have to say, between the two proponents.

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Speaker 3: Where are we at? Is this still going to be

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Speaker 3: able to go ahead?

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Speaker 2: Look, I think we're in a very similar situation to Cloff.

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Speaker 2: The administrators are seeking expressions of interest for purchase. One

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Speaker 2: would suspect that there's a couple of conversations happening around

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Speaker 2: the background there that hopefully we'll see a positive outcome

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Speaker 2: in due course of that as well. But continue to

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Speaker 2: hear from some cable that it's business as usual and

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Speaker 2: they fully expect a positive outcome.

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Speaker 1: Well, gee, I think we're all hoping, We're all certainly

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Speaker 1: hoping with both of these projects that they're able to

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Speaker 1: go ahead.

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Speaker 3: But there is you know, there's quite a.

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Speaker 1: Bit of concern I think it'd be safe to say,

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Speaker 1: isn't there from the community.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look at our key projects in our economic future,

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Speaker 2: and that does create the uncertainty that we really don't

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Speaker 2: want businesses looking forward to a very constructive or the

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Speaker 2: part I guess period over the next decade, and then

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Speaker 2: these and other projects are critical to that.

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Speaker 1: Now, I do want to just chat about very quickly

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Speaker 1: the situation out of Alice Springs. Obviously, there's been quite

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Speaker 1: a number of businesses out of Central Australia really screaming

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Speaker 1: out for some time about the issues that they're experiencing

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Speaker 1: in Central Australia. Greg from your perspective, the announcement by

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Speaker 1: the government yesterday, are they feeling more hopeful of you

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Speaker 1: had many discussions with business owners in Alice Springs following

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Speaker 1: on from that announcement.

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Speaker 2: Look, there's been some conversations I think around the copy

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Speaker 2: machine yesterday around the announcement, as well as some more

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Speaker 2: formal stuff happening this morning as to what people are

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Speaker 2: thinking and feeling about these announcements. I think from a

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Speaker 2: chamber of perspective, we have been as active as we

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Speaker 2: can in the conversation all through this process and what

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Speaker 2: we're seeing now is resourcing that will make a significant

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Speaker 2: shift forward. But two hundred and fifty million dollars plus

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Speaker 2: the previously announced forty eight. Now, that's three hundred million

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Speaker 2: dollars coming into that region to target these particular outcomes.

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Speaker 2: That's got to be a positive thing for the community

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Speaker 2: and for the people impacted by all of this crime

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Speaker 2: and any social behavior. What we really need to see

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Speaker 2: is the value for that spend to make sure that

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Speaker 2: we are spending it efficiently and getting the outcomes and

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Speaker 2: a needed in a measurable way.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, there's got to be those KPIs in place. We've

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Speaker 1: got to make sure that if there are programs, as

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Speaker 1: we heard from Michael Little a little bit earlier on

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Speaker 1: the show, you know, if there is a service provider

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Speaker 1: providing a service, there's got to be those KPIs and

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Speaker 1: we make sure that that money is being adequately spent.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, and the Chamber will be focused on being part

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Speaker 2: of that conversation and also providing feedback if we think

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Speaker 2: that things aren't going the direction that they need to.

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Speaker 2: But we know for the sake of business and particularly

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Speaker 2: the broader Hourur Springs community, there has to be substantial

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Speaker 2: change and it needs to be effective and meaningful in

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Speaker 2: providing relief for the situation that they find themselves in

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Speaker 2: right now.

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Speaker 1: Just how difficult would you say it has it been

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Speaker 1: for businesses trying to operate in Alice Spring under the

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Speaker 1: current situation that they've been in.

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Speaker 2: I think the only where that springs to mind is horrendous, Kadie.

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Speaker 2: It's just been such a challenge many many businesses have

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Speaker 2: clothes and people who have left towns. We've been saying

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Speaker 2: it's a Christ's point for some time. That's very much

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Speaker 2: the case. Business needs the relief. The fact that three

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Speaker 2: and a half thousand people turned up to a community

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Speaker 2: meeting created some conversation, created more awareness. I think that

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Speaker 2: has been a positive and it was a little bit

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Speaker 2: of a shame the way that it was reported on

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Speaker 2: some aspects of the media on those outcomes, but I

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Speaker 2: think that the region now has an opportunity with this

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Speaker 2: funding to get some significant outcomes.

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Speaker 1: Greg, I want to ask you as well before I

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Speaker 1: let you go this morning. Interest rates they are looking

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Speaker 1: as though they're going to rise again today. There's no

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Speaker 1: doubt there's a lot of people doing it really tough

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Speaker 1: when it comes to the cost of living. Is it

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Speaker 1: having an impact on our Northern Territory businesses.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we've chatted about this before. We seem to do

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Speaker 2: it quarterly canny and every interest rate rise day, which

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Speaker 2: seems to roll around pretty quickly, and we fully suspect

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Speaker 2: that there'll be one announced this afternoon, maybe to follow

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Speaker 2: as well after that. But we can see that, you know,

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Speaker 2: nationally that the impacts of rate rises are certainly starting

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Speaker 2: to dampen, and hopefully that means that this will tail off.

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Speaker 2: But the cost of money is getting much more expensive.

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Speaker 2: It does impact on business's ability to invest back into

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Speaker 2: their business, results in increased operating costs that gets past

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Speaker 2: the consumers. So it's a bad news story all round.

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Speaker 2: But perhaps on the other side of the fence, sitting

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Speaker 2: one that is a retiree and has some asset invested

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Speaker 2: in super they're starting to be a little bit more

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Speaker 2: return on that. So you know, some people are winners

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Speaker 2: out of this, and that the majority of us just

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Speaker 2: paying higher bills.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it makes it hard, doesn't it.

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Speaker 1: And then you spending more money on everything basically, and

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Speaker 1: it feels like you're getting less for it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, absolutely, butt's hope there's some light at the

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Speaker 2: end of that particular tunnel, but yeah, it's going to

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Speaker 2: be challenging another twelve months, I think.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, get out there, spend locally. Make sure that

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Speaker 1: we do support our local businesses. I think is always

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Speaker 1: the message. Greg Island, the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce.

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Speaker 1: We always appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: You're welcome, Katie.

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Speaker 3: Thank you