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Speaker 1: One of the other areas that people have indeed got

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Speaker 1: concerns right now is with the investment into Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: Now we know that the Prime Minister Anthony Alberanezi did

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Speaker 1: announce earlier this year that two hundred and fifty million

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Speaker 1: dollars is going to be invested into Central Australia and

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Speaker 1: that is in an effort to really try to make

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Speaker 1: the community safer, tackle alcohol related crime and harm, and

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Speaker 1: also provide more opportunities for young people. So, working closely

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Speaker 1: with the Office of the Central Australian Regional Controller, Central

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Speaker 1: Australian Communities as well the Australian Government say that they

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Speaker 1: are going to be delivering on those next stage of

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Speaker 1: investments that will strengthen local communities across Central Australia, including

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Speaker 1: Alice Springs. Now joining me on the line to talk

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Speaker 1: more about how this money has been divvied up and

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Speaker 1: whether it's the right way is the mayor of Alice Springs,

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Speaker 1: Matt Patterson. Good morning to you, Matt.

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Speaker 2: Good morning carry I'll do my best to try to

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Speaker 2: explain it. Hopefully It's been cold to me, but I'll

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Speaker 2: try my harder.

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Speaker 1: Let's give it a go.

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Speaker 2: Matte.

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Speaker 1: We know that there is a significant amount of money here.

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Speaker 1: They're talking two hundred and fifty million dollars. I've added

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Speaker 1: it all up and can see that we're ninety four

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Speaker 1: million dollars short. I'm told that that's going into a

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Speaker 1: contingency fund. But what do you make of the way

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Speaker 1: that this money has been divvied up at this point.

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Speaker 2: Look, I think it's obviously a very good start and

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Speaker 2: I welcome the investment. It's not often the Federal treasure

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Speaker 2: will talk about cedral Australia and his budget speech, so

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Speaker 2: I think that the ball is certainly moving and it's

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Speaker 2: a welcome investment from our end. There are some really good,

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Speaker 2: really good pieces of the pie that will be hopefully

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Speaker 2: spending the right area for Center Australia make some change.

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Speaker 2: I look at the Community and Regional Infrastructure Fund for

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Speaker 2: Central Australia, so fifty million dollars on in community infrastructure.

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Speaker 2: One of the things that we constantly told is that

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Speaker 2: there's not enough infrastructure for teenagers and young people in

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Speaker 2: Alice Springs. So hopefully that's something that we can certainly

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Speaker 2: tap into straight away. Now.

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Speaker 1: Obviously plenty of different different initiatives and money going into

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Speaker 1: different areas. Forty million for on country learning to improve

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Speaker 1: school engagement, twenty three million for improving First Nations health outcomes,

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Speaker 1: nine million for strengthening community safety, three point nine for

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Speaker 1: a youth Services action plan, ten million to enhance digital connectivity.

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Speaker 1: But Matt, ninety four million dollars in a contingency fund.

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Speaker 1: Have you been told how exactly that's going to be spent?

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Speaker 2: No, not as yet, But as I said, we just

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Speaker 2: did with the information in front of me and try

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Speaker 2: to spend what we can in the right areas. I

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Speaker 2: think you know, through the past we've thrown money at

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Speaker 2: it and expected to fix it really quickly and not

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Speaker 2: done it. So I appreciate that whilst there's ninety four

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Speaker 2: million dollars still in the buck are there's still consultations

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Speaker 2: going on with communities surrounding our springs around what that

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Speaker 2: investment looks like. So I certainly don't have a problem

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Speaker 2: with that ninety four million sitting there whilst the consultations

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Speaker 2: being completed.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, And from what the Northern Territory Treasurer Evil Laula

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Speaker 1: had said to us on the show a bit earlier

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Speaker 1: this morning, she had said exactly that that it's a

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Speaker 1: contingency where there is going to be further consultation. You know,

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Speaker 1: there'd been discussion about a boarding facility and things like that,

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Speaker 1: So that further consultation and that funding will look at

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Speaker 1: what's you know, they'll be able to look at exactly

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Speaker 1: what they're going to invest it on.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I mean one of the things that I've

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Speaker 2: been advocating for for a long time is having a

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Speaker 2: safe place for kids to go, and that's really the

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Speaker 2: piece that you know, I'm hoping we'll get picked up

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Speaker 2: through this consultation around having a place where children can

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Speaker 2: go after hours that's a safe place because having a

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Speaker 2: child on a street at the moment in our springs

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Speaker 2: is freezing col It's just you know, it's not safe

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Speaker 2: for anyone and we just need to wrap services around

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Speaker 2: these kids. So hopefully that comes out in the wash

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Speaker 2: out of that ninety four million.

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Speaker 1: So, Matt, from your perspective, do you think that this

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Speaker 1: investment is going to see some change on the very

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Speaker 1: serious issues that you've been experiencing in Central Australia.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, my fingers are crossed. I go back to

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Speaker 2: the forty eight point eight million dollar announcement that was

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Speaker 2: announced earlier in the year. I mean that got more

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Speaker 2: place dweller Springs and that continued some services for the

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Speaker 2: next financial year. So hopefully we know this substantial investment,

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Speaker 2: we do to see some positive change code because we

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Speaker 2: need to. But I think that it's a very good start.

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Speaker 1: And we also know that there's going to be fourteen

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Speaker 1: odd million on thirty additional police officers. There is money

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Speaker 1: going towards corrections, so that there's going to be more

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Speaker 1: facilities as I understand it for the prison. Even those

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Speaker 1: different measures, you would hope we'll go some way into

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Speaker 1: making some change.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, And I've talked about having more police offices

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Speaker 2: not going to fix the problem, but it's about having

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Speaker 2: passive surveillance for the community and proactive policing. So it's

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Speaker 2: something that we know works when you have proactive policing.

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Speaker 2: And so if you've got thirty more police officers in

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Speaker 2: our Springs, I think that'll be welcomed by the community.

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Speaker 1: Now, is there anywhere that you think the budgets and

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Speaker 1: the funding falls short.

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Speaker 2: I look a lot at this stage. I think that

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Speaker 2: you know, for a town of twenty five thousand, you

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Speaker 2: know that services forty thousand. We have been reasonably looked

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Speaker 2: after in the budget, but now it is up to

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Speaker 2: us to continue to work with the FEDS in the

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Speaker 2: territory to see the roll out. Commitments are one thing,

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Speaker 2: but now we need to get the ball rolling and

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Speaker 2: start seeing some shovels in the ground for the infrastructure

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Speaker 2: stuff and seeing the social side of it from a

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Speaker 2: government point of view that rollout as well, because it's

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Speaker 2: okay to commit it, but we also need to see

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Speaker 2: it in the region and we'll do everything we can

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Speaker 2: to make sure we can keep that ball rolling as

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Speaker 2: quickly as we possibly can.

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Speaker 1: Now, Matt, are you able to give us a bit

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Speaker 1: of an update on where things are at with the

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Speaker 1: footy competition in Central Australia. I know that there was

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Speaker 1: people that were at Trager Park as I understand it,

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Speaker 1: yesterday evening protesting the fact that some of that local

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Speaker 1: foot has not been able to be played. Where are

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Speaker 1: things at?

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Speaker 2: So I met with Gil McGlaughlin earlier in the week

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Speaker 2: and we had a a pretty good conversation. I think

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Speaker 2: it'll be resolved by this week, but you know, hopefully,

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Speaker 2: you know, hopefully that gets moving and we get a resolution.

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Speaker 2: Just want to be clear though we're not. Football hasn't

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Speaker 2: stopped in our springs, the town competition and we still

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Speaker 2: have other rivals that are being access so I think

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Speaker 2: that's an important part for your listeners to understand as well.

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Speaker 1: But I mean, is Trager Park being used as a

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Speaker 1: bit of a political football here for want of a

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Speaker 1: better word. You know, should those kids and should people

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Speaker 1: be able to get back onto the field.

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Speaker 2: Well, it is our best facility and I hope people

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Speaker 2: can use it sooner rather than later. But as I've said,

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Speaker 2: we've got incredible facilities, sporting facilities in other springs that

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Speaker 2: are being utilized and they'll continue to be utilized so

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Speaker 2: people aren't missing out on sport.

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Speaker 1: So what's holding it up right now? Is it still

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Speaker 1: the is it still the you know, the fixture from

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Speaker 1: the a f L.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just a bridge of license that we're trying

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Speaker 2: to work with AFL in Team good faith, AFL in

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Speaker 2: Tea and AFL to try to resolve it. And I'm

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Speaker 2: confident after having a discussion with AFL earlier in the

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Speaker 2: week that it will be resolved.

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Speaker 1: Now, what about that big match with the Demons and

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Speaker 1: the GWS Giants. I think it is for a bit

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Speaker 1: later in the year. Is that going ahead.

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Speaker 2: I'm very confident that will happen on the second of July, Kadian,

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Speaker 2: I think you should come down and have a look

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Speaker 2: at it as well. Why don't you come down to

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Speaker 2: our springs mate?

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Speaker 1: How good would that be? The weather would be glorious.

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Speaker 2: You go, We'll get you in the We'll get you

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Speaker 2: in the media box right off on the work trip.

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Speaker 1: We'll give it outside broadcast going Maybe we need an

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Speaker 1: outside broadcast in Alas Springs. Tell my boss, will you?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Papasa, I'm sending my detail Matt Pattison.

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Speaker 1: Good to catch up with you as always. Thank you

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Speaker 1: very much for your time today.

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Speaker 2: Good on you, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Thank you