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Speaker 1: The City of Darwin's joined the Northern Territory Consumer Affairs

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Speaker 1: Commissioner in warning territories off buying tickets to the Dinosaur

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Speaker 1: Festival after it was revealed that the festival hadn't secured

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Speaker 1: a venue or a permit from the Darwin City Council

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Speaker 1: to hold a show at the Jingly Water Gardens as

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Speaker 1: they've advertised. Now, I would have thought that that would

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Speaker 1: have been enough for them to stop advertising. The fact that,

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Speaker 1: you know, we had the Consumer Affairs Commissioner basically saying

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Speaker 1: to people, don't go and buy these tickets they don't

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Speaker 1: have a location. But they've hit back in recent days

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Speaker 1: they've said on their Facebook page that the event is

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Speaker 1: going to be going ahead, adding that they've confirmed the

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Speaker 1: venue in Darwin and that the Dinosaur Festival will be

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Speaker 1: going ahead at the Jingly Water Gardens. It's certainly leaving

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Speaker 1: people pretty confused, to say the least. Now joining me

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Speaker 1: on the line right now is the Interim CEO at

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Speaker 1: the Darwin City Council, Simone Saunders. Good morning to you, Simone,

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Speaker 1: Good morning Katie Simone. What exactly is the situation here

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Speaker 1: from the Council's perspective? Has there been an application come

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Speaker 1: in from this dinosaur festival.

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Speaker 2: We did receive an application earlier this year in April,

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Speaker 2: and the required documentation for an application to actually be

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Speaker 2: approved wasn't met. But the operators withdrew their application on

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Speaker 2: the thirtieth of May, and there is no secured venue,

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Speaker 2: a City of Darwen venue for the event, despite what

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Speaker 2: has been reported on their social media page.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's incredibly frustrating, isn't it. I mean, I know

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Speaker 1: you and I have both got little kids. If you know,

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Speaker 1: if you're thinking about booking in to take them to

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Speaker 1: something like this, and you're thinking to yourself, well, hang

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Speaker 1: on a second. The authorities are telling me one thing,

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Speaker 1: but then they're continuing to advertise saying that it's going

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Speaker 1: to go ahead. It is incredibly frustrating.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, most definitely. And I think some of the most

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Speaker 2: recent social media posts sort of referring to a council

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Speaker 2: jesting additional venues, it's simply not actually correct from our perspective.

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Speaker 2: There is no other other application. There is no Darwin

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Speaker 2: Darwin venues that have been approved for this, and I

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Speaker 2: really do, I guess want to draw the Darwin community

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Speaker 2: to last Monday, the Anti consumer Affairs issuing a consumer

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Speaker 2: warning in relation to the Dinosaur Festival, and I think

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Speaker 2: you know, consumers should really in the community should have

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Speaker 2: a look at what was issued by Anti Consumer Affairs

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Speaker 2: because it does contain all the information that consumers need.

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Speaker 1: So Simone, at this point in time, as far as

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Speaker 1: the City of Darwin is concerned, there is actually no

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Speaker 1: application from the Dinosaur Festival to go ahead at the

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Speaker 1: Jingly Water Gardens or any other venue.

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Speaker 2: That's correct.

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Speaker 1: Well all right, well, and I guess you know the

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Speaker 1: warning really is as you've just suggested that Consumer Affairs

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Speaker 1: as well have said er on the side of caution,

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Speaker 1: I'm assuming that the City of Darwin is really saying

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Speaker 1: the same thing here.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we are, definitely and just furthered that we issued

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Speaker 2: legal a legal letter to the promoters of this festival

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Speaker 2: on Friday as well despite previous correspondence which has been ignored.

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Speaker 2: The legal letter was issued on Friday. But really anything

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Speaker 2: on their their social media page, I think consumers need

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Speaker 2: to read with extreme caution, and the fact that the City

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Speaker 2: of Dowhen is saying there is no venue confirmed for

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Speaker 2: this event.

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Speaker 1: And so Simone, what exactly did you say to them

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Speaker 1: in that letter.

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Speaker 2: I mean, the letter really refers to a lot of

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Speaker 2: the commentary on on their social media page, which is

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Speaker 2: which is fault and misleading and not factually correct.

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Speaker 1: Oh well, so, so the situation right now is realistically

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Speaker 1: for consumers particularly you know a few parents out there

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Speaker 1: listening throughout the school holidays thinking oh, this could be

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Speaker 1: something exciting to take the kids to. There is no permit,

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Speaker 1: they have no location secured, so you know, really err

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Speaker 1: on that extreme side of caution.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, that would be City of Darwin's advice to the community.

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Speaker 1: Well, Simon, we really appreciate your time this morning. Thank

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Speaker 1: you so much for having a chat with us and

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Speaker 1: clarifying that for our listeners.

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Speaker 2: No promise. Great to talk to you.

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Speaker 1: Thank you.