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Speaker 1: Welcoming for our first interview with her this year. The

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Speaker 1: independent member for Aara lun she's also the Speaker of

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. Robin Lamley, good morning to you, Robert.

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Speaker 2: You for having me.

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Speaker 1: It is wonderful to have you in the studio and

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Speaker 1: we're hoping to catch up with you more often because

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Speaker 1: our listeners love having you on the show, so it'll

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Speaker 1: be great to.

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Speaker 3: Have you on now.

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Speaker 1: Look, there's plenty to discuss, but we know that there's

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Speaker 1: quite a bit sort of happening in the news over

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Speaker 1: the last twenty four hours. I think it's safe to

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Speaker 1: say when it comes to Alice Springs. Now there's been

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Speaker 1: a petition launched by somebody with over a thousand signa

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Speaker 1: trees calling on the Allice Springs mayor to stand down

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Speaker 1: as to Hill after she didn't partake in the Australia

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Speaker 1: Day ceremony. What's the word on the street in Alice Springs.

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Speaker 4: Well, this has been an incredible story, Katie and I

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Speaker 4: think it should be of great interest to people in

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Speaker 4: the top end. Asta Hill was voted in last August

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Speaker 4: as the Greens mayor of Alice Springs. Alice Springs has

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Speaker 4: traditionally been one of the, if not the most conservative

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Speaker 4: towns in the Northern Territory consistently forever, and so lo

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Speaker 4: and behold, we suddenly have a Greens mayor. She's a

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Speaker 4: very bright, very attractive, very vivacious, lovely person, but with

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Speaker 4: very Greens quite radical views, and so she decided recently

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Speaker 4: that she would not be attending the Australia Day citizenship ceremony,

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Speaker 4: which of course was held on Monday, Australia Day, which

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Speaker 4: happens to be my birthday. So I don't play many

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Speaker 4: objectivity whatsoever when it comes to this subject.

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Speaker 2: But it was a great event.

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Speaker 4: It was wonderfully attended, the most people I've ever seen

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Speaker 4: at an Australia Day ceremony, despite the fact that the

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Speaker 4: mayor wasn't there. But it's caused all sorts of divisions

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Speaker 4: in our community, major divisions, not all sorts, a division

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Speaker 4: like I probably haven't seen for many, many years, if ever,

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Speaker 4: so complements of the Greens mayor, we now have a

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Speaker 4: community split in half. And there was a very adverse

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Speaker 4: and strong reaction to the mayor's decision not to attend,

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Speaker 4: and of course his petition has come about. I haven't

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Speaker 4: been involved in any of that, but I was quick

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Speaker 4: to say that I felt that her decision was disgraceful

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Speaker 4: because she has a civic responsibility to attend all citizenship ceremonies,

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Speaker 4: whether they're held on Australia Day or Harmony Dale or whenever. So, yes,

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Speaker 4: it's been very sad for our community, all caused by

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Speaker 4: the mayor and Robin.

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Speaker 1: Look what's been the reaction from other members of council

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Speaker 1: as well in Alice Springs or has there been much

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Speaker 1: discussion in that sense.

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Speaker 4: Well, I'm not privy to a lot that goes on

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Speaker 4: or much that goes on in council. But they had

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Speaker 4: their first council meeting of the year yesterday last night,

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Speaker 4: the day after Australia Day, and there was all sorts

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Speaker 4: of threats leading up to that that there would be

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Speaker 4: a protest against the mayor. But what happened, Katie, I've

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Speaker 4: been told this morning is that the whole meeting was

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Speaker 4: taken over by the Greens. What the place was full,

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Speaker 4: The chamber was full of Greens. They got there early,

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Speaker 4: they took all the seats. There was about seventy Green's

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Speaker 4: representatives supporting the mayor and about ten people there to

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Speaker 4: protest against the mayor. So what I can only conclude

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Speaker 4: is that the Greens have taken over the Alice Springstown

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Speaker 4: Council and I think it's to their detriment. I think

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Speaker 4: they're not looking at the long term picture. I think

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Speaker 4: that they might win this argument and ultimately they will

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Speaker 4: change when we have our Australia Day citizenship ceremony, which

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Speaker 4: was always on the cards, not that it was made

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Speaker 4: clear in the lead up to the election. I might

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Speaker 4: add that this was absolutely her intention as the mayor

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Speaker 4: of Alice Springs to change all that. But yes, we're

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Speaker 4: looking at a Green's controlled and dominated council until the

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Speaker 4: next election twenty twenty nine.

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Speaker 1: How are people feeling about that in Alice Springs very upset.

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Speaker 4: I mean, of course Aboriginal people want that date changed.

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Speaker 4: We realize that across the country. But I think the

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Speaker 4: two can sit side by side as they have for

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Speaker 4: many many years. You can have both an Australia Day

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Speaker 4: for most people that they can enjoy. And all the

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Speaker 4: recent polling around the country suggests that people are just

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Speaker 4: over this and they just want to have fun and

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Speaker 4: feel great about Australia Day. But the town's in trouble,

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Speaker 4: and I am very concerned about the behavior of the

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Speaker 4: Greens in our town. They might have won the position

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Speaker 4: of mayor, and they ended up getting another member of

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Speaker 4: the Greens into council off the coat tails of Asta's

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Speaker 4: incredible vote. But I also think that her political career

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Speaker 4: is over beyond her term as mayor because of how

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Speaker 4: she's divided our town.

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Speaker 2: Very serious.

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Speaker 3: I was going to say, you actually sound quite concerned.

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Speaker 2: I've never seen the likes of it.

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Speaker 4: It is really incredible, So you know, it's a message

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Speaker 4: that everyone should be taking note of. The Greens are

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Speaker 4: a radical political part. They represent very narrow views which

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Speaker 4: aren't shared by most people. So once they get their

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Speaker 4: toe in, once they get a hook in, this is

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Speaker 4: what they can do, and they are damaging the fabric

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Speaker 4: of our society in Alice Springs. They might be advocating

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Speaker 4: with great good intentions for Aboriginal people, but it's not

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Speaker 4: in the wider community's best interest what they're doing.

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Speaker 1: Well, Robin, do keep us up to date before it

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Speaker 1: goes on. I'll be interested to hear how things progress. Hey,

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Speaker 1: interesting news that came through yesterday the Yipper and your

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Speaker 1: shopping center has announced that it's going to be ending

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Speaker 1: its partnership with Woolworts after forty years. It's part of

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Speaker 1: a redevelopment. It's going to look for a new supermarket tenant,

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Speaker 1: is what they're saying.

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Speaker 3: But is this quite the surprise to locals.

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Speaker 4: Well, there's been rumors of this for the last six months.

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Speaker 4: I would say I heard about this maybe round September

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Speaker 4: October last year. So yes, they've had wool Worst as

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Speaker 4: their anger tenant for forty years.

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Speaker 2: More than that, I.

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Speaker 3: Lived in Alice Springs that was the anchor tenants.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't remember Wilworth being anywhere else. Of course

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Speaker 4: they were prior to that. But yes, Wallwors are moving

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Speaker 4: into the Alice places. So somehow, for some reason, negotiations

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Speaker 4: broke down with your Parina shopping center and Warwors are

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Speaker 4: moving to the Alice plass.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so they're not leaving town, they're moving to the

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Speaker 1: other shopping center. So my concern, I guess, was that

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Speaker 1: they'd maybe decided to pull the pin beagues of the prime.

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Speaker 3: And antisocial behavior issues or something.

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Speaker 2: They would be making an absolute motza.

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Speaker 1: Out of it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I reckon they were bad of.

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Speaker 4: Trading out of Alice Springs. I'd say it would have

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Speaker 4: to be one of the most successful war worst in Australia.

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Speaker 4: I know the bottle shops are in BWS and liquorland

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Speaker 4: are they do the most lucrative in the country Springs,

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Speaker 4: so pulling out of Alice Springs would never happen for walks.

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Speaker 3: Remind me, is there a coals in Alice Springs as well?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: There is, yes, or at least you've got the two

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Speaker 3: major supermar and.

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Speaker 2: They will remain. But this is big news.

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Speaker 4: I mean, yeparena will be empty now half of ye

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Speaker 4: paren your shopping center will be vacant unless they can

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Speaker 4: find another anchor tenant.

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Speaker 3: That's it's always easier said than done.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely.

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Speaker 1: You know that we've been talking about Aldi here in

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Speaker 1: the top end for goodness knows how long.

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Speaker 3: And we still don't have them.

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Speaker 2: So they will never come.

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Speaker 3: They're not going to go to Alice Springs.

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Speaker 4: There's no economies of scale in Alice Springs and there's

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Speaker 4: no economy of scales for them up here. You know,

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Speaker 4: it just doesn't meet their business equation.

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Speaker 3: That's exactly right, hey, Robin.

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Speaker 1: In terms of crime and you know, how have things

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Speaker 1: gone over that summer period, which is traditionally a pretty

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Speaker 1: horrendous time for you guys in Alice.

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Speaker 4: Things have slightly improved. There is no doubt things.

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Speaker 2: Right across the board.

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Speaker 4: I'm hearing that people feel that there's less crime. Having

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Speaker 4: said that, we still have the highest rates of crime

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Speaker 4: in the country pretty much and probably always will. But

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Speaker 4: things have improved, which is great.

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Speaker 3: That is good news.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's good to see that there's a bit

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Speaker 1: of an improvement, but still a long way to.

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Speaker 4: Go on way to go, but gosh, any reduction in

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Speaker 4: crime is totally welcomed by everyone, obviously. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Now, Robin, we've been talking quite a bit about the

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Speaker 1: situation with the administrator's appointments, the appointment of David Connolly

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Speaker 1: to the administrator's role. I know that there are people

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Speaker 1: that are quite concerned with his social media footprint and

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Speaker 1: some of the commentary that he previously had on social media.

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Speaker 1: Some indigenous leaders really calling for this appointment not to

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Speaker 1: go ahead. Yesterday we had Will Evans from Well, the

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Speaker 1: former head of the Cattleman's Association, come forward and say

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Speaker 1: he's a really good operator.

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Speaker 3: You know, he deserves a chance. What's your take on.

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Speaker 4: All of this, well, I have to be careful, Katie,

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Speaker 4: because I am the Speaker. Yes, but I'm also aware

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Speaker 4: that we have rules as members of Parliament, and one

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Speaker 4: of them is that we must respect the head of

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Speaker 4: the state and whether that be the administrator the governor General.

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Speaker 4: So we as members of Parliament have to be careful

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Speaker 4: in this. He has been anointed, he hasn't been sworn

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Speaker 4: in yet, so he's not the administrator. But I just

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Speaker 4: want to remind my fellow members that we might have

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Speaker 4: opinions about this, but we cannot be disrespectful to this

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Speaker 4: man as he moves into the position. But what I

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Speaker 4: will say is that mud does stick. We know that, Katie.

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Speaker 4: We've been around politics forever and when you start a

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Speaker 4: career with this amount of mud sticking to you, you

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Speaker 4: could be in a whole world of trouble and pain.

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Speaker 4: So I think that if he chooses to proceed to

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Speaker 4: become the administrator, he needs to be fully aware that

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Speaker 4: he's in for a hell of a riot. I think

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Speaker 4: basing that on what we've witnessed from other colleagues. I

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Speaker 4: mean Brent Pottersy of his most recent example of what

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Speaker 4: he put up on his Facebook page, years ago before

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Speaker 4: he became a member. That sunk him. So, David Connolly,

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Speaker 4: I wish you all the bead respectfully, but I also

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Speaker 4: feel that you could be in a lot of pain.

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Speaker 1: Now, Robin, before I let you go with your hash

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Speaker 1: on as the Speaker of the Norman Territories Legislative Assembly.

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Speaker 2: Parliament sits next week next Tuesday.

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Speaker 4: We've got the start of parliament, the ceremonial start of parliament,

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Speaker 4: which is always quite nice with.

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Speaker 1: The if I love parliament more than everybody else, but

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Speaker 1: it keeps me on my toes in here in the

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Speaker 1: studio for Kathleen the night kiss, busy.

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Speaker 4: Every day moment. Three days of parliament just one week.

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Speaker 4: So yeah, we'll be getting back into it. And the

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Speaker 4: world has changed since we last met the Bondo massacre.

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Speaker 4: There's been a lot that's gone on, so it will

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Speaker 4: and people have passed away, you know, my community, Lorraine

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Speaker 4: Brahm and Ted Egan and you know, so there's a

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Speaker 4: lot to look forward to in their territory and kicking

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Speaker 4: off parliament is a great way to just launch back

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Speaker 4: into it and will be you know, see that football

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Speaker 4: flying across the chamber and.

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Speaker 3: Watch them get into it.

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Speaker 1: Moderated all there, you know, on my throne. I'm really

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Speaker 1: enjoying my role, so good stuff. Well, Robin, we'll try

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Speaker 1: and catch up with you next week. Thank you so

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Speaker 1: much for your time, really appreciate it. That's Robin Lamley,

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Speaker 1: the Speaker of the Northern Territories Legislative Assembly, also the

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Speaker 1: Independent Member for Ara Luin