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Speaker 1: Joining me in well on the line right now from

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Speaker 1: Alice Springs. It is Daniel Rochford, the CEO of Tourism

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Speaker 1: Central Australia. Good morning to you, Daniel.

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Speaker 2: Morning Kating, Good morning to your listeners.

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Speaker 1: Daniel, is Alice Springs in a state of emergency?

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Speaker 2: Yes, quite clearly. I think, as we talked about a

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Speaker 2: few weeks ago, I did say that the government had

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Speaker 2: lost control of the streets of Alice Springs and I

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Speaker 2: still reaffirmed that view and clearly last night demonstrated that

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Speaker 2: most wholeheartedly, we are facing an emergency situation here and

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Speaker 2: we need the Northern Territory government to act accordingly.

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Speaker 1: Daniel, tell us exactly what went on last night from

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Speaker 1: a residence perspective.

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Speaker 2: Look, there was a communicate from police media saying that

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Speaker 2: essentially encouraging visitor, encouraging residents to avoid the CBD due

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Speaker 2: to the emergency situation that was being faced. Kids had

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Speaker 2: stolen vehicle and were rampaging through the CBD and obviously

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Speaker 2: causing an enormous concern to the safety and security of

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Speaker 2: all residents. So look, at the end of the day

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Speaker 2: we were locked out of our CBD.

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Speaker 1: How unbelievable Honestly, I didn't think that it could get

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Speaker 1: more surprising in Alice Springs and what.

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Speaker 2: It is right now, Yeah, words just to not describe it, Katie,

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Speaker 2: And I know we talk about this ad nauseum, but

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Speaker 2: it has got to that stage now where this cannot

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Speaker 2: be you know, we've gone past the word crisis and

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Speaker 2: we are now really, as you said earlier, with the

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Speaker 2: Chief very much in that state of emergency. And I

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Speaker 2: just noted the Member for aral Lewins just to put

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Speaker 2: out a press release basically confirming as such, and the

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Speaker 2: mayor on ABC Radio this morning here in Alys alluded

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Speaker 2: almost the same sentiment as well. We're getting to that

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Speaker 2: situation where we need something tonight, Katie. We have something

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Speaker 2: to keep the streets safe tonight. And if that's about

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Speaker 2: mobilizing more police into our springs, mobilizing the TRG into

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Speaker 2: our springs and getting the streets so that especially our

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Speaker 2: CBD is safe, things must happen today.

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Speaker 1: You one spot on and Daniel, I don't know if

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Speaker 1: you heard the Chief Minister earlier, but do you feel

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Speaker 1: as though there is that urgency from the government right now.

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Speaker 2: Look, there's no doubt that they see this as their

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Speaker 2: number one issue, and I suddenly, you know, affirm that.

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Speaker 2: But I think the Chief you know, I've got to

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Speaker 2: work with her quite well when she was Ministerpa Tourism,

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Speaker 2: and you know she understands, and you know she understands

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Speaker 2: the fact that when we say something, it's not just

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Speaker 2: the fact that we're wanting a political astra grind here.

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Speaker 2: We wear our heart on our sleeves, an organization and

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Speaker 2: this has got to that stage where we just cannot

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Speaker 2: call it for what anything but it is, and that

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Speaker 2: is that we are in, as you say, that state

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Speaker 2: of emergency. And when we face the situation, we've effectively

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Speaker 2: this town is now in the control of thirty to

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Speaker 2: fifty young people who have just taken control of the town.

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Speaker 1: I mean, look, even when I went through it with

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Speaker 1: the Chief Minister earlier this morning, you've got the scenes

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Speaker 1: from the weekend that look like scenes out of Grand

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Speaker 1: Theft Auto. You know, kids in backs of utes. It's

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Speaker 1: bloody dangerous for them, it's dangerous for everybody who lives

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Speaker 1: in Alice Springs. But then last night you've got alleged

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Speaker 1: youdes trying to actually ram marked police vehicles. I don't

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Speaker 1: know how much clearer, it can be that things are

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Speaker 1: out of control. And then you add to that the

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Speaker 1: tourism operator Patrick who we spoke to yesterday, who's had

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Speaker 1: rocks hurled at that tour bus while it's driving back

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Speaker 1: into town while there's tourists inside. He's asking for a

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Speaker 1: police escort to bring them back into town. Like that

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Speaker 1: in itself unbelievable. Then you've got Sue Shira from Kota

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Speaker 1: saying on the show yesterday that seniors do not feel

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Speaker 1: safe to leave their homes. But they don't even feel

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Speaker 1: safe in their homes.

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Speaker 2: Oh. Absolutely, And look all this just goes Look I said,

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Speaker 2: you know a month or so ago, now that you

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Speaker 2: know the streets had lost control, and to your listeners,

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Speaker 2: it's actually got worse, not better. Yeah. Since I made

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Speaker 2: those comments a few weeks ago, and you know, the

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Speaker 2: government has tried and is trying to work on a

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Speaker 2: number of strategies. And you know, we've been very categorical

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Speaker 2: around our support for the Social Order Response Focus and

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Speaker 2: we fully support that, but it will take time to

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Speaker 2: implement and it Meanwhile, the government needs to take control

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Speaker 2: back of the streets and if that, you know, mobilizing

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Speaker 2: the TRG if it's mobilizing extra police resources or extra

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Speaker 2: private security. This needs to be done now, Katie, as

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Speaker 2: a matter of emergency, to stabilize the streets of Alice Springs. Otherwise,

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Speaker 2: this utter lawlessness that is happening night after night after

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Speaker 2: night is going to continue on. And this is destroying

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Speaker 2: our town. It's destroying our industry. And how you should

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Speaker 2: see the amount of comments that we're getting from tourists

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Speaker 2: and visitors. And as you say, you know, could just

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Speaker 2: put your cells in the shoes of those visitors who

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Speaker 2: are on that bus a couple of nights ago when

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Speaker 2: those rocks come screaming through the windows of that tourist.

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Speaker 2: But that's why this organization is advocating to the way

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Speaker 2: it is, because we do wear our heart on our sleeve.

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Speaker 2: This town is amazing place. But if we do not

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Speaker 2: stop this, if we do not get this town stabilized,

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Speaker 2: we are going to descend into oblivion. And we are

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Speaker 2: getting worse, not better.

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Speaker 1: It's unbelievable, Like honestly, it feels unbelievable. And I think

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Speaker 1: what you're saying there is spot on. Something needs to

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Speaker 1: be done today. So Daniel, realistically, what you are calling

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Speaker 1: from from the government today is either mobilize a TRG,

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Speaker 1: mobilize additional police, or get the additional security on the

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Speaker 1: ground immediately for tonight.

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Speaker 2: Indeed, and that's look. I've been out on the streets

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Speaker 2: over the last few nights and it is I don't

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Speaker 2: want to sugarcoata and I don't want to paint a

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Speaker 2: picture that's trying to sensationalize this. It's a bloody war zone,

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Speaker 2: Katie out and you know you've got cars, stolen cars

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Speaker 2: screaming around. Someone is going to die here if we

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Speaker 2: do not get control of the street. You know, will

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Speaker 2: be the kids, or an innocent bystander, or someone just

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Speaker 2: driving home after work and getting hits as these cars

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Speaker 2: career through the streets of our springs. We need to

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Speaker 2: stabilize the streets, and we need to stabilize it tonight.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Daniel Rochford, I always appreciate your time. I'm really like,

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Speaker 1: I feel really bad for the people of Alice Springs

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Speaker 1: about what's going on at the moment. It's honestly, it's

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Speaker 1: sad to listen to. I can't imagine what it's like

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Speaker 1: for you guys, So we're thinking of you. I really

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Speaker 1: hope that something changes and that there is some action

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Speaker 1: taken for tonight.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I really appreciate Katie, and look, it's really

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Speaker 2: got to that stage where we're playing. It is an

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Speaker 2: honest plea to the government and to all those out

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Speaker 2: there to lend that support because we do need that support.

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Speaker 1: Now, Daniel Rochford, we'll talk to you again very soon.

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Speaker 1: Thank you again for your time today. Thank Katie, thank you.