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Speaker 1: Now we know that the Alla Springstown Council last week

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Speaker 1: withdrew its support for the twenty twenty three season of

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Speaker 1: Central Australia's Remote Football League, citing some long held concerns

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Speaker 1: that the league causes us spiking crime rates and also

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Speaker 1: social issues.

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Speaker 2: In the town.

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Speaker 1: The annual community competition it does run from May through

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Speaker 1: to August and it does see hundreds of players and

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Speaker 1: also fans from remote communities travel to Alice Springs for matches.

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Speaker 2: So the withdrawal of support has really.

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Speaker 1: I guess sent the footy community into a bit of

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Speaker 1: a spin, wondering exactly what they are going to be

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Speaker 1: able to do. We spoke to Sam Gibson from AFLNT

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Speaker 1: who'd been calling for a summit to take place so

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Speaker 1: that the issues could be worked through. Now the Mayor

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Speaker 1: of Alice Springs, Matt Patterson, joins me on the line

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Speaker 1: right now.

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Speaker 3: Hi Matt, good morning, Katy. Thanks for having me.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, good to have you on the show.

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Speaker 1: Firstly, Matt, just talk us through why did the council

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Speaker 1: go down this path of withdrawing its support.

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Speaker 3: So you know it is difficult on paper to understand why,

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Speaker 3: but we've been talking to the AFL for you know,

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Speaker 3: just about probably around eighteen months to talk about community football.

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Speaker 3: It's been copical discussion in Alice Springs for years and

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Speaker 3: years and years. It's not new to the AFL in team.

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Speaker 3: So what it is we're trying to empower the communities.

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Speaker 3: We're trying to pull this push pull factor that we

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Speaker 3: get in our springs in regards to the communities coming

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Speaker 3: in here. But if I break it down logistically for

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Speaker 3: you kde undermove, it's three hundred and thirty kilometers away

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Speaker 3: from Aller Springs. They drive past Mount Allen and they

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Speaker 3: all come to our springs to play against each other

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Speaker 3: and then they drive back on a Sunday afternoon. So

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Speaker 3: the Ola Springs Town Council for a range of reasons,

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Speaker 3: you know, councilors all have different views on it, but

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Speaker 3: they have withdrawn support of community football in our springs.

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Speaker 1: And so does it come down to as well though

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Speaker 1: at some of the social issues that are associated with

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Speaker 1: spectators and everybody traveling tous brings to be there for

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Speaker 1: the footy.

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Speaker 3: Yes, I think that that's one part of it, but

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Speaker 3: it's also about advocating for infrastructure and remote communities as well.

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Speaker 3: There's definitely a social aspects to it codinge, but it

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Speaker 3: is broader than that as well.

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Speaker 1: So it just talk me through where things are at

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Speaker 1: right now. Have there been further meetings with afl NT

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Speaker 1: and what's the situation as it stands.

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Speaker 3: There's been correspondents back and forth. My understanding is they

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Speaker 3: are organizing a summative thought to discuss with community leagues

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Speaker 3: around all the communities about how the league will work

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Speaker 3: from there. But you know, it's not up to the

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Speaker 3: other Springstown council to ensure the health of the football competition.

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Speaker 3: That is the role of afl NT now community. When

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Speaker 3: I say community, I'm talking about the community surrounding Ola Springs.

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Speaker 3: They want to run their own competition and afl got

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Speaker 3: in the way of that. Afln T they won't allow

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Speaker 3: them to do that. So when we talk about the

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Speaker 3: infrastructure gaps that AFL and TS put forward that we

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Speaker 3: can't play because of infrastructure gaps, that's a lot of garbage.

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Speaker 3: Because on community they play sports weekends four or five

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Speaker 3: times a year, so the infrastructure is good enough for

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Speaker 3: the players to play, it's just not good enough for

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Speaker 3: the afln T. So the easiest thing would be for

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Speaker 3: AFL and T to remove themselves from the conversation and

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Speaker 3: empower the communities to run the competition themselves.

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Speaker 1: I mean, is that a bit cheeky though, because the

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Speaker 1: reality of it is is if some of that infrastructure

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Speaker 1: isn't up to scratch, you actually can't play on it

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Speaker 1: because it means that you've got public liability concerns and

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Speaker 1: you know, all sorts of other worries.

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Speaker 3: But they do play on it, Kadie, and I'll certainly

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Speaker 3: advocate for more infrastructure remote communities. By the way, I'm

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Speaker 3: not saying that that's it, but what I'm saying is

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Speaker 3: the players do play on it, they do train on it.

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Speaker 3: But because it's AFL and T that they're saying that

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Speaker 3: it doesn't make their stand and so sure, yes, I

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Speaker 3: appreciate that they do need more infrastructure, But to paint

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Speaker 3: the picture for you and your listeners is those facilities

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Speaker 3: do get used for AFL throughout the year, just doesn't

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Speaker 3: fall under the AFL and T banner.

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Speaker 1: But so, I mean, I guess some people are going

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Speaker 1: to be listening right now and thinking to themselves that,

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Speaker 1: you know, is it all right like for those communities

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Speaker 1: to be playing on substant fields because the olla Springstown

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Speaker 1: Council doesn't want them in town.

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Speaker 3: Well, I think that's a I think that's the board

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Speaker 3: discussion for AFL and T and the lack of investment

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Speaker 3: in the remote community for the last fifteen years, Katie,

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Speaker 3: that's the discussion. Why haven't they invested in those facilities

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Speaker 3: that you call subpar in remote community?

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Speaker 1: Well, look, I've certainly not played a game of footy

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Speaker 1: on those on those community fields, so I don't know

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Speaker 1: exactly how well they have or haven't been looked after,

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Speaker 1: or what exactly they look like. But I guess what

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Speaker 1: I'm getting to is that does seem to be a

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Speaker 1: real stalemate here where the council seems to have sort

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Speaker 1: of changed its messaging from some degree, you know, from

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Speaker 1: it being about community safety and needing a bit of

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Speaker 1: a bit of respite as a result of some of

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Speaker 1: those social issues as to the reason why it's not

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Speaker 1: happening there to now sort of it being all about

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Speaker 1: the infrastructure in the communities.

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Speaker 3: Bok. I've said, you know, it is about the social

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Speaker 3: side as well as the infrastructure, and if we can

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Speaker 3: you know, take some pressure off what happens here every weekend,

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Speaker 3: then I think that it all helped, and the only

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Speaker 3: way we've got to know if it works is by

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Speaker 3: trialing it for the year, and that's what the other

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Speaker 3: Springstown councils have put in place.

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Speaker 2: And so sorry, you.

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Speaker 3: Go the community in the bush one community football that

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Speaker 3: he played on community. That's also the other piece that

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Speaker 3: we're all forgetting here.

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Speaker 1: So Matt, just from you know, from the other perspective,

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Speaker 1: I know that some people have raised concerns about this

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Speaker 1: being sort of, you know, almost a basis decision.

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Speaker 2: What do you say to that.

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Speaker 3: I'd say that that's the wrong argument, because we're not

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Speaker 3: saying that Aboriginal people can't play in Alice Springs. There

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Speaker 3: will be people that will play in the community comp,

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Speaker 3: that will travel to Ola Springs and play the town

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Speaker 3: comp and then they'll go back and play. So I

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Speaker 3: certainly think that that's, you know, it's the wrong argument

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Speaker 3: and it's not true.

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Speaker 2: So Matt, where to from here?

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Speaker 1: It doesn't sound as though the Alla Springstown Council is

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Speaker 1: prepared to move on it. It sounds as though you

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Speaker 1: guys have made your decision and that you do think

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Speaker 1: that that community footy should be being played in the community.

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Speaker 1: So are you guys going to be meeting with AFL

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Speaker 1: and T again or is that it sort of full

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Speaker 1: stop now?

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Speaker 3: But we'll meet with a volunteer if you know. They've asked,

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Speaker 3: we've said, of course we'll meet with you. We've we've

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Speaker 3: met with them over the last eighteen months, as I've said,

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Speaker 3: to talk about this, and we haven't anywhere. So you

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Speaker 3: know that my daughters always open fordaylnt to have the

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Speaker 3: discussion about where to from here that ultimately the community

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Speaker 3: community bush footage should be led by community, not the

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Speaker 3: other Springstown council.

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Speaker 1: Matt can I ask how are things going in Alice

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Speaker 1: Springs at the moment when it comes to those social

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Speaker 1: issues that have been such a massive concern. You and

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Speaker 1: I have spoken on so many occasions about the issues

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Speaker 1: around alcohol issues, children on the streets at night.

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Speaker 2: How are things going at the moment?

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Speaker 3: So there was a reprief for a little while. I mean,

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Speaker 3: the olcohol stuff on Mondays and Tuesdays is making somewhat

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Speaker 3: of a difference in olcohol world. But the kids, I mean,

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Speaker 3: we've always said carried that there's two issues. The kids

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Speaker 3: are still out in force. There was ever the damage

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Speaker 3: done last night in a handful of stolen cars, so

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Speaker 3: last night assessing the damage now to see what sort

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Speaker 3: of else was done. But yeah, there's probably five or

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Speaker 3: six cars stolen, I think motorbikes and just destructive behavior

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Speaker 3: again throughout the town and senseless driving. And again it's

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Speaker 3: another day we go. How has no one been seriously injured?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 1: Well, this, you know, this is the whole worry that

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Speaker 1: you guys have got in Alice at the moment. Some

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Speaker 1: of that behavior that has been seen and unfortunately, by

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Speaker 1: the sounds of it continues. We also spoke a little

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Speaker 1: bit earlier in the week about the fact that in

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Speaker 1: Saturday and the post isn't able to be delivered. Josh

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Speaker 1: Bergin had joined us on the show and spoke to

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Speaker 1: us about the fact that one of the posters have

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Speaker 1: been subjected to really poor behavior and that now Australia

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Speaker 1: Post has had to take a pretty unbelievable step and

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Speaker 1: no longer have that post able to work in that suburb.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, pretty crazy, isn't it. I mean, yeah, my mum

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Speaker 3: and dad lives out side of town. Now they can't

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Speaker 3: get their mail. I mean, it's just hard to fathom me.

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Speaker 3: It's haart of adom that this is happening in Australia.

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Speaker 3: And again, imagine for share a post that we draw

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Speaker 3: a service from a capital city. It would be national

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Speaker 3: news and there would be all sorts of crisis talks,

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Speaker 3: but no springs. It just becomes a sense of normality

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Speaker 3: that this is what we have to deal which you

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Speaker 3: can't even get to spit your mail, yeah, on a day.

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Speaker 3: So it's yeah, it's pretty scary and it's hard to believe.

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Speaker 3: And as I've said too many times, something needs to change.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it most certainly does. Well, Matt, I really appreciate

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Speaker 1: you having a chat to us this morning. I know

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Speaker 1: that this footy decision, you know, there's like it seems

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Speaker 1: as though there's people on two sides of the fence

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Speaker 1: with this one. Some people you know really seeing that

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Speaker 1: good on the alas Springstown Council for standing up and

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Speaker 1: saying that we, you know, we need to have a

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Speaker 1: bit of respite. We don't want to see additional social

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Speaker 1: issues as a result of people traveling in to watch

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Speaker 1: the footy and stuff. Others sort of saying oh, you know,

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Speaker 1: the footy provides a really good outlet for people to

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Speaker 1: make sure that they're engaged in the right kind of behavior.

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Speaker 2: But look, no matter.

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Speaker 1: Where you see it, I suppose it's it's a difficult

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Speaker 1: to decision. And let's be honest, Dollar Springs has been

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Speaker 1: at crisis point for quite some time, so that's when

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Speaker 1: you do need to make some of those difficult decisions.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely, it is a difficult and brave decision. And

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Speaker 3: you know, I commend are the elected members either way.

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Speaker 3: It's a difficult conversation, but I will say that I

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Speaker 3: strongly believe that the majority of the other Springs community

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Speaker 3: supports this decision. And I want to be clear. We're

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Speaker 3: not taking football away. We're not saying there is no

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Speaker 3: football when you talk about an outlet, just saying look

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Speaker 3: outside the box that look at different ways to do it,

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Speaker 3: and people driving into our springs and then driving out.

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Speaker 3: We want those that economic benefit to happen on community

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Speaker 3: rather than in Alice Springs. We're not talking about taking

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Speaker 3: football away. And I take great offense when AFL and

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Speaker 3: T say that the Allo Springstown Council is taking football

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Speaker 3: away from young men and women, which is not true.

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Speaker 3: The AFL and T canceled the under eight ens competition

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Speaker 3: in twenty twenty two, that's not our doing, that's AFLNT

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Speaker 3: is doing. So I think it's really important that you've

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Speaker 3: got to tell the whole story here as well. We're

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Speaker 3: not taking footy away. We appro sport, we're pro recreation,

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Speaker 3: but you know, we just want other ways for things

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Speaker 3: to be done in other ways.

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Speaker 1: Katie Well, Matt Patterson, the mayor of Allie Springs, I

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Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thanks very much for having

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Speaker 1: a chat with us, and no doubt we'll talk further

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Speaker 1: about this issue at some point down the track.

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Speaker 3: Good only, Thanks Katie, Thank you,