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Speaker 1: We all know that crack and night it's set to

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Speaker 1: happen well at the height of the fire season on

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Speaker 1: August twenty nine. Many people have raised concerns about that

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Speaker 1: date and the conditions which could be expected. Over the weekend,

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Speaker 1: we saw fires in the rural area and some pretty

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Speaker 1: tough conditions for our firefighters and volunteers. Now joining me

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Speaker 1: on the line to talk more about the concerns for

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Speaker 1: locals in the rural area is Pauline Cass from the

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Speaker 1: Gamber grass Roots Group. Good morning to.

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Speaker 2: You, Pauline, Good morning Katie, Thank you.

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Speaker 1: So much for your time. Firstly, what do you think

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Speaker 1: of Michael Gunn's announcement that August twenty nine would be

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Speaker 1: the date that we'd be able to let off fireworks.

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Speaker 2: I think that having track and night in August is

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Speaker 2: pure insanity. You know where it's the driest time of

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Speaker 2: the year, it's already a high fire is time, and

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Speaker 2: to add fireworks into that mix of lots of long

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Speaker 2: dry Gamber grass every week and the dry conditions, it's

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Speaker 2: going to be chaos.

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Speaker 1: Pauline, I know that you live in Humpty do were

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Speaker 1: out in the rural area, and as I understand that

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Speaker 1: you were actually in a situation last year where you

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Speaker 1: came close to losing your house to a bush fire,

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Speaker 1: didn't you.

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Speaker 2: Yes, not just me, but my neighbors as well. You know,

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Speaker 2: I had the fire come under my back brand and

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Speaker 2: under the car port. The fire went under the neighbors

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Speaker 2: car port. We came very close to losing our homes

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Speaker 2: and it was only the quick hard work of the

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Speaker 2: volunteer firefighters and the professional firefighters that saved us. And

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Speaker 2: then the following week it seemed all the rest of

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Speaker 2: Humpty Do burnt all around the golf course Pioneer Drive area.

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Speaker 2: And that was Augus last year, when you know we

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Speaker 2: nearly locked homes right across Humpty Do. Really so they

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Speaker 2: were accidental buyers that started. You know, a spark from

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Speaker 2: a lawn mower or a welder or a grinder will

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Speaker 2: start a major fire accidentally at this time of year.

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Speaker 2: And to think that there's going to be people's right

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Speaker 2: across the top end letting off fireworks, it's disastrous is

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Speaker 2: the only word that comes to mind to describe what's

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Speaker 2: going to happen.

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Speaker 1: Well, some of you must be feeling pretty frightened as

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Speaker 1: well at the very thought.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, absolutely and you know, one of one of the

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Speaker 2: big factors that is coming into play is the amount

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Speaker 2: of gamber that we have across the top end. Once

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Speaker 2: upon a time, we've had Guy Bauk's Night in November

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Speaker 2: in the territory, but we didn't have gamber grass then

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Speaker 2: like we do now. You know, you just have to

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Speaker 2: go for a drive around and you see the gamber

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Speaker 2: on people's properties, and Crown Land seems to have the

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Speaker 2: most gamber of ball. We were promised the Gamber Army

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Speaker 2: at the last territory election, which we had for one

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Speaker 2: wet season, and they were really focusing on the gamber

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Speaker 2: on Crown Land and National parks and reserves and doing

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Speaker 2: a fantastic job. But then we learned in the last

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Speaker 2: territory government budget that there's no more funding for the

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Speaker 2: Gamber Army. So there's a lot of gamba that's not

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Speaker 2: getting managed and eradicated on government lands that then infests

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Speaker 2: our private properties and adds to the burden for us

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Speaker 2: as private property owners trying to manage our own gamber.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and Pauline, I know that you are part of

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Speaker 1: the Gamber grass roots group. How are residents managing gamber

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Speaker 1: grass at the moment, and you know some of the

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Speaker 1: other fire threats, but well, mainly gamber grass that we

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Speaker 1: have in the rural area.

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Speaker 2: At this time of year. The only thing we can

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Speaker 2: really do to manage our gamba is to try to

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Speaker 2: get it down so it's not stand But of course

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Speaker 2: flashing and mowing at this time of the year is

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Speaker 2: dangerous because the sparks if you hit a rock, will

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Speaker 2: start a fire. So for me personally, I've been out

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Speaker 2: there with a brushcutter and cutting it down with a brushcutter.

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Speaker 2: In the wet season, you know, when the game is

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Speaker 2: actively growing, that's the time when people can spray it.

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Speaker 2: It's also when the ground is is moist, so you

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Speaker 2: can pull it out by hand easier if it's only

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Speaker 2: a small clump. But at this time of year, really,

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Speaker 2: you know, the aim is to make sure you've got

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Speaker 2: your fire breaks in place and just try to knock

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Speaker 2: the gamber down any way you can. Some people drag

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Speaker 2: car tires behind their vehicles around their blocks to knock

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Speaker 2: it down, but just reducing the height helps to reduce

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Speaker 2: the height of the flames. And you know that the

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Speaker 2: speed that I will move.

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Speaker 1: Through that I'm Pauline, I know even on Friday and

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Speaker 1: towards the end of last week, over the weekend as well.

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Speaker 1: You know, we had even tough conditions when we talk

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Speaker 1: about about our bush fires out towards the rural area

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Speaker 1: and beyond. You know, what do you think could potentially

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Speaker 1: happen if we go ahead with the August twenty nine

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Speaker 1: dates to let off fireworks and you know the conditions

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Speaker 1: are not good. I know that obviously if a fireban

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Speaker 1: is put in place, people will not be allowed to

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Speaker 1: let those fireworks off. But there's still that concern, isn't there?

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Speaker 2: Absolutely? I mean the fire that we saw on Friday

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Speaker 2: which continued on into the fash day in Humpty do

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Speaker 2: you know that was one fire. Imagine if there was

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Speaker 2: multiple of those fires happening all at once. You know,

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Speaker 2: that fire at Humpty Do had all the brigades there

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Speaker 2: to fight because they were all needed, you know, and

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Speaker 2: the water bombers and stuff. But what if that fire,

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Speaker 2: like a similar fire was happening simultaneously in Humphy Doo,

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Speaker 2: in Howard Springs, in Palmerston, Holtz Marrack Kite like, do

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Speaker 2: we have the capacity in our fire brigade to handle

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Speaker 2: lots of those big fires? Simultaneously at a time when

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Speaker 2: it is so dry and windy.

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Speaker 1: I think it's a very valid question to ask, Pauline.

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Speaker 1: I mean, we are just twenty days away now from

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Speaker 1: that date when we are supposed to be able to

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Speaker 1: let those fireworks go. If the government is listening this morning,

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Speaker 1: what is your message for them?

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Speaker 2: Change the date, change the date and bring back the

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Speaker 2: Gamber army.

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Speaker 1: Pauline Cass, I really appreciate you having a chat with

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Speaker 1: me this morning. Enjoy the rest of your week. We'll

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Speaker 1: talk to you again soon.

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Speaker 2: Thank you very much, Katie, thank you.

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Speaker 1: That's Pauline Cass there from the Gambit grassroots group. And yeah,

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Speaker 1: I know that there's a lot of concern in the community,

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Speaker 1: particularly from those residents living out in the rural area

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Speaker 1: and beyond after a difficult weekend when it comes to

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Speaker 1: fighting those fires. Then when we look at that August

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Speaker 1: twenty nine date and letting off fireworks, plenty of us

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Speaker 1: really enjoy letting those fireworks off, but not if it's

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Speaker 1: at you know, not if it is going to see

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Speaker 1: a dangerous situation for residents. And as I said, I

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Speaker 1: know that people that live out in the rural area

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Speaker 1: and beyond are pretty concerned about it,