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Speaker 1: Now this morning, all eyes have been on Palmerston and

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Speaker 1: the situation that's unfolded out there this morning. Now joining

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Speaker 1: me in the studio and we are due to catch

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Speaker 1: up with our next guest about International Women's Day. But

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Speaker 1: as Acting Assistant Commissioner for People and Culture Reform with

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Police, Janell Tonkin joins me in the

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Speaker 1: studio right now.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Janelle.

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Speaker 3: Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.

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Speaker 1: Now obviously due to speak about International Women's Day, and

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Speaker 1: we will talk about that in just a moment, but

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Speaker 1: this issue which has unfolded out in Palmerston has certainly

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Speaker 1: leading the news and his top of mind for everybody

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Speaker 1: right now. Is there much information that you can give

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Speaker 1: us at this point?

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Speaker 4: So, Katie, what I can confirm is that, yes, there

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Speaker 4: has been a critical incident occur at Palmerston around nine

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Speaker 4: o'clock this morning. Police emergency services are on scene. I

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Speaker 4: encourage members of the public to avoid that area if possible.

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Speaker 4: It has been declared a critical incident by police and

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Speaker 4: there will be some further details provided to the public

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Speaker 4: as soon as we're able to do so.

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Speaker 1: Would usually deem something a critical incident for those of

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Speaker 1: out there listening who will maybe wondering, you know what

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Speaker 1: that actually means.

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Speaker 4: So I guess in lay terms, Katie, that means that

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Speaker 4: we've declared that it's a serious incident and we are

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Speaker 4: putting all possible police resources available to respond.

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Speaker 1: And Janell, I know that there has been reports that

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Speaker 1: there were gun shots fired.

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Speaker 2: Are you able to shed any light in that space?

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Speaker 4: So at this point, Katie, all I'm going to be

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Speaker 4: able to say is that, yes, that is factual. Any

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Speaker 4: members of the public that have got information that relates

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Speaker 4: to that at all, please make yourselves known to police

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Speaker 4: there at the scene. We will need to get accounts

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Speaker 4: from you at some point today, but there will be

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Speaker 4: further details on what's occurred I can't release as soon

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Speaker 4: as we're able to do so.

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Speaker 1: So anybody out there listening that maybe has witnessed it

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Speaker 1: or they've heard those shots fired, probably give the police

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Speaker 1: a call if they haven't been contacted while they're out

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Speaker 1: there already.

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Speaker 3: Yes, or make yourself known to officers at the scene.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Janelle, Can I just ask because I think that

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Speaker 1: the main thing that a lot of people are going

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Speaker 1: to be worried about this morning is making sure that

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Speaker 1: if they've got kids at Gray Primary School that they

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Speaker 1: are safe and that nothing's gone on within the school.

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Speaker 4: So I can confirm that, no, it has not occurred

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Speaker 4: within the school grounds. The children, teachers, staff at the

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Speaker 4: school are safe. The situation is under control, and there

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Speaker 4: are multiple police units there on the scene. So there

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Speaker 4: is no cause for concern, particularly for parents.

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Speaker 1: And no concern for members of the public either at

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Speaker 1: the not at all. Okay, Now, I know there will

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Speaker 1: be further information coming out from the Northern Territory Police

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Speaker 1: a little bit later this morning, so we'll certainly keep

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Speaker 1: our listeners up to date with that info as it

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Speaker 1: comes to hand.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so as soon as we're able to provide some

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Speaker 4: more information. It's obviously a fairly critical busy scene at

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Speaker 4: the moment. We're just waiting for all of the factual

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Speaker 4: information to come to us and then our media team

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Speaker 4: will provide that as soon as we're able to to know.

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Speaker 1: We appreciate that and we will make sure that we

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Speaker 1: take that or give that info to our listeners as

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Speaker 1: soon as we've got it. Now were we certainly do

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Speaker 1: to catch up with you this morning about International Women's Day.

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Speaker 2: So Happy International Women's Day. To you this morning.

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Speaker 3: Thank you very much to you too as well.

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Speaker 1: And I know that it is it's an important day

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Speaker 1: for so many reasons, but particularly when you look at

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Speaker 1: something like the police force, I know that a lot

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Speaker 1: of people from the outside in would probably see it

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Speaker 1: as quite a male dominated industry.

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Speaker 2: Is that the case?

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Speaker 3: So look, no, it's really not.

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Speaker 4: There is absolutely no position or career path within the

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Speaker 4: Northern Territory Police Force or by extension, the try service

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Speaker 4: that women are not able to do in this day

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Speaker 4: and age. And I'm really proud to say that we

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Speaker 4: have taken some significant steps in that cultural reform piece

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Speaker 4: to get us to that point. So of course we're

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Speaker 4: still trying to bring our male female numbers kind of.

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Speaker 3: Up to par. You know, it's a work in progress,

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Speaker 3: but we're getting there. We're making good traction.

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Speaker 1: And of course you are the acting Assistant Commissioner for

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Speaker 1: People and Culture Reform, so that really is a huge

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Speaker 1: part I would imagine of this role not just about

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Speaker 1: making sure that you know that we've got that equity

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Speaker 1: when you talk about the police force, but also making

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Speaker 1: sure that it's a very diverse police force.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely, and that's really critical for us. So we talk

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Speaker 4: about gender, you know, on a day like this, but

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Speaker 4: really diversity right across our police force is critically important.

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Speaker 4: So we're doing a lot of work in that space

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Speaker 4: to make sure that all manner of diversity is represented

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Speaker 4: across our tri service. And that's being led right from

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Speaker 4: the top down.

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Speaker 1: Now what about I know that some listening this morning,

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Speaker 1: we'll be thinking. You obviously want that equity. We want

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Speaker 1: to be celebrating International Women's Day, but there is still

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Speaker 1: a real serious issue in the Northern Territory right now

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Speaker 1: when it comes to domestic violence. I know that you

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Speaker 1: know you have been part of the Integrated Response to

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Speaker 1: Domestic and Family Violence project. It is a project which

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Speaker 1: won the Excellence in Law Enforcement for Women's Initiative Award,

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Speaker 1: so it's certainly been recognized nationally.

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Speaker 2: What are we doing in this space? And I know

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Speaker 2: that it's.

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Speaker 1: Such a scourge on the territory really, that domestic violence issue.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, Katie're right, so you know, as we know when

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Speaker 4: we hear time and time again, unfortunately women, particularly Indigenous women,

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Speaker 4: are just absolutely disproportionately represented in the Northern Territory when

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Speaker 4: it comes to domestic family violence and sexual violence. We're

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Speaker 4: doing lots and lots of work from a policing but

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Speaker 4: from a whole of government perspective on how we address

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Speaker 4: you know, what are the strategies that we employ, how

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Speaker 4: do how do we address this? How do we tackle

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Speaker 4: it head on? So lots and lots of work happening.

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Speaker 4: Of course, we were you know, we certainly welcome the

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Speaker 4: funding that was received recently, the federal funding to social

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Speaker 4: services to combat DV you know, and we'll be making

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Speaker 4: sure that we put every cent of that, you know,

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Speaker 4: to where it needs to go.

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Speaker 1: And it is so difficult, I know, we talk on

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Speaker 1: this show quite a bit about alcohol misues. We caught

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Speaker 1: up with Deputy Commissioner Michael White or Assistant Commissioner Michael

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Speaker 1: White last week and he had said that that issue

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Speaker 1: of domestic violence at the moment was a really big one.

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Speaker 1: You know that we're having some really serious issues unfolding.

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Speaker 1: How big a factor is that alcohol misuse when you

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Speaker 1: look at domestic violence in the territory.

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Speaker 4: So, Katie, it's really critical and the statistics speak for that,

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Speaker 4: you know, the issues of alcohol and drug abusive misuse

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Speaker 4: and that as a driving cause behind a lot of

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Speaker 4: these domestic violence stats and we know here in the

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Speaker 4: territory that alcohol unfortunately is a problem.

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Speaker 1: Well, I know, like on a daylight today, it's a

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Speaker 1: great day for us to celebrate, you know, being women.

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Speaker 1: It's a great day for us to celebrate sort of

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Speaker 1: supporting other women as well, but it is also that

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Speaker 1: day where we do need to remember that we've got

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Speaker 1: to take everybody along for that journey as well, and

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Speaker 1: that there are even within our own communities, women who

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Speaker 1: are not treated equally and who are suffering from some

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Speaker 1: really terrible situations.

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Speaker 2: And I think that it is just a good reminder

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Speaker 2: of that too.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you're right, You're absolutely right.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a tough one sometimes, and I know that

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Speaker 1: it can be difficult, a really difficult thing for the

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Speaker 1: territory police trying to deal with and trying to make

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Speaker 1: in roads there. When this award, or you know, the

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Speaker 1: Excellence in Law Enforcement for Women's Initiative Award, tell us

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Speaker 1: a little bit more about what that Integrated Response to

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Speaker 1: Domestic and Family Violence project is all about.

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Speaker 3: Sure, So that's quite a few years ago now.

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Speaker 4: It was an integrated response that we led out of

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Speaker 4: Alice Springs and it actually it brought to the northern territory.

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Speaker 4: The Family Safety Framework. So, the Family Safety Framework is

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Speaker 4: a multi agency response to addressing incidents of high risk domestic,

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Speaker 4: family and sexual violence, and it's a coordinated response across

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Speaker 4: all sports services to share information and make sure that

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Speaker 4: responses are holistic and really wrap around you know, a victim,

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Speaker 4: a family and including offenders as well, and make sure

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Speaker 4: that there are behavior change programs offered so that we're

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Speaker 4: not tackling things in a siloed approach, that we're sharing

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Speaker 4: information to make sure we get the best outcomes.

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Speaker 1: Yes, and it seems like common sense, but I know

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Speaker 1: sometimes those things are a little bit easier said than done.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right.

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Speaker 4: Look, and certainly the Family Safety Framework has been operating

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Speaker 4: for a number of years now and had some huge success.

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Speaker 4: You know, there are hundreds of women I don't have

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Speaker 4: the statistics here with me right now today, but there

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Speaker 4: are hundreds and hundreds of women and families who have

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Speaker 4: been made safer as a result of the unity across

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Speaker 4: government agencies and support services in the nonprofit sector.

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Speaker 3: Being made much safer by operating in this manner.

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Speaker 2: Well, Jane, we really appreciate your time this morning.

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Speaker 1: I know that there's probably lots of young girls, maybe

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Speaker 1: not listening to the show this morning, but lots of

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Speaker 1: young women out there who are, you know, maybe wanting

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Speaker 1: to become police officers. You know, as a female, is

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Speaker 1: it a good career choice?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, one hundred percent it is.

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Speaker 4: It's something I wanted to do since I was in

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Speaker 4: high school, and I wouldn't change it for quids. I

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Speaker 4: absolutely love policing. But I encourage women out there if

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Speaker 4: you are interested in any way, shape or form, have

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Speaker 4: a look, jump on our website, have a look at

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Speaker 4: some of the videos. Talk to your local police or

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Speaker 4: your emergency service volunteers, fire officers. It's an amazing career,

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Speaker 4: so much diversity, so much opportunity, and we are equal.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Oh, Janelle, lovely to speak to you this morning.

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Speaker 2: I really appreciate your time.

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Speaker 1: I know it's been quite a disjointed interview there with

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Speaker 1: covering off on a few things, but we really appreciate

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Speaker 1: you coming in and chatting with us on this International

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Speaker 1: Women's Day.

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Speaker 3: Thanks very much, Thank you.