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Speaker 1: We do know as well that obviously the Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: government and the Chief Minister has demanded for the repayment

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Speaker 1: of the twelve million dollars that's gone to the Darwin

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Speaker 1: Turf Club grant. Stand so it is obviously for that

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Speaker 1: grant which had been provided by the Territory Labor government.

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Speaker 1: But we now know that the Darwin Turf clubs say

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Speaker 1: that that will cripple the racing industry.

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Speaker 2: Now joining me on the line.

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Speaker 1: To talk more about this is Brad Morgan, who is

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Speaker 1: indeed the CEO of the Darwin Turf Club.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Brad, Katy. How are you very well? Brad?

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Speaker 3: I know.

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Speaker 2: I will ask you about it towards the end.

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Speaker 1: I know that you are due to finish up with

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Speaker 1: the with the turf club.

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Speaker 2: But talk us through you know this situation.

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Speaker 1: In terms of the government demanding this repayment of the

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Speaker 1: twelve million dollars, what kind of impact it's going to

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Speaker 1: have on racing in Darwin.

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Speaker 3: Yeah? Thanks, Hey, Look, it's been speaks freme disappointing that

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Speaker 3: he the request for this telve dollars to fee to

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Speaker 3: be repaid to the government, but it's clear to everyone

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Speaker 3: that appears to be clear everyone except the Chief Innistry

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Speaker 3: maybe that Darmat Turf Club is not in a financial

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Speaker 3: position to we pay back that twelve million dollars. So

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Speaker 3: if the Darwin Turf Club were forced to pay that

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Speaker 3: through whatever means an order territory government posed, it won't

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Speaker 3: just be the Darwin Turf Club that suppers, will be

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Speaker 3: the entire racing industry that stuffers, a bit of the jockeys,

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Speaker 3: the strappers, the trainers, everybody will suffer because Darwin Turf

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Speaker 3: Club just does not have that the financial resources to

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Speaker 3: pay back twelve million dollars debt. Okay, the grand stand

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Speaker 3: was only built in June twenty twenty. Now, if the

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Speaker 3: Darwa Turf Club had twelve million dollars or I had

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Speaker 3: the capacity to finance twelve million dollars, they would have

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Speaker 3: financed themselves at the time rather than buying for a

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Speaker 3: grant to build that particular grand stand, which I must

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Speaker 3: say has provided everything that they said it would in

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Speaker 3: the way of assisting the new and territory economy. So

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Speaker 3: we would have a answer question. Directly, we have a

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Speaker 3: devastating effect on racing in the Norman Territory.

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Speaker 1: And brad look I know that there'll be some people

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Speaker 1: listening this morning who will obviously refer to the IKAK

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Speaker 1: report and will be thinking to themselves that twelve million

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Speaker 1: dollars should never have been handed over to the Darwin

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Speaker 1: Turf Club. But the fact of the matter here is

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Speaker 1: that it was, and you know you obviously received that grant.

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Speaker 1: The turf Club has from what I can gather, fulfilled

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Speaker 1: their end of the bargain in terms of building the

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Speaker 1: grand stand.

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Speaker 2: Like they said they would build.

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Speaker 1: So there's plenty of people questioning now how the government

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Speaker 1: can actually ask for this money back.

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Speaker 3: Well, we were asking the same thing as I said.

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Speaker 3: It's been extreme disappointing to hear through the media out

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Speaker 3: that the government going down that road in effect the

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Speaker 3: nowhere any IKK report does it ask for that for

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Speaker 3: that money to be to be repaid. Must also be

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Speaker 3: pointed out that the Dallan Turf Club, since the k

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Speaker 3: report landed, has completed all the recommendations of that k report.

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Speaker 3: The previous board is no longer there, new boards being

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Speaker 3: elected via a special general meeting. All of that board

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Speaker 3: have undertaken some training in governance and delegations and constitutional

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Speaker 3: issues and conflicts of interest obligations. There's been an order

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Speaker 3: done on the governance of darwin'sur Club with some very

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Speaker 3: minor findings. He must be said, a load of moderate

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Speaker 3: risks of work. A lot of those run away in

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Speaker 3: the first place. So, as I keep reiterating, I'm just

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Speaker 3: not too sure why the sorry the Northern Tertiary of

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Speaker 3: Government keeps making noises about paying twelve million dollars back

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Speaker 3: when And the other thing it must be said is

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Speaker 3: that there's been known as use of funds. The twelve

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Speaker 3: million dollars that was given to the Doe and Turf

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Speaker 3: Club to build a grand stand is exactly what happened.

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Speaker 3: The grand stand was built.

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Speaker 1: I know when I asked the Chief Minister about this

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Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago, he had said that you

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Speaker 1: know that there hadn't been honesty and that the IKAK

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Speaker 1: report had found that you know, the appropriate information hadn't

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Speaker 1: been given, or that there was you know that there

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Speaker 1: was information which had been left out. I mean, taking

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Speaker 1: into account the IKAQ findings. What would you say to

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Speaker 1: anybody listening this morning who's thinking to themselves, well, no,

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Speaker 1: I think it's fair enough that the Turf Club has

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Speaker 1: to pay this money back.

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Speaker 3: Well, look, it can easily make that statement. It's an

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Speaker 3: easy statement to say, I don't know where the twelve

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Speaker 3: mind dollars going to come from. Katie the Silks. While

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Speaker 3: it's been the success Silks Licensed club, we have a

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Speaker 3: financial obligation to it. To her financier, no give end

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Speaker 3: will be paid until those lanes have extinguished, which is

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Speaker 3: for another five years. So look, I can understand the

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Speaker 3: public sentiment in saying that. So again I must say

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Speaker 3: that that all the funds we use for the completion

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Speaker 3: of that grand stand, it's completed. All of its obligations

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Speaker 3: that are said, there's been a fantastic boost for the

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Speaker 3: Northern Territory economy. Racing provides about one hundred and thirty

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Speaker 3: million dollars to the Northern Territory economy over twelve month period.

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Speaker 3: That could be put a jeopardy if the twelve million

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Speaker 3: dollars has to be repaid.

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Speaker 2: Brab what will happen?

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Speaker 1: I mean if they dig their heels in here and

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Speaker 1: say that twelve million dollars has to be repaid, We're

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Speaker 1: going to reduce your funding annually until it is repaid.

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Speaker 1: What's that going to mean for racing?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, we'll have to cross that bridge when we come

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Speaker 3: to Obviously, I'm just not too sure that the border

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Speaker 3: clearly very concerned about this, about this threat that seeing

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Speaker 3: the Darlan Turf Club said, as I keep reiterating, it's

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Speaker 3: not just Darlan Turf Club, it's the entire Lan Territory rating.

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Speaker 3: So we will we would need at in some sort

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Speaker 3: of negotiations with the government if they pursue this. We

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Speaker 3: needed in some sort of negotiations how this could be

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Speaker 3: done at the level between the two parties.

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Speaker 2: Brad has an Audent Territory government.

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Speaker 1: Have they approached you about having that kind of discussion

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Speaker 1: at this point?

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Speaker 3: No, they have not. We haven't had any conversations Darlent

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Speaker 3: Turf Club have not had any conversations with an all

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Speaker 3: the territory government or received any correspondence to this point.

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Speaker 1: Oh look, it's sortainly, it certainly sounds like it's a

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Speaker 1: it's a you know, it's an interesting situation to.

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Speaker 2: Say the least.

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Speaker 1: Brad, I know that you have or I understand that

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Speaker 1: you've actually resigned from your role.

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Speaker 2: When do you finish up?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, we've got we've got some things to take care

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Speaker 3: of over the next few months. Katie. So I'll be here.

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Speaker 3: We've got a ten general meeting on May twenty three,

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Speaker 3: so I'll be here at least until then. We'll get

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Speaker 3: past the general meeting and that'll just about to be

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Speaker 3: the end of my tenure day on Turf Club and.

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Speaker 1: Brad has has all of this had an impact or

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Speaker 1: had a part to play and you're deciding to end

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Speaker 1: your tenure with the Darwin Turf Club.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, look, I'd be lying, Katie. I said it didn't

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Speaker 3: the last two years. I started in January twenty and

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Speaker 3: it's just been a very turbulent period for Darwin Turf

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Speaker 3: Club over over that time with the IKA investigation, some

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Speaker 3: other big issues that are at the day and Turf Club,

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Speaker 3: and then you throw COVID on top of that and

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Speaker 3: a couple of personal matters. Yeah, I'll be lying to

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Speaker 3: say that hasn't added to that do that mental burden?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so it's still a little while ago, though, Brad.

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Speaker 2: It sounds like you're there for a bit longer yet.

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Speaker 3: A few months ago.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Well, we appreciate your time this morning, Thank you very

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Speaker 1: much having a chat with us, and you know, we'll

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Speaker 1: stay on to this issue and find out what the

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Speaker 1: government's take on it is and exactly what steps they're

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Speaker 1: going to be taking next. But we appreciate your time

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Speaker 1: this morning, brad Ok.

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Speaker 2: Thank you,