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Speaker 1: Now Biosecurity.

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Speaker 2: There is currently a Biosecurity Detected Dog program. They're recruiting

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Speaker 2: new biosecurity detected dog handlers. Applications are now open and

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Speaker 2: joining me on the line to tell us a little

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Speaker 2: bit more about this is the national lead Detected Dog

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Speaker 2: Training and Innovation at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Jeff Smith.

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Speaker 3: Well, good morning Katie, thanks for having me.

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Speaker 1: Lovely to have you on the show.

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Speaker 2: Jeff, tell us a little bit more about these job

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Speaker 2: opportunities for biosecurity detect a dog handlers.

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Speaker 3: Look, I think it's a really exciting opportunity. We're got

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Speaker 3: a national recruitment going at the moment and it's of

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Speaker 3: which Darwin is a part of that. So we're really

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Speaker 3: keen to hear from people that are interested in working

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Speaker 3: with animals and with dogs more specifically. In the past

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Speaker 3: we've in recent times at least we've only opened these

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Speaker 3: opportunities up to people that were already by security officers.

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Speaker 3: We now have a really good Bye Scurity Foundation training program.

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Speaker 3: Let us open it up to the broader public. So

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Speaker 3: it's a really exciting time for us.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it sounds like it's very exciting and potentially an

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Speaker 2: amazing opportunity for territorians out there listening today. Do you

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Speaker 2: need any sort of background with dogs or you know,

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Speaker 2: what are the requirements?

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Speaker 3: Look, we're lucky enough we've got a world class training

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Speaker 3: program for our detected dog handlers. But what we are

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Speaker 3: looking for is people that have got a real desire

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Speaker 3: and maybe some prior experience if they do, but just

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Speaker 3: a real desire and a willingness to be able to

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Speaker 3: work with dogs. And alongside that they need to also

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Speaker 3: bring some skills and capability around being curious confident in questioning,

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Speaker 3: which will help them to also be a bi security

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Speaker 3: officer because it is a complete role, not just working

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Speaker 3: with dogs.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, right, and so how does it work?

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Speaker 2: Then you've already got those dogs, but obviously you need

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Speaker 2: then to get the handlers and they've got to be

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Speaker 2: really specifically trained to be able to look after those dogs.

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Speaker 3: Correct. Yeah, So we run a it's about a twelve

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Speaker 3: week development program for our detected dog handlers, and four

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Speaker 3: weeks of that is actually an intensive on site program

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Speaker 3: down in Brisbane where we teach you how to handle

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Speaker 3: our dogs and not only to handle them to make

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Speaker 3: sure that they're effective and develop their training and also

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Speaker 3: look after their welfare. And then that's also supported by

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Speaker 3: a Bisecurity Foundation training which is more around the general

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Speaker 3: bi security officer's skill set.

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Speaker 1: Okay, and then what's it like on the job?

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Speaker 2: You know, I guess it sounds like a lot of

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Speaker 2: fun being a dog handler, but I would imagine that

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Speaker 2: it can be fairly challenging.

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Speaker 3: Look it is. I was lucky enough to start my

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Speaker 3: career with the department as a dog handler way back

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Speaker 3: in two thousand and two. And everyone says, oh, you

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Speaker 3: get to play with your dog all day, and that's

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Speaker 3: true to a point, but it is a very challenging role.

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Speaker 3: You're responsible for that dog's welfare and that dog's performance,

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Speaker 3: so you know, you really need to bring your a

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Speaker 3: game every day to make sure you're doing the best

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Speaker 3: thing by that dog to get the best detection outcome.

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Speaker 3: So it's not without its challenge, but that's a big

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Speaker 3: part of what makes it so rewarding.

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Speaker 2: And Jeff, what are some of those sort of daily

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Speaker 2: jobs that you know that the general punter would see

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Speaker 2: the biosecurity dogs and their handlers doing.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so the big thing and hopefully your listeners will

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Speaker 3: have heard about Inter in Darwin at the moment. She's

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Speaker 3: just been up there the last month or two. Detect

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Speaker 3: the dogs. Inter we've largely screening passengers international passengers on

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Speaker 3: arrival at the airport as they come in. In addition,

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Speaker 3: will also be screening passengers dish embarking cruise ships, that

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Speaker 3: type of thing. They're probably the public view roles. And

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Speaker 3: then there's the back end of it is where handlers

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Speaker 3: spent a fair bit of time doing maintenance, training, grooming

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Speaker 3: the dog, making sure it's doing health checks and those

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Speaker 3: types of things.

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Speaker 1: Awesome.

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Speaker 2: I'd love to meet one of the dogs one day

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Speaker 2: if they're ever around and want to come into the

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Speaker 2: studio for a visit. We always we always like meeting

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Speaker 2: the various working dogs around the territory. We've met the

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Speaker 2: police dogs and yet it's always good, you know, to

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Speaker 2: see them in.

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Speaker 1: Action as well.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, they're great, certainly great to watch and very I

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Speaker 3: guess impressive with the things that they can smell and

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Speaker 3: then tell us that they've found it.

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Speaker 2: Now I understand as well that Zinta was the one

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Speaker 2: that found the macas the McDonald's in somebody's in the

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Speaker 2: passenger's luggage when they're coming back from Balley.

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Speaker 3: Yes, that's correct, expensive hamburger.

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Speaker 2: What'sn't it? Just Zinta saved the day by the sounds

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Speaker 2: of things.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, look, and I know we have a little bit

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Speaker 3: of a giggle about that, but the reality is, with

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Speaker 3: threads of foot and mouth disease, African swine fever, etc.

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Speaker 3: That being compliant and thinking about what we bring back

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Speaker 3: into the country is more and more important every day,

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Speaker 3: and at the moment, with international travel coming back in

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Speaker 3: large numbers, it's important that not only do we share

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Speaker 3: with the public importance of complying with biosecurity requirements, but

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Speaker 3: also that we have the right people at the border

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Speaker 3: to meet people as they return. And that's a part

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Speaker 3: of what this recruitments about, is making sure we have

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Speaker 3: enough people on the front line.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely so, Jeff, across the nation. How many handlers are

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Speaker 2: you looking for? Do you have a specific number or

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Speaker 2: is it just sort.

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Speaker 3: Of waiting the total number in front of me? But

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Speaker 3: we do have panel positions nationally, so we're probably up

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Speaker 3: around that twenty to thirty mark, I would imagine, so, and.

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Speaker 1: If there is recruitment, yeah, it does sound that way.

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Speaker 2: If there is any territory in listening this morning, who's

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Speaker 2: thinking I would love to have a go at that.

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Speaker 2: What's the best way for them to find out some

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Speaker 2: further detail.

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Speaker 3: We'd love you to jump onto our website or our

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Speaker 3: social media pages to have a look at whether the

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Speaker 3: jobs are advertised. You'll find a bit more information there.

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Speaker 3: Have a read through the criteria and the requirements that

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Speaker 3: we expect that people will do. If you think you

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Speaker 3: fit the bill, pop your application in and we'd love

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Speaker 3: to talk to you well.

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Speaker 2: Jeff Smith, the National Lead Detective Dog Training and Innovation

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Speaker 2: at the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries and Forestry.

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Speaker 1: We really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for having

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Speaker 1: a chat with us.

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Speaker 3: Excellent, Thanks so much, Datie Cure