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Speaker 1: Obviously, yesterday we heard from the Chief Minister Michael Gunner

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Speaker 1: about the masks and well, we did really ask for

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Speaker 1: an actual timeline, a bit of a plan. Here's what

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Speaker 1: he had to say on the show yesterday.

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Speaker 2: They have a day, but it's definitely sooner rather than later,

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Speaker 2: like very soon.

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Speaker 3: The caseload is trending down.

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Speaker 2: You can see the hospitalization rates trending down, so that

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Speaker 2: the trops to be confident that we're not going to

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Speaker 2: something splugg in. Obviously we believe they help contribute to

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Speaker 2: the downward trend. And if we were to pull the

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Speaker 2: mass mandate off, for example, I don't think we could

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Speaker 2: put it back on a couple days time. I think

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Speaker 2: I don't think the public will be won't do that.

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Speaker 2: So we've got to be very careful it's done once

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Speaker 2: it's done.

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Speaker 3: Right, So we're talking days or weeks.

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Speaker 2: I think it's more days than weeks.

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Speaker 3: But by this time next week.

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Speaker 2: We guarantee is this one yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You

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Speaker 2: say it may be staged, and it might be that

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Speaker 2: you do the checking app retreats to the vax pass

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Speaker 2: and then the mass mandate comes off or the mass

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Speaker 2: mandate comes off on the same day that you retreat

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Speaker 2: the checking app to the vas pass site.

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Speaker 1: So that was the Chief Minister Michael Gunner on the

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Speaker 1: show yesterday, and we know that the hospitality industry continue

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Speaker 1: used to wait for that clarity from the Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: government on when those masks are going to be lifted

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Speaker 1: off and when that check in system for venues is

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Speaker 1: going to be scrapped as has been done in other jurisdictions.

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Speaker 1: I'm joined on the line right now by Hospitality NT

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Speaker 1: CEO Alex Bruce ged A.

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

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Speaker 1: The Chief Minister obviously said yesterday on the show it's

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Speaker 1: likely to be within days. It's still not really that

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Speaker 1: plan that you're after though, is that.

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Speaker 4: Now? It's not? And other states are able to you know,

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Speaker 4: pig pig flags in the sand. A week out, week

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Speaker 4: and a half out, give everyone enough time to understand

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Speaker 4: what the rule changes would be, allow our venues to

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Speaker 4: staff up, maybe you know, put on that extra live

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Speaker 4: music event or whatever that you know, those struggling artists

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Speaker 4: have continued to be thrown on the scrap heat. But

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Speaker 4: you know, the mass mandate should have already lifted. We've

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Speaker 4: got the lowest number of people in hospital for over

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Speaker 4: a month now forty six percent less than twenty a

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Speaker 4: days ago when it peaked. This is well and truly peaked.

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Speaker 4: Why are we holding on?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and Alex, I know that plenty of others in

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Speaker 1: the community you're asking the same thing. I still get

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Speaker 1: people messaging through saying Katie, I'm still going to wear

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Speaker 1: my mask. I don't feel comfortable taking it off.

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Speaker 3: And look, that's that's.

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Speaker 1: The decision of an individual if they want to keep

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Speaker 1: it on.

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Speaker 4: But I know that absolutely, Katie, and we're quite clear

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Speaker 4: on this. We want inclusive environments in our venues. If

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Speaker 4: anyone feels more comfortable wearing a mask as they come

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Speaker 4: into our venues and come around, that's fine. And you

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Speaker 4: people that don't want to wear masks, we don't want

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Speaker 4: to get into a situation where you know, there's a

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Speaker 4: cultural being played out in the front bath. Yeah, we

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Speaker 4: want to welcome unmasked and mask customers alike and get

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Speaker 4: back to that public health message in where they send

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Speaker 4: out advice. But you know, there's not a threat of

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Speaker 4: a mandate and a fine Alex, what.

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Speaker 1: Are venues saying to you at the moment? You know,

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Speaker 1: what are those that are running bars, that are running pubs,

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Speaker 1: that are running restaurants, saying to you at the moment

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Speaker 1: with the you know, with the masks and with the

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Speaker 1: check ins.

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Speaker 4: Probably since the last month, we're getting more and more

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Speaker 4: customers challenging staff asking them why they're still being asked

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Speaker 4: for check in for their vax paths. The masks we're getting. Thankfully,

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Speaker 4: we are starting to get a trickle of Southern tourists

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Speaker 4: up and they're starting to I'm getting reports along Mitchell

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Speaker 4: Street they're asking, I thought we got rid of masks,

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Speaker 4: what's this all about? And we have to say, well, no,

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Speaker 4: we're behind the times a little bit up here, but

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Speaker 4: you know, we're just after certainty. We just want the

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Speaker 4: government to make clear what their plans are for masks.

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Speaker 4: But also importantly there's a bit of a confusion about

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Speaker 4: what's scrapping the check the QR code system. Looks like

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Speaker 4: the government's been pretty clear they intend to keep the

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Speaker 4: vax checking requirements on us for a little bit longer.

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Speaker 4: You know, we want them lifted, but leave that for

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Speaker 4: another day. But if we're going down the path of

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Speaker 4: removing the QR code out the front of woollies or

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Speaker 4: when you go to Bunnings. We want to take down

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Speaker 4: the QR code and the useless, redundant bok at the

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Speaker 4: front of the pub as well. At the same time,

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Speaker 4: even if it's still a requirement that we're only welcome

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Speaker 4: in vaccinated customers.

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Speaker 1: At this stage, Alex, the government's obviously been teasing this

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Speaker 1: lifting of the masks and the scaling back of the

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Speaker 1: check in. How do you think that that is making

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Speaker 1: people feel when they do enter the venues. Do you

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Speaker 1: think that it's making them sort of more relaxing about

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Speaker 1: wearing a mask, thinking well, it's going to go in

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Speaker 1: days anyway.

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Speaker 4: Well, we're not sure. And I think that's the tricky one, Cading,

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Speaker 4: because ultimately, you know, a lot of hard work has

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Speaker 4: gone on that we are in the position now where

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Speaker 4: we've crested the wave and we can start to talk

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Speaker 4: about what restrictions ease and when they received and you know,

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Speaker 4: how much notice we can provide. We do see a

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Speaker 4: big difference though, like why do we have to tune

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Speaker 4: into Facebook and get told three hours in advance what

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Speaker 4: our operating rules are? You know, this is the third

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Speaker 4: year of this. We really need to be a little

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Speaker 4: bit more strategic and plans than that by now would

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Speaker 4: have thought.

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Speaker 3: But I mean it's like realistic one.

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Speaker 1: Do you feel as the hospitality venues and your sector

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Speaker 1: are still wearing a lot of the burden of these

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Speaker 1: requirements for stopping the spread of COVID nineteen in the

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Speaker 1: territory when you know the reality is the horse has bolted.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely. I think more and more families in Darwin and

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Speaker 4: Parmeston are realizing. You know, it's like that old VB song.

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Speaker 4: You know, you can get it milking a cow, you

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Speaker 4: can get it killing us on a plow, you can

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Speaker 4: get it any Oh how matter of fact, I've got

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Speaker 4: omnicon now, you know, like it's spreading through schools, spreading

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Speaker 4: through workplaces. Do they trade construction sites or you know,

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Speaker 4: office blocks and the data just just not stack up

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Speaker 4: that somehow it's that quick trip to the pub for

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Speaker 4: a skewer with your mates, that there's somehow higher risk.

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Speaker 4: Have you just there's no start behind the k.

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Speaker 3: Have you been practicing that that line, Alex.

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Speaker 4: Broce, No, I haven't, But now I've got that jingle

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Speaker 4: stuck in my head for the rest of day.

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Speaker 1: Probably, Oh dear me, well, and look, I think at

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Speaker 1: the end of the day. It is a situation now

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Speaker 1: where everybody understood why the rules and regulations were in place,

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Speaker 1: and you know those times are changing. As we've discussed

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Speaker 1: on numerous occasions. Alex, what is your message for the

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Speaker 1: government this morning.

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Speaker 3: I know that you've really.

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Speaker 1: Been advocating for some time now on these mandates, but

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Speaker 1: what is your message for the government. With Gunner on

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Speaker 1: the show yesterday saying that the lifting of the mask

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Speaker 1: mandate and the scaling back of the APP is just

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Speaker 1: days away.

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Speaker 4: Ah, look for us, in all of these things, government

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Speaker 4: needs to consider what is defensible, what makes sense, and

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Speaker 4: those decisions that no longer make sense really need to

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Speaker 4: be reviewed. That's our simple message. You know, by and

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Speaker 4: large the territory has done well. Let's just calm it

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Speaker 4: all down, settle it down and crack on into the

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Speaker 4: dry season.

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Speaker 1: Well, Alex Bruce, the see of Hospitality here in the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory. We will talk to you again very soon,

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Speaker 1: doubt d. Thank you,