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Speaker 1: And we know that in recent months that there has

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Speaker 1: been a lot of talk about the serious issues in

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Speaker 1: Alice Springs that are being experienced when it comes to crime.

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Speaker 1: We've spoken on numerous occasions to Robin Lamley, the independent

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Speaker 1: member for Aarra Lun We know that well. A bit

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Speaker 1: earlier this week we caught up with the Property Council

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Speaker 1: who'd recently been in Alice spoken to their members and

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Speaker 1: have been told, you know, about the concerns that they

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Speaker 1: that they're facing. Some of those different businesses We've spoken

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Speaker 1: to as well on numerous occasions. You know, we'd heard

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Speaker 1: earlier this year from a business who'd literally had their

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Speaker 1: business broken into through somebody getting through a wall rather

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Speaker 1: than through the windows because the windows that obviously had

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Speaker 1: those roller doors down. We know that crime has been

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Speaker 1: such a concern for the people of Alice Springs, so

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Speaker 1: much so that the Mayor, Matt Patterson, earlier this year

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Speaker 1: had written to the Prime Minister and other leaders around

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Speaker 1: the nation calling for that help, and in a special

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Speaker 1: meeting this week, the Alla Springs Council did declare the

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Speaker 1: crime crisis in the town as an emergency and resolved

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Speaker 1: to call on the Northern Territory government for a response.

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Speaker 1: And I am joined on the line right now by

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Speaker 1: the Mayor of Alice Springs, Matt Patterson.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 3: Good morning, Katie. Thanks having me, Matt.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for joining us.

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Speaker 1: Mate, What do you want to see from the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory government right now? We know that obviously there's a

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Speaker 1: new leader in that Chief Minister's role.

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Speaker 2: What do you want to see from them?

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Speaker 3: Look, I think I've used the word numerous times that

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Speaker 3: we need a circuit breakthrough in Alice Springs, and I've

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Speaker 3: spoken to the new Chief Minister and I look forward

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Speaker 3: to catching up with her when she's in Ala Springs

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Speaker 3: next week. But just overnight again ourtown, Paul, the aquatic

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Speaker 3: center was absolutely smashed and belted and it's going to

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Speaker 3: have to be closed for a couple of days. They've

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Speaker 3: broken into they've broken into Sorry, I've just got my

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Speaker 3: young fellow there, all right, All good. They've broken into

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Speaker 3: the kiosk, they have thrown the computers into the pool,

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Speaker 3: They've grafeited everywhere. It's just unbelievable.

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Speaker 2: So that was last night, Matt.

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Speaker 1: That was last night that the aquatic center was broken

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Speaker 1: into to that degree.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and so it looks like the aquatic center is

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Speaker 3: going to have to be shut for a couple of days.

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Speaker 3: I mean, I mean substantial damage windows, the kiosk, all

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Speaker 3: the computers in the water. There's graffiti everywhere. So you know,

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Speaker 3: this is a real problem with facing But it's not

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Speaker 3: just a once off. This is happening every single day

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Speaker 3: and every single night, and so you know, I think

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Speaker 3: the whole community understands there's generational issues, and we've got

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Speaker 3: the long term and the medium term stuff, but we

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Speaker 3: certainly need a short term, short term answer.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well, some kind of stop gap.

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Speaker 1: And I don't know what that is, like, I don't

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Speaker 1: know exactly what can be done, but I tell you

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Speaker 1: what to have to deal with that each and every day.

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Speaker 1: And I feel for you guys living in Alis because

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Speaker 1: it's something that like it does just seem as though

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Speaker 1: it's happening every single night.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's happening every single night. And you know, we're

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Speaker 3: talking about businesses getting broken into, but what's also happening

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Speaker 3: is people are breaking into children's rooms. And if you know,

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Speaker 3: adults are waking up when there's kids standing over their

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Speaker 3: children's bed.

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Speaker 2: I mean, oh god.

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Speaker 3: It's pretty scary. And if that was your if you

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Speaker 3: woke up to that, I mean, you know you couldn't.

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Speaker 3: It's scary to think what would happen. And on Tuesday

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Speaker 3: night we had a special council meeting and we heard

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Speaker 3: from members of the public. And it's not just financial

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Speaker 3: damage that people are copying. People have said that, you know,

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Speaker 3: they've been broken numerous times. It's wearing sin for their

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Speaker 3: mental health, and people admitted in a public arena, which

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Speaker 3: you know would be quite difficult that there the pressure

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Speaker 3: has been put them on antidepressants, so you know, it's

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Speaker 3: a real thing. And it's not just the financial burden anymore.

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Speaker 3: It's the fear of people going to bed and not knowing,

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Speaker 3: you know, if their kids are going to be safe anymore.

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Speaker 1: I mean even this morning, you know, we received as

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Speaker 1: stay from the Northern Territory Police saying that a twenty

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Speaker 1: one year old man have been arrested after assaulting a

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Speaker 1: thirty five year old woman in a shopping center car park.

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Speaker 1: That was at three o'clock on Monday afternoon, you know,

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Speaker 1: in broad daylight.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's not you know, it's not between dark anymore.

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Speaker 3: It's all day, every day. And it's not just kids either.

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Speaker 3: You know, people can sort of you can sort of

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Speaker 3: see who's who's broken in this. There's alcohol missing, yeah,

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Speaker 3: then you can say it's an adult. If there's the

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Speaker 3: car missing, well then it's a child usually.

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Speaker 2: Mate, What does the council want to see happen here?

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Speaker 1: Because I guess you know, it is a good thing

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Speaker 1: that the newly appointed Chief Minister has been in contact

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Speaker 1: with you, and it is hopefully a good thing that

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Speaker 1: she's going to be there next week.

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Speaker 2: But what do you think needs to sort of happen here?

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Speaker 2: Because you and I have.

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Speaker 1: Spoken on numerous occasions, you know, I've spoken to other

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Speaker 1: people in Alice businesses, industry groups, like it's so obvious

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Speaker 1: and so clear for everybody else, you know, to see

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Speaker 1: that something needs to change.

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Speaker 2: But what do you reckon the government can do?

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Speaker 3: Look, I think at the end of the day, if

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Speaker 3: we've got eight year old kids and ten year old

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Speaker 3: kids out on a street, it's probably because they don't

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Speaker 3: feel safe at home. So that's the first problem. So

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Speaker 3: we need to create somewhere immediately that provides them that

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Speaker 3: safe place and there is suitable resources at that facility

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Speaker 3: where kids can feel safe, because yes, if they don't

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Speaker 3: feel safe at home, and if the street at three

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Speaker 3: o'clock in the morning is safer for them, well that's

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Speaker 3: that's a problem as well. I mean, that's a serious problem,

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Speaker 3: and that's a generational problem. So what we need to

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Speaker 3: do straight away is create a safe place for these

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Speaker 3: kids that they can be picked up and taken to them.

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Speaker 3: You know, they can be given a bed and they

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Speaker 3: can be given a warm feed. But at the moment

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Speaker 3: these kids understand that if they can you know, these

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Speaker 3: kids are living in a real life grand theft auto game.

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Speaker 3: There's no consequences for rem rating for doing those things.

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Speaker 3: If they're under a certain age, there's got to be

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Speaker 3: there's got to be consequences for the actions because if

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Speaker 3: it was me and I did that sort of stuff,

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Speaker 3: well then yes, and so you can't argue that they

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Speaker 3: don't know right or wrong. The community is fed.

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Speaker 1: Up, so obviously there does need to be a facility

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Speaker 1: somewhere where those kids can go. And then I mean,

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Speaker 1: what's next, what do you think needs to be done.

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Speaker 1: We know that the police like that they've bolstered the

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Speaker 1: numbers at different times and had special operations down there.

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Speaker 2: I'm assuming that that has helped.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I take my hat off to the police force.

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Speaker 3: They do an incredible, incredible job and I think day

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Speaker 3: and day out they're amazing. But yeah, if it's resources,

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Speaker 3: you know, if it's more patrols, I don't know what

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Speaker 3: it is, but we certainly need that circuit breaker that

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Speaker 3: I mentioned before.

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Speaker 2: You sound like you're at your wits end.

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Speaker 3: I am. I mean, Alice Springs is an incredible place,

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Speaker 3: and you know, as the may I want to be

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Speaker 3: speaking about how good it is, not speaking about the

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Speaker 3: problems we face because We've got incredible potential here and

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Speaker 3: I'd rather be talking about the amazing things that our

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Speaker 3: springs has to offer rather than this. And you know,

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Speaker 3: I know we haven't had tourism for two years, so

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Speaker 3: it is difficult talking about it. Those businesses are struggling

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Speaker 3: and we're constantly talking about it. So I am at

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Speaker 3: my wits end and I just want to see some

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Speaker 3: change and I'll take you know, I had a good

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Speaker 3: discussion with the Chief fumness to the other day and

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Speaker 3: I'll take absolutely takes on face bow that she said.

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Speaker 3: It's a priority of hers. So you know, I look

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Speaker 3: forward to that meeting next week.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, let's hope.

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Speaker 3: So Hi.

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Speaker 1: Like I say, I feel for you guys. I haven't

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Speaker 1: been back to Alice for a few years, but I

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Speaker 1: lived there many years ago. It's a place that I

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Speaker 1: think is absolutely amazed And like I feel for you

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Speaker 1: too in the sense what you're saying that you don't

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Speaker 1: want to be talking it down, but until you can

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Speaker 1: get this crime issue sorted out, it's pretty hard to.

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Speaker 2: Talk it up.

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Speaker 3: Yeah it is. But you know, I just like my

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Speaker 3: heartbreaks for people who are continually getting their business broken

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Speaker 3: into and continue you know, to open their doors every day,

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Speaker 3: and you know they still offer the offer this discounts

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Speaker 3: to locals. I mean, like, that's how good our town is.

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Speaker 3: We do raally together and as I said, people understand

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Speaker 3: that there's that generational change that needs to happen, but

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Speaker 3: we just need that immediate, that immediate fix, just to

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Speaker 3: give us a breather for a little while.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, just very quickly, Matte, have you any idea like

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Speaker 1: that damage to the pool and to the aquatic center

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Speaker 1: last night?

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Speaker 2: Have you any idea how much that's going to cost

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Speaker 2: to fix?

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Speaker 3: Oh, it'll be tens of thousands. Wow, it's unluck. You

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Speaker 3: know the window whose there's the vandluisms out of control.

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Speaker 3: The graffiti's out of control. You know, they've broken into

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Speaker 3: the first daid room, torn it apart. Everything's upside down.

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Speaker 3: As I said, getting into the kiosk that's gone berserk.

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Speaker 3: All the computers are in the water. It's just senseless.

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Speaker 3: That's not you know, that is just that is destructive and.

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Speaker 1: That's worry absolutely, Matt Patterson. I really appreciate your time

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Speaker 1: this morning. I'm I like, honestly, I think saying I'm

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Speaker 1: sorry that that's happened to the people of Vllae Springs

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Speaker 1: again last night doesn't mean much because you know, you

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Speaker 1: guys are experiencing this all too often. But look, yeah,

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Speaker 1: I really hope that something changes, so do I Kay?

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Speaker 3: Then I appreciate you're having me on. I think that

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Speaker 3: you know, as I said, I don't really want to

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Speaker 3: be sending this message, but if it's getting out there

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Speaker 3: and more people are listening, then we can ask for change.

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Speaker 3: And it's been spoken about in Canberra, it's been spoken

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Speaker 3: about in Darwin.

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Speaker 2: So I agree.

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Speaker 3: Hopefully people are listen and make are brave enough to

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Speaker 3: make a tough decision.

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Speaker 2: Yep, I agree with you, Matt Patterson. The Mayor of Alice.

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Speaker 2: Good to talk to you. Thanks for your time, mate,

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Speaker 2: good

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Speaker 3: On your thanks, Katie, thank you