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Speaker 1: Well you are listening to Mix one oh four to

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Speaker 1: nine now. On Monday, the Tourism Minister Nicole Madison announced

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Speaker 1: Territory tourism has a new direction set with the revised

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Speaker 1: NTI Tourism Industry Strategy for twenty thirty. Well, it's been

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Speaker 1: released and it's got an ambitious target of up to

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Speaker 1: two point eight million visitors accounting for an associated spend

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Speaker 1: of five point three billion dollars by twenty thirty. That

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Speaker 1: is what has been set. There's three priority areas that

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Speaker 1: have been set in this new strategy as well. Those

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Speaker 1: being resolving aviation access as well as reducing seasonality and

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Speaker 1: commitment to sustainable practices. Now joining me in the studio

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Speaker 1: to talk more about this is the CEO of Tourism

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

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Speaker 2: You, Good morning Katie, and good morning to you listeners.

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Speaker 1: And also the Chair of Tourism Central Australia, Patrick Bedford.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Patrick, good morning, Thanks for having me now.

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Speaker 1: Patrick, good to have you in the studio too for

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Speaker 1: the first time because you obviously have one of the

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Speaker 1: largest tour operation in Central Australia, so no firsthand how

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Speaker 1: things are tracking. Firstly, I guess I'll ask both of

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Speaker 1: you what do you think of these two point eight

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Speaker 1: million visitors accounting for an associated spend of five point

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Speaker 1: three I mean it's a very ambitious target, is the

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Speaker 1: way that the Tourism Minister put it earlier in the week.

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Speaker 3: Look, I think it's a great ambitious target to enfer

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Speaker 3: and we have to think big. And I think that's

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Speaker 3: something we've asked the Minister over the last couple of

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Speaker 3: years is we need a plan, we need to think

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Speaker 3: big and we need to be balled in the territory.

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Speaker 3: That's what the territory is about, you know, big and

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Speaker 3: baled and attract people in. So it's an exciting target.

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Speaker 3: There's a lot of work to put that into play,

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Speaker 3: but I expect the government to put the work behind it.

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Speaker 1: So looking at the work that does need to happen

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Speaker 1: behind the scenes, you know, the thing that just stands

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Speaker 1: out to me instantly is flights into the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: Is that the same for you guys?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, big time man, and you and I have talked

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Speaker 4: about this for some time now that you know, we've

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Speaker 4: been calling for a long time for the government to

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Speaker 4: roll up their sleeves on aviation and to their credit,

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Speaker 4: you know, I'm certainly seeing that happening, and you know

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Speaker 4: that they've really sently put forward the aviation subsidy program

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Speaker 4: and hopefully something comes from that. I think the other thing, too, Katie,

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Speaker 4: is that it's not just flights, it's also hotels.

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Speaker 2: You know, that's something that we really need.

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Speaker 4: We know in Central Australia we've got a number of

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Speaker 4: commercial operators looking to invest, but that just not getting

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Speaker 4: it across the line. So you know that's going to

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Speaker 4: be the other one in this plan. You know, it

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Speaker 4: clearly says that we need a significant number more beds

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Speaker 4: and that's something that we really need to be focusing

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Speaker 4: on on because we can have the flights, but if

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Speaker 4: they can't stay anywhere, that's going to be another roadblock.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Patrick, How like how big an impact do those

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Speaker 1: two things have when you when you have people booking

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Speaker 1: tours and heading to Central.

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Speaker 3: Australia massively, and the aviation cost to get in to

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Speaker 3: Alice Springs a lawn is crazy. And I think if

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Speaker 3: someone is looking to fly overseeds, if looking to fly

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Speaker 3: at Alice Springs or we'll stay home and they go

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Speaker 3: one it's cheaper for me to go to Baally or

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Speaker 3: to go to Fiji return like one where it's crazy,

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Speaker 3: So that's a problem. And also how can you justify

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Speaker 3: flowing today which is like five hundred bucks miles springs

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Speaker 3: one way and you've had to add every two twins

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Speaker 3: same amount of time, Like it's crazy when you think

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Speaker 3: about that. So I think there's some issues there that

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Speaker 3: the government need to be addressing. What they have with

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Speaker 3: the front now which is great, but Quanus obviously you

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Speaker 3: have some account of bil They on this too. It's

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Speaker 3: restricting regional airway.

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Speaker 1: We've spoken about this so many times and I get

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Speaker 1: really quite fired up when I think about how expensive

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Speaker 1: it is to travel within Australia and then to travel

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Speaker 1: within the Northern Territory. And I think that Quantus needs

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Speaker 1: to come to the party. I mean, Daniel, are we

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Speaker 1: thinking that there's going to be any change with the

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Speaker 1: change of leadership and also the scrutiny that's been placed

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Speaker 1: on them in recent weeks.

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Speaker 4: There's no doubt there's been a national firestorm against our

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Speaker 4: national carrier and you know, in many respects, you know

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Speaker 4: they've got to deal with that, and you know we're hopeful.

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Speaker 2: I think Australia is hopeful that the new CEO will.

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Speaker 4: Lead that next chapter in Quantas's story, you know, to

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Speaker 4: get and you know, in our instance, you know, as

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Speaker 4: Patrick was saying two hundred and thirty dollars to get

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Speaker 4: for a Northern territorium to go to Adelaide versus I

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Speaker 4: think the very cheapest fair to Darwin is four hundred

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Speaker 4: and fifty dollars. That's the promo rate, So you know,

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Speaker 4: to you know, that's just giving territorians an incentive to

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Speaker 4: leave the territory to go for away for a weekend.

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Speaker 4: Wouldn't it be great to bring the Northern Territory together,

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Speaker 4: Alice Springs and dah and uniting together for us folk

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Speaker 4: coming up here and for the top end is coming

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Speaker 4: down to Central Australia. Wouldn't that be bloody awesome.

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Speaker 1: Amazing And you know, like I know for myself, like

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Speaker 1: I'd love to take the family to Central Australia. I'd

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Speaker 1: love to be able to take the kids to see

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Speaker 1: Ularu and it's just so expensive, that's the hard part.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and look we do need to sort that out.

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Speaker 4: And look, you know, I have confidence in the government

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Speaker 4: in terms of this aviation subsidy. I think it's a

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Speaker 4: good policy. They listened, you know, to the community. They've

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Speaker 4: partnered with the airport, so there's they've brought in commercial

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Speaker 4: money into the situation.

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Speaker 2: And let's hope.

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Speaker 4: I think we're all crossing our fingers and look if

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Speaker 4: we get that competition into Alice Springs, Katie.

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Speaker 2: Finally, I think I'm going.

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Speaker 4: To call it cut wheeling in my leopard skin lea

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Speaker 4: down the Todd Mall.

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Speaker 2: I will call it here and now.

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Speaker 1: I thank you.

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Speaker 2: I won't go so light, so light.

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Speaker 4: So that's as long as Alex Bruce joins me.

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Speaker 2: That's he said he's going to do it, So it's on.

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Speaker 1: That would be a sight to behold, Daniel. That'll be

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Speaker 1: a lot of fun. But mate, I you know the

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Speaker 1: thing is, we need, you know, we need to sort

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Speaker 1: of to make this happen. And it's something that you've

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Speaker 1: been speaking about for such a long period of time.

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Speaker 1: You guys have been really you know, out there and

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Speaker 1: vocal about it, which you need to be because you're

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Speaker 1: fighting for your industry, you know. Just in terms of

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Speaker 1: the other the other sort of priorities that have been

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Speaker 1: set in this strategy, this twenty thirty. Strategy for anti

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Speaker 1: tourism reduces seasonality is another one, and also a commitment

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Speaker 1: to sustainable practices. Are they important priorities to have?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely? And I think look the top end is a

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Speaker 3: prime example. You have the wet season, which doesn't get

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Speaker 3: a lot of people up here in Central Australia. We

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Speaker 3: do get the internationals to come in during our summer months,

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Speaker 3: the hotter months, which is great and it keeps our

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Speaker 3: businesses sustainable in the longer term. But having fill up

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Speaker 3: those shoulder months as they call them, and tourism or

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Speaker 3: during the summer months, that's great for sustainability of business

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Speaker 3: and to grow those because we shouldn't just shy away

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Speaker 3: going it's hot, we'll give up, or it's wait on

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Speaker 3: the top end we'll go. It's like it's great to

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Speaker 3: come here in the wet season, to be honest, Like

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Speaker 3: we've been here a few times during COVID particular and

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Speaker 3: we're like, it's nice. You get the afternoon downpour and

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Speaker 3: it cools off and you go off and do your things.

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Speaker 3: So you need to, you know, you need to work

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Speaker 3: to your strengths. I think about Central Australia, end up

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Speaker 3: here and as a territory, we need to look at

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Speaker 3: how we fill up that for the business sustainability overall,

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Speaker 3: So definitely in that one.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I think, and certainly from a sustainability the global

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Speaker 4: travel market are looking, you know, to make sure that

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Speaker 4: they offset the carbon footprint, and you know we've got to,

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Speaker 4: especially from an indigital cultural perspective. You know, we've got

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Speaker 4: so much to offer in this space in Central Australia.

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Speaker 4: You know, I think you know, most I haven't meant,

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Speaker 4: not met an operator yet who's not wanting to lessen

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Speaker 4: their carbon footprint. Make sure that the visitors have the

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Speaker 4: best timing possible.

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Speaker 2: So look, I think they've got that right.

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Speaker 4: It's certainly an ambitious target and you know we're you know,

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Speaker 4: I'm not shy of an ambitious target, and you know

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Speaker 4: we certainly advocated for it to be an ambitious target.

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Speaker 4: But like everything, Katie, now the government has inked to this.

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Speaker 4: You know, our expectation is that the government should be

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Speaker 4: rolling up the sleeve and getting behind it, and we're

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Speaker 4: they're with them. We're a signatory to this plan and

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Speaker 4: you know we want to see is supported.

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Speaker 3: Well.

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Speaker 1: I'm always of the view that when the government's doing well,

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Speaker 1: or when the terrtory's doing well, you know the government's

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Speaker 1: doing well and vice versa. So if they can do

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Speaker 1: well on these tourism targets, then all territorians can do well.

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Speaker 2: But that's really what we've.

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Speaker 1: Got to see, isn't it. We've got to make sure

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Speaker 1: that we are forging ahead and we've got to make

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Speaker 1: sure that we're really getting as many visitors to the

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Speaker 1: terrtory as possible.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely, and we've we've still got We're coming off of

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Speaker 4: a relatively low base. We've got a lot of businesses

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Speaker 4: that are still fragile from COVID, you know, just to

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Speaker 4: give you a stat you know, in twenty nineteen in

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Speaker 4: July we had sixteen thousand people throw Information center. This

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Speaker 4: year we had eight thousand. So we still got a

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Speaker 4: long way to go. But look, I love a great plan,

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Speaker 4: and I think let's make it happen.

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Speaker 3: I think one of the big things during CORVID the

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Speaker 3: business has relays is everyone's in tourism because the tourism

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Speaker 3: is busy, busy, everyone's busy. Plumbers and trades are busy.

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Speaker 2: Now they're busy.

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Speaker 3: If we're not busy, even mechanics are coming up gone

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Speaker 3: ways so quiet because the tourists don't coming. You're not

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Speaker 3: getting the back end of the tourism business. So I

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Speaker 3: think that's one big thing in the territory. Every business

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Speaker 3: in somewhere shareform is connected to tourism.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's so true. Well, wonderful to have you both

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Speaker 1: in the studio Sporting.

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Speaker 2: Thanks so much. You've got the passport stamp. Good stuff.

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Speaker 2: Lovely to catch up with you by, Thanks so much.

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Speaker 1: Thanks that is indeed Daniel Rochford, the CEO of Tourism

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Speaker 1: Central Australia and Patrick Bedford, the Chair of Tourism Central.

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Speaker 1: Eliah