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Speaker 1: Joining us live on the line right now is the

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Speaker 1: Member for Nemajira, Bill Yan. Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Bill, Good morning Katie. How are you not bad?

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Speaker 1: Bill's some concerns being raised over recent days about well,

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Speaker 1: the fate of the Masters Games in Alice Springs. I

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Speaker 1: know that yesterday we touched on these reports that the

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Speaker 1: Alice Springs Masters Games could be canceled for a staggering

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Speaker 1: fourth time. Bill, Why is this even something that we're

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Speaker 1: worried could happen? Is it based on what the Minister

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Speaker 1: for Major Events, Brent Potter and had said throughout the

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Speaker 1: estimates process.

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Speaker 2: Well, some of the comments made by the Minister are

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Speaker 2: certainly not inspiring confidence in the pebble of all springs, Katie.

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Speaker 2: For the minister say, like the cave at some of

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Speaker 2: these questions, if the games go ahead, it's like a

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Speaker 2: slap in the face for us back in ours. We

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Speaker 2: should have a minister who's looking after major events out

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Speaker 2: there streaming from the rooftops of how great the Master's

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Speaker 2: Games is and what government is going to do to

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Speaker 2: make sure it goes ahead, not saying publicly in public

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Speaker 2: hearings that if the Masters goes ahead, this is just

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Speaker 2: this is crazy stuff, Katie. Look, we had we haven't

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Speaker 2: had a Master since two thousand AD and we were

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Speaker 2: canceled in twenty twenty. Of course that was COVID in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty two. I think government just forgot about it.

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Speaker 2: It's like, oh, well they've come off a bat of COVID,

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Speaker 2: forgot about the Masters, and we'll put something on in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty three. Like no, that's too hard. And now

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Speaker 2: we're coming up to the Masters this year and we've

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Speaker 2: got we've got the minister saying stupid things like that,

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Speaker 2: which is not inspiring confidence for people to get to

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Speaker 2: the Masters. We're struggling our spring as far as events

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Speaker 2: and tourism goes, like our reputation's taking a hell of

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Speaker 2: a battering over the past few years, and cost of

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Speaker 2: living is making it difficult for people to travel. Then

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Speaker 2: you've got a minister saying crazy stuff like this. It's

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Speaker 2: just it's unbelievable.

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Speaker 1: Caved. Well, when are the Masters post to get underway? Exactly?

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Speaker 2: Masses are normally October. So far at all? No, And look,

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Speaker 2: I've been involved in the Mars, I think since the

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Speaker 2: second one. I'm going back to the early nineties, helped

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Speaker 2: out as a volunteer and with the motorbikes and things

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Speaker 2: like that. I've been ambassador for a number of years

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Speaker 2: for the Masters, and in my old job with Corrections,

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Speaker 2: we use the work parties when we've supported the masses

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Speaker 2: for a long time. It's interesting, I think if you

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Speaker 2: look at the way the Masters used to run. It

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Speaker 2: was run by Sport and Wreck back in the day,

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Speaker 2: and they had a presence in Alic Springs and they

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Speaker 2: were members of our communities. I used to deal with

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Speaker 2: them and helping set the Masters and getting the stuff

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Speaker 2: off the line. And I'm not sure what presence major

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Speaker 2: events has in al Springs and how they're driving it.

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Speaker 2: But this is something the minister needs to think about

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Speaker 2: because the people of that Springs Masters is one of

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Speaker 2: those great events every two years. The entire community gets

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Speaker 2: behind it that the town buzzes, and we haven't had

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Speaker 2: it now for that long and to consider taking it

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Speaker 2: away it again is just it'll be the death knelt,

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Speaker 2: It really will.

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Speaker 1: So like when will we know just how extensive it

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Speaker 1: is or isn't going to be. Because Bill, I would

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Speaker 1: imagine that all of the different sports that are due

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Speaker 1: to participate, all of the different businesses located in Alice Springs,

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Speaker 1: your tourism operators, everybody is going to want to have

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Speaker 1: a bit of an idea about just how extensive or

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Speaker 1: not extensive the Masters is going to be this time round.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely okay because normally for the Masters, every accommodation space

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Speaker 2: in the town is booked out and people are building

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Speaker 2: Masters competitors in their houses. And I think our community,

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Speaker 2: our economy in Central Australia, now, tourism operators and everyone

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Speaker 2: else are going to want to know what's going on

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Speaker 2: so they can prepare. They're in a little bit of

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Speaker 2: limbo at the moment based on what Brent Potter has said.

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Speaker 2: If the Masters goes ahead, there's no surety for those organizations,

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Speaker 2: those sporting groups, as said, our community organizations, our retails,

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Speaker 2: and of course all those accommodation places. They're sitting there

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Speaker 2: now going well, is the government going to put on?

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Speaker 2: Is the government gain to ship Canada gain?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 2: Really, it's just it's not on, Katie. Our community needs

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Speaker 2: that commitment from government and government coming out supporting it

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Speaker 2: one hundred percent so that we get that investment into

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Speaker 2: Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: Bell I understand that Brent Potter has said for some

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Speaker 1: of those sports as well, that you know there hadn't

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Speaker 1: been as much interest in some of those sports. What like,

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Speaker 1: why do you feel that interest may have been lost

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Speaker 1: and not as many people are nominating. Do you think

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Speaker 1: because it has been that uncertainty? Do you think it's

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Speaker 1: due to the cost of living around Australia.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think there's a number of key factors there, Katie.

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Speaker 2: The cost of them's going to play a part, and

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Speaker 2: the cost of livings affecting all Australian and it cost

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Speaker 2: a lot of money to get Alis Springs now and compete.

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Speaker 2: But if you look at what's happened in the past

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Speaker 2: years with our reputation on that antisocial and crime stuff

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Speaker 2: being trained through on through the media nationwide, I think

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Speaker 2: that's certainly had an effect. People are wondering, all, should

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Speaker 2: we go to Alice Springs, Will we go to one

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Speaker 2: of those Martin events somewhere else? And of course no

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Speaker 2: Masters for six years, it's like starting from scratch again.

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Speaker 2: Said we were the biggest and best masters in the country.

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Speaker 2: Pretty well it was the place to come. Yeah, and

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Speaker 2: now we're no Masters for six years. People have gone, well,

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Speaker 2: we'll go somewhere else and Alice Springs has fallen off

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Speaker 2: their radar because government haven't gotten in behind it and

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Speaker 2: supported it. So it's like we're starting from scratch with

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Speaker 2: their masters again.

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Speaker 1: Now, Bill, before I let you go this morning, I

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Speaker 1: do want to ask you about the Chancey Paige, the

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Speaker 1: Minister for Local Government, has just issued a statement saying

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Speaker 1: that members of the Barkley Regional Council have today been

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Speaker 1: dismissed from office and a general election for a new

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Speaker 1: council is going to be held on the second of November. Now,

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Speaker 1: I know it's not your electorate, but the Minister for

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Speaker 1: Local Government, Chancey Paige, placing the Barkley Regional Council under

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Speaker 1: official management in October last year and suspended all those

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Speaker 1: members due to serious deficiencies in operations that affected municipal

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Speaker 1: and essential services across the region. What do you make

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Speaker 1: of this development this morning?

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Speaker 2: Well, I know there's been an investigator in there for

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Speaker 2: a while and the old CEO of the Mac Regional

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Speaker 2: Council has been out there looking after the Barkley. He's

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Speaker 2: a good guy, smart operator. It's not surprising that this

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Speaker 2: has come about, Katie. It's probably taken maybe a little

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Speaker 2: bit too long. But I think now there'll be some

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Speaker 2: certainty for the people in the Barkley that they'll go

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Speaker 2: to elections, they'll get to elect a new council and

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Speaker 2: hopefully they'll get to deal or get past the issues

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Speaker 2: as a plague Barkley recently, so they can get on

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Speaker 2: with doing business up there and the Barkley region will

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Speaker 2: have some certainly so wellst it's for those councils up

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Speaker 2: there who are doing the right thing and we're doing

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Speaker 2: a good job representing their communities that I feel a

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Speaker 2: little bit sad for those guys, but they've been doing

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Speaker 2: those who have been doing a good job and represented

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Speaker 2: and respected by the communities. I think well, of course,

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Speaker 2: probably hopefully stand again and they'll get elected back to

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Speaker 2: council and we'll get to tide that up and so

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Speaker 2: they can certainly get on with it well.

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Speaker 1: Billy and the Member Foranama Jira, and well the CLPAS

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Speaker 1: Member Foranama Jira and Shadow Minister for various portfolios. Thank

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Speaker 1: you as always for speaking with us this morning.

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Speaker 2: Absolute pleasure. Katie.

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Speaker 1: You have a great day you too, Thank you. Thanks

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Speaker 1: Bell