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Speaker 1: Unfortunately, we are once again talking about the situation in

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Speaker 1: Alice Springs after the events that have unfolded over the

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Speaker 1: course of the weekend. Now, i'd organize my next guest

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Speaker 1: to come on the show to talk about the survey

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Speaker 1: of industry sentiment for the March quarter when it comes

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Speaker 1: to tourism operators and how they're out looking well, how

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Speaker 1: they're viewing the outlook for the next twelve months. Now

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Speaker 1: joining us on the line is Daniel Rochford, who is

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Speaker 1: indeed the CEO of Tourism Central Australia.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Daniel, Good.

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Speaker 3: Morning Katie, and good morning to you.

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Speaker 1: Listen now Daniel, Unfortunately we're back in a situation where

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Speaker 1: a curfew is again being considered for Alice Springs after

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Speaker 1: the events that have unfolded over the weekend.

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Speaker 2: How are you guys feeling on the ground.

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Speaker 4: Well, we're back on the roller coaster again, aren't we, Katie,

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Speaker 4: In terms of the impact this has not only for

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Speaker 4: our community because of the.

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Speaker 3: Crime that's occurred, but also the consequential damage that it

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Speaker 3: will have for our industry. Again, we're seeing wall to

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Speaker 3: wall coverage nationally about our springs and being viewed in

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Speaker 3: a negative light. So you know, every time this happens,

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Speaker 3: damage to the tourism industry occurs, and you know, we

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Speaker 3: just you know, it just looks like a never ending

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Speaker 3: roundabout that just you can't get off.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, this is the thing.

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Speaker 1: It is like, it's you know, there's so many impacts

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Speaker 1: in so many different ways when when these different incidents occur,

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Speaker 1: and as you touched on there, Daniel.

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Speaker 2: You know you're then on this.

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Speaker 1: Rollercoaster that you really don't want to be on when

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Speaker 1: it comes to the way in which Central Australia is

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Speaker 1: being viewed by the wider public and people looking to

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Speaker 1: visit Central Australia. And really I would imagine that this

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Speaker 1: is part of that recent sentiment of well the survey

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Speaker 1: of industry sentiment which are storism opright, is to write

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Speaker 1: their outlook for their business over the next twelve months.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and look, you know this goes off the back

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Speaker 3: of many difficult gears for the tourism industry. And you know,

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Speaker 3: you and I have spoken many times about the fact

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Speaker 3: that you know, our industry has been put under a

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Speaker 3: men's pressure and you know, you feel for all the

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Speaker 3: owner operators who've got their hard earned money on the

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Speaker 3: line and yeah, look, you know, at the end of

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Speaker 3: the day things the outlook isn't looking very positive, and

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Speaker 3: you know that's one of the reasons the reasons recently

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Speaker 3: Tourism Central Australia wrote to the federal government seeking support

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Speaker 3: support to try and change that dynamic. And you know,

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Speaker 3: we need some serious funds to really change the focus

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Speaker 3: for our industry here and get things on a on

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Speaker 3: a platform that we can head towards something positive really

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Speaker 3: because at the moment, as you're saying, the sentiment from

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Speaker 3: our industry is very negative.

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Speaker 1: So we're too from here, Daniel in terms of you

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Speaker 1: know that letter that you'd written to the federal government

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Speaker 1: and you know, trying to really get things back on track.

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Speaker 1: I mean, the main issue to begin with is obviously

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Speaker 1: one that the police are going to have to deal

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Speaker 1: with in the government, and that is, you know, getting

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Speaker 1: the issue of crime under control. But then when it

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Speaker 1: comes to that rebuild and trying to rebuild that, you know,

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Speaker 1: the reputation that has been lost to some around Australia.

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Speaker 2: You know where to from here?

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Speaker 4: Well, I think yeah, you've compartmentalized that correctly, because stabilizing

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Speaker 4: the crime is critical and what we see is every school.

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Speaker 3: Holidays there's an influx in crime. So you know, we

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Speaker 3: dance this dance yet again, and every time we dan

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Speaker 3: to get more intense and more intense. And you know,

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Speaker 3: I've had many operators texting and talking to me in

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Speaker 3: the last few days. If it's bad, now what some

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Speaker 3: are going to look like? And so that just adds

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Speaker 3: that issue of negative sentiment. I go to your second part,

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Speaker 3: which is really about how do we turn the ship around.

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Speaker 3: You know what we've said to the federal government is

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Speaker 3: we need significant resources. This is above beyond the capability

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Speaker 3: I think of the Northern Surtory government. But you know

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Speaker 3: the reality is we need significant resources to support with

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Speaker 3: marketing efforts. We also need to pump prime our tourism industry.

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Speaker 3: We need to see major projects get off the ground.

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Speaker 3: And you know the reality is that's going to take

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Speaker 3: cash to do. And you know we're going to need

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Speaker 3: to do things like support our regional events. And as

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Speaker 3: you've heard in the last few weeks, we've we've lost

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Speaker 3: the handling on todd We've lost another event, the Old

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Speaker 3: Times Festival, which is two of our key mainstain of events.

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Speaker 3: So all this pressure is building up and at the

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Speaker 3: end of the day, you know, we've got to choose

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Speaker 3: either DORA or do B and Dora is you know

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Speaker 3: we get that support to really pump prime the sector

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Speaker 3: and the region or be and that will just see

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Speaker 3: a continuation of what's happening. Where As an industry, as

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Speaker 3: one of the key industries of the Northern Territory, we're

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Speaker 3: just withering on the vine.

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Speaker 1: Daniel, can I ask in terms of the Henley on

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Speaker 1: Todd and also the Old Time as Fate. I know

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Speaker 1: it had been sort of reported that they weren't directly

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Speaker 1: canceled as a result of crime, but I think i'd

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Speaker 1: read when it came to the Old Time as Fate

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Speaker 1: that they maybe didn't have as many volunteers as what

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Speaker 1: they had in previous years.

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Speaker 2: I mean, is it safe to.

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Speaker 1: Say that the issue of crime, though, is having an

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Speaker 1: impact in other ways? I you know, some people choosing

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Speaker 1: to move into state or to go to other locations

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Speaker 1: as well because they're sort of fed up with what

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Speaker 1: is going on, no doubt.

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Speaker 3: And then there's certainly been a major influx. I think

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Speaker 3: the real State industry have quoted that that we have

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Speaker 3: a record number of properties on the market at the moment.

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Speaker 3: You know, the issue of crime is all purveying in

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Speaker 3: our community and has been for a long time. And

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Speaker 3: you know, whenever these incidents as spiked like they have

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Speaker 3: over the weekend, it's just, you know, it's just adds

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Speaker 3: to that frustration, concern sadness that we all have for

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Speaker 3: our community. We're seeing a great community really under pressure

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Speaker 3: and that's you know, it's really critical that we need

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Speaker 3: to turn that ship around.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we absolutely do.

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Speaker 1: And Daniel, I'm sorry that this morning's conversation has sort

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Speaker 1: of once again turned to crime. You know, it wasn't

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Speaker 1: where we were planning ongoing, but you know, after the

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Speaker 1: weekend and after what's unfolded, you know, it's just so disappointing.

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Speaker 2: I don't know how people are feeling.

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Speaker 1: They're in Alice after a police officer, you know, being

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Speaker 1: dragged by a car on Fridays, what the Police Association

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Speaker 1: had said to us while apprehending a drunk driver. You know,

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Speaker 1: then for off duty offices being assaulted by a group

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Speaker 1: of up to twenty youths.

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Speaker 2: It's like it's it's just appalling stuff.

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Speaker 4: It is, and look goes off the back of many

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Speaker 4: years of challenges that our community faced, and I think that.

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Speaker 3: Despite all that, Okadie, one methice that I just want

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Speaker 3: to get across is if there are potential visitors listening

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Speaker 3: and tapping into this, please don't cancel. The worst thing

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Speaker 3: you can do is cancel the challenge that we had

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Speaker 3: after the last curfew. We lost tens of millions of

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Speaker 3: dollars of bookings that were canceled and that had immeasurable

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Speaker 3: damage to the tourism industry. You know, yes, we've got challenges,

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Speaker 3: but please please don't cancel.

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Speaker 1: So Daniel, for you guys this morning, where is the

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Speaker 1: tourism industry at Are you thinking, you know, you do

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Speaker 1: support a curfew or are you thinking to yourself, oh,

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Speaker 1: this could have a massive impact.

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Speaker 4: Yet again, like most times when this issue comes up,

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Speaker 4: is that the feedback I get from our industry is

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Speaker 4: both mixed.

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Speaker 3: You know, we all want to see crime checked in

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Speaker 3: check and you know the curfew did provide that circuit breaker.

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Speaker 3: But on the flip side, that national media exposure just

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Speaker 3: caused immeasurable damage to our industry. So we are caught

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Speaker 3: on this dance floor yet again where it is lose

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Speaker 3: lose if if for it for our industry.

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Speaker 1: Well, Daniel Rochford, I appreciate your time this morning. Next

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Speaker 1: time we talk, let's hope it's more positive.

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Speaker 3: Hey, I hope so Katie talking about the negative.

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Speaker 4: Have an amazing region, it's an amazing place and we're

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Speaker 4: just so you know, we just need to get on

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Speaker 4: top of it.

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Speaker 1: You are spot on, absolutely spot on, Daniel Rochford, good

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Speaker 1: to speak with you.

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Speaker 2: Thank you mate.

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Speaker 3: Thanks Katie, by now