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Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line from Tourism Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: It's the CEO, Daniel Rochford. Good morning to you, Daniel.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, good morning, Katie, Good morning to you.

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Speaker 3: Listen, Daniel.

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Speaker 1: Obviously a couple of flights arriving in Darwin today, international flights.

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Speaker 3: Is there any arriving in Central Australia.

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Speaker 2: No, Look, we don't have any international flights coming directly,

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Speaker 2: but we certainly will start to see international visitors starting

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Speaker 2: to roll through the region pretty shortly. We're very hopeful

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Speaker 2: for and look, this is great news after what has

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Speaker 2: been a very difficult two years as you know, for

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Speaker 2: our industry, and is a little bit of it's a

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Speaker 2: bit of a morale booster and a bit of light

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Speaker 2: at the end of the tunnel.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, I know it's been such a tough time for

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Speaker 1: you guys, Daniel. With those international borders opening. How soon

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Speaker 1: do you reckon you are going to see some international

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Speaker 1: travelers back in the Red Center.

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Speaker 2: Look, one thing I've seen from all of Tourism Australia

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Speaker 2: is advertising, is the showcasing of U LaRue and we're

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Speaker 2: just so blessed to have one of Australia's key tourism

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Speaker 2: icons in our destination and look, I'm sure, well it's

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Speaker 2: a matter of hours and before we start seeing visitors

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Speaker 2: roll through to our region, and look, that's going to

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Speaker 2: be good. And then hopefully we'll see them starting to

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Speaker 2: permeate throughout Central Australia and the wider Northern territory and

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Speaker 2: they'll be enjoying the experiences. And look, but you know, good,

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Speaker 2: this is going to be a marathon, not one hundred

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Speaker 2: meter sprint. You know, I was hearing the of the

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Speaker 2: Brisbane Airport saying they're not expecting international numbers to be

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Speaker 2: at pre COVID levels until twenty twenty four, so you know,

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Speaker 2: they're still a long road to go. But you know,

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Speaker 2: this is a great first step and we haven't had

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Speaker 2: much to celebrate in tourism for a long time and

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Speaker 2: we've got this decision. And then of course this morning

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Speaker 2: the Deputy Prime Minister's announced the or over six hundred

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Speaker 2: million dollars for the ceiling of the Outback Way, and

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Speaker 2: yesterday out into the alban Easy announced two hundred million

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Speaker 2: dollars including funding for the feeling of the Maruny loops.

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Speaker 2: So some pretty awesome news coming our way through the

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Speaker 2: last couple of days.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it is.

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Speaker 1: There is some good news and we all certainly know

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Speaker 1: that there's a federal election looming because all of a

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Speaker 1: sudden we've got the elected members all around the Northern territory.

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Speaker 1: The Prime Minister was there on Friday, and I know

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Speaker 1: that he was forced to really answer some questions about

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Speaker 1: the crime situation as well for Central Australians at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Did that provide locals and indeed the tourism industry with

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Speaker 1: any confidence.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, it's good that the PM met with our

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Speaker 2: mayor and for your listeners, we've got a dynamic young

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Speaker 2: man now in Matt Patterson, and he's put forward a

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Speaker 2: strategy of advocating for a regional deal to actually deal

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Speaker 2: with some of the causal issues rather than the symptomatic ones.

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Speaker 2: I'm one hundred percent and the tourism industry is one

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Speaker 2: hundred percent behind that. It's great that Chief Minister gon

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Speaker 2: has said publicly came out and supported that regional deal

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Speaker 2: last Monday. We need to get behind our locals here.

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Speaker 2: This needs to be a bottom up approach rather than

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Speaker 2: a top down approach. And I'm one hundred percent behind

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Speaker 2: Matt Patterson's strategy here and hopefully it's GOMO and hopefully

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Speaker 2: all our leaders are listening and they put their hands

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Speaker 2: in their pocket and support our community.

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Speaker 3: Well, I think they have to.

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Speaker 1: You know, I was going through the latest crime stats

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Speaker 1: for Central Australia just a short time ago, just before

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Speaker 1: ten o'clock, and those commercial break ins for that last

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Speaker 1: quarter were up eighty percent.

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Speaker 3: Daniel.

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Speaker 1: I know you're obviously tourism, you're not with the Chamber

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Speaker 1: of Commerce, but you know there's no doubt that it's

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Speaker 1: had a real impact for so many different businesses.

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Speaker 2: Oh absolutely too, is in Central Australia where we are

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Speaker 2: the largest business association in Central Australia and with over

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Speaker 2: just under four hundred members, and you know our members

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Speaker 2: have are impacted on this every day. And I've just

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Speaker 2: noticed that the tensity of the crime. We're starting to

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Speaker 2: get some serious assaults and you know, these are things

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Speaker 2: that we have to take the bill by the horn

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Speaker 2: on and it's not just about throwing police resourcing. We

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Speaker 2: have to deal with the cause, not the symptoms. So

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Speaker 2: you know, we have to get all of this because

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Speaker 2: if we don't, we can throw millions of marketing money,

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Speaker 2: but people just won't come here because they're too scared.

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

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Speaker 1: One of the other issues that you have had as well,

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Speaker 1: that a lot of people probably aren't actually aware of,

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Speaker 1: is that there's been quite a bit of flood damage,

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Speaker 1: as I understand, and in the West McDonald National Park

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Speaker 1: what exactly has happened there.

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Speaker 2: Look, you know just recently we had that flooding events

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Speaker 2: a few weeks ago and there has been mass damage

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Speaker 2: throughout the National Park area. And we're really deeply concerned

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Speaker 2: about this Arkadie in as much that for the first

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Speaker 2: time in two years, in early April, we're going to

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Speaker 2: start to see tourists come flood back to Central Australia

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Speaker 2: and if we don't put some haste to the work

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Speaker 2: that needs to be done here, all of those is

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Speaker 2: that are going to seize closed signs. I'm hearing reports

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Speaker 2: of the Larapinta Trail being very badly damaged. I'm hearing roads,

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Speaker 2: you know, it's basically for wheel drive access into some

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Speaker 2: of our icons like Ormiston Gorge. The Ellery Creek Road,

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Speaker 2: which was actually getting sealed at the time, has just

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Speaker 2: been completely destroyed, and likewise with the Owen Springs Road,

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Speaker 2: so and also paths and work. That's paths that are

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Speaker 2: being completely washed away. What we need from our government

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Speaker 2: at the moment is absolute haste here to try and

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Speaker 2: get some of this work through. You know. I know

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Speaker 2: organizations like Stanley Chasm, who are not for profit organization,

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Speaker 2: they had a working bee yesterday and they started to

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Speaker 2: get things done. But I'm just a bit worried that

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Speaker 2: if we don't put haste to this, are going to

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Speaker 2: see close signs or all our major tourism my coons,

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Speaker 2: which is what I define is the worst case scenario

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Speaker 2: for tourism in Central Australia after two years of not

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Speaker 2: having tourists and finally welcoming them and all they can

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Speaker 2: see is close signs.

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Speaker 3: Oh absolutely.

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Speaker 1: Can you imagine you travel from overseas, you get all

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Speaker 1: the way to Central Australia, you think you're going to

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Speaker 1: see all these amazing things and then you're seeing closed signs.

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Speaker 1: It would be terrible, terrible situation for those international tourists

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Speaker 1: or inter state and local tourists.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and then terrible for our economy and terrible for

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Speaker 2: our reputation. So you know, we're finly calling upon the

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Speaker 2: government to really put some energy behind this to move

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Speaker 2: heaven and literally earth to try and get the sticks

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Speaker 2: before early April. We've got Pajma, which is the town

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Speaker 2: so completely sold out for early April, and you know,

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Speaker 2: we really need to get some of this done before then.

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Speaker 1: So really the government, you need them to step in

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Speaker 1: here and to make sure that this damage is rectified

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Speaker 1: as soon as possible.

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Speaker 2: Very much, Okatie. And look, you know we do appreciate

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Speaker 2: that this is you know, natural disaster a situation.

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Speaker 1: But.

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Speaker 2: We need our government to support us on this one

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Speaker 2: because otherwise it's going to be really detrimental to our sector.

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Speaker 1: And Daniel, can I just confirm obviously with the West

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Speaker 1: Max it does fall under the Northern Territory Government's management,

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Speaker 1: does not.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a jointly managed park between the traditional owners

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Speaker 2: and the Northern Territory Government and as part of Parks

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Speaker 2: and Wildlife. Fortunately, what's really good to hear is Wataka

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Speaker 2: and the East Max haven't been as badly damaged, but

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Speaker 2: in particular the West Max. You know, I've some of

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Speaker 2: the pictures I've seen are really catastrophic and we need

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Speaker 2: to put we need to move heaven and Earth on

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Speaker 2: this to get our national parks open for what will

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Speaker 2: be hopefully are very busy tourism season.

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Speaker 1: All right, we might get in contact with the Minister

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Speaker 1: for Park's office to see what work is going to

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Speaker 1: get underway and just how quickly that work's going to

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Speaker 1: get underway. Thank you very much for making us aware

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Speaker 1: of that, Daniel Rochford, always good to speak to you.

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Speaker 3: Thanks so much for your time this morning, appreciate it.

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Speaker 2: Thanks