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Speaker 1: Joining me on the line is the Tourism Minister and

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Speaker 1: also the Minister for Health, Natasha Files. Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Good morning listen Minister.

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Speaker 1: The plan would include a daily Melbourne Darwin London service.

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Speaker 1: As I understand it, where are these discussions at.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, we're really excited. Darwin is the comeback capital

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Speaker 2: and a direct Darwen London flight would be a massive beat,

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Speaker 2: showcasing the territory to the world. We've worked closely with

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Speaker 2: Quantus throughout the COVID nineteen, particularly with those repatriations flights.

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Speaker 2: We have been having Quantus crew at Howard Brings and

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Speaker 2: so as the Minister for Tourism and Aviation that falls

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Speaker 2: within there, I've been working closely with Quantus executives and

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Speaker 2: we're really excited at this opportunity. So, as we said yesterday,

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Speaker 2: we've directed on our senior public servants to work closely

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Speaker 2: with Corners and of course the Darwin Airport, the Darwen

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Speaker 2: International Airport are really key to this and we certainly

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Speaker 2: would like to see this happen as all of our

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Speaker 2: imaginations show the opportunities that endless.

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Speaker 3: So what exactly would this look like?

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Speaker 1: Would those arriving on this direct flight have to do

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Speaker 1: fourteen days in Howard Springs quarantine, even if they're double vaxed.

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Speaker 2: So Katie, that's all the detail that's been working through.

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Speaker 2: We need to understand from Quantus what they require to

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Speaker 2: make these flights happen. Of course, our number one focus

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Speaker 2: will always be hitting territory in safe, but we must

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Speaker 2: plan for the time when overseas travel regimes so that

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Speaker 2: we can bounce back even stronger. And so all of

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Speaker 2: that is being worked through, and mostly your health officials

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Speaker 2: and other government officials are working closely with gow In,

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Speaker 2: international airport officials and Quantus to make this a reality.

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Speaker 1: And so what have they told you when it comes

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Speaker 1: to the quarantining and when it comes to the requirements

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Speaker 1: for those travelers At this point.

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Speaker 2: So Katie, I can't see much more than the safety

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Speaker 2: of territory and it comes first. It's paramount. So we're

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Speaker 2: working through what Quantus require and what our health officials

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Speaker 2: think is the best for territory.

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Speaker 3: All right.

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Speaker 1: So at this point in time, though, we do know

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Speaker 1: that down the track, once we reach eighty percent vaccination rate,

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Speaker 1: we're going to move into that traffic light system.

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Speaker 3: So London, as I.

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Speaker 1: Would understand, would already be a red zone, so they

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Speaker 1: would presumably have to do fourteen days in quarantine if

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Speaker 1: they are double vaxed.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, I'm not going to get into that detail.

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Speaker 2: There's not a direct correlation between the traffic light system

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Speaker 2: and the current hotspot. We also need to consider the

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Speaker 2: measures that the Commonwealth will put in place of international travel.

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Speaker 2: But this is a really exciting opportunity. Darwin is the

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Speaker 2: gateway to Asia. We understand in the past we've been

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Speaker 2: that link and we want to make that happen again.

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Speaker 2: From an aviation perspective, that Darwin is, you know, the

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Speaker 2: Australia's connection through to Europe and Asia.

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Speaker 1: So I guess it does sound incredibly exciting, but there's

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Speaker 1: so many people out there wondering exactly how this is

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Speaker 1: going to work and if we're realistically going to be

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Speaker 1: able to do it. I mean, I know you've said

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Speaker 1: there's not a direct correlation. I think you said there

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Speaker 1: between the red zones and the way in which we're

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Speaker 1: going to be doing this moving forward. But presumably we're

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Speaker 1: not just going to be allowing people to, you know,

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Speaker 1: to just travel into the Northern territory from locations which

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Speaker 1: have been deemed as hotspots or where there are COVID cases.

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Speaker 1: But we maybe look at letting them have you know,

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Speaker 1: a rapid test before they get on the flight, and

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Speaker 1: you know, quarantining for a couple of days and then

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Speaker 1: having another test. Will we be looking at doing things

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Speaker 1: a bit differently to the way that we're currently.

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Speaker 2: Are the Katie, All ideas and opportunities are on the table.

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Speaker 2: The health and safety of territories come first. We're seeing

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Speaker 2: an incredibly strong uptake, particularly in the top end of

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Speaker 2: the vaccination. We know that that countries such as England

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Speaker 2: have had the vaccinations for many many months now and

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Speaker 2: a large advantage of people are vaccinated. So vaccination is

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Speaker 2: the key to going back towards a more normal life.

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Speaker 2: And what you were just talking about in terms of

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Speaker 2: travel will work with our health officials and territorians can

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Speaker 2: be assured we're working very hard at this opportunity of

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Speaker 2: direct dull in London White, but the health and spacey

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Speaker 2: of our community always comes first.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's going to be a really difficult juggle, I

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Speaker 1: would presume, because we've got to make sure that you know, well,

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Speaker 1: we want to try to capitalize on this, but we

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Speaker 1: also need to make sure that people do stay safe.

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Speaker 1: So it just does seem like it's going to be

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Speaker 1: a difficult one when you look at the likes of

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Speaker 1: wa obviously who said that. You know that they're staying closed,

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Speaker 1: but how do we capitalize on the fact that they're

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Speaker 1: maybe not doing what quantus needs at this point?

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Speaker 2: And Katy, I think it comes back to that point

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Speaker 2: that as a community, we must plan for a time

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Speaker 2: when oversee the travel regimes so that we can you know,

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Speaker 2: all those opportunities we've missed out on bringing trust into

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Speaker 2: the territory. So we're working as hard as we can

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Speaker 2: and I can reassure territorians about that effort, but also

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Speaker 2: that the health advice comes first.

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Speaker 1: What is the government prepared to do to try and

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Speaker 1: make this happen, because we know that our and Joyce

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Speaker 1: had said yesterday if we can't operate through Darwin, it

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Speaker 1: will instead fly Melbourne, Singapore, London. So what is the

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Speaker 1: government prepared to do to really try and make this happen?

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Speaker 2: Oh, So, Katie, I think that the fact that we've

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Speaker 2: directed our most senior public servants to work closely on

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Speaker 2: this so strongly that we're putting everything into it, and

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Speaker 2: so we'll continue that work with quantas and of course

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Speaker 2: the other key partner is Darwin International Airport, a fantastic

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Speaker 2: facility and they certainly have strong plans at the airport,

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Speaker 2: some great leadership being shown there. So we just need

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Speaker 2: to work with everyone involved to make it the reality.

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Speaker 3: What's going to have to happen inside the terminal.

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Speaker 1: Would there need to be changes made in terms of,

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Speaker 1: you know, separating those domestic travelers from the international arrivals,

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Speaker 1: or would it be a situation where you're able to

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Speaker 1: use potentially the part of the airport where those repatriation

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Speaker 1: flights are coming through.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, we've already got strong measures within our airport

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Speaker 2: terminals and on flight it's namely wearing masks. So we're

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Speaker 2: looking at the healthy buy and how we can keep

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Speaker 2: people safe and have that highest level of infection control,

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Speaker 2: but at the same time be practical to allow these

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Speaker 2: things to happen. And that points to that life that

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Speaker 2: we are wishing for back to a little bit more normal,

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Speaker 2: and so that's why the vaccination is key. But it's

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Speaker 2: also what are the public health measures and there's a

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Speaker 2: range of them. What can be practically put in place

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Speaker 2: and how that would fit into this proposal.

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Speaker 1: All right, let's move along because we know yesterday on

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Speaker 1: the show we heard about the really difficult situation that

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Speaker 1: the tourism sector is facing around the territory, but particularly

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Speaker 1: in Central Australia. Daniel Rochford joined us on the show

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Speaker 1: and spoke about the concerns around the traffic light system,

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Speaker 1: which is due to come into play when the territory

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Speaker 1: vaccination rate reaches eighty percent. He also said, though, that

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Speaker 1: many operators are on the brink of shutting down, with

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Speaker 1: tourism the worst it's ever been.

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Speaker 3: Minister, we heard.

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Speaker 1: From Tourism Central Australia yesterday that around thirty businesses may

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Speaker 1: not make it through summer, which is traditionally a time

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Speaker 1: for tourism. Is their work happening either with the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory government or at a federal level to try and

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Speaker 1: prevent these businesses from closing.

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Speaker 2: Katie, we recognized that COVID nineteen has had a devastating

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Speaker 2: impact on tourism hospitality and we've been working with the

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Speaker 2: Commonwealth government as well as putting out packages from the

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Speaker 2: NP government specifically to Tourism Central Australia. So we recently

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Speaker 2: announced a twelve and a half million dollars support package

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Speaker 2: that was for territory businesses impacted by COVID nineteen restrictions

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Speaker 2: and there was visitation reliant small business support program in

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Speaker 2: that as well as a tourism survival fund, and that

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Speaker 2: was particularly aimed at some of those sects Katie and

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Speaker 2: in Central Australia, the event organizers and the touring companies

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Speaker 2: that have been really impassive. And then we had our

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Speaker 2: earlier this year a one point twenty five million dollars

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Speaker 2: support package specifically two Tourism Central Australia. They came to

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Speaker 2: us with the idea of a MATS rates incentive to

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Speaker 2: reduce the cost of tourism experiences in Central Australia and

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Speaker 2: we backed them and their ideas. So not saying that

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Speaker 2: this will fix everything or solve it or help every

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Speaker 2: business specifically from the devastating impact, but we're certainly working

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Speaker 2: closely with industry in the tourism and hospitality space.

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Speaker 1: All Right, I'm going to play you a little bit

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Speaker 1: of that interview with Daniel Rochford yesterday. Daniel, how many

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Speaker 1: businesses are you talking about here that have either gone

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Speaker 1: into hibernation or have been forced to shut up shop.

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Speaker 4: We're working very closely with thirty businesses At the moment,

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Speaker 4: we're just working through what the statistics look like, but

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Speaker 4: certainly we're seeing a significant number of businesses facing a

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Speaker 4: massive hardship. The latest round of the Tourism Survival Fund

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Speaker 4: this is as of last week, has seen around about

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Speaker 4: twenty to thirty operators apply for that director funding support

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Speaker 4: of between five and thirty thousand. Those thirty operators are

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Speaker 4: the ones that we're particularly worried about, and we're working

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Speaker 4: with them almost on a daily basis. The funding support

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Speaker 4: that was announced recently was welcomed, but that only was

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Speaker 4: a short term fix. We really need to get support

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Speaker 4: to get us to the other side. And I've been

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Speaker 4: calling for funding for months now. I'm not calling for it,

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Speaker 4: we're begging for it. It's got to that extent, Katie,

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Speaker 4: where our industry is on its knees.

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Speaker 1: Minister, I know that would be hard to hear. As

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Speaker 1: he said, obviously they're grateful for the work that's happened

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Speaker 1: up until this point, but he'd said to me on

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Speaker 1: the show yesterday, they really they are begging for help.

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Speaker 1: Right now, from the territory government and the federal government,

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Speaker 1: what can we do to try to make sure that

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Speaker 1: these businesses do not shut up shop. We're going to

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Speaker 1: need them when we do rebound.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, Katie, and the Territory government has been working closer

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Speaker 2: to the industry to design these support mechanisms to be

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Speaker 2: responses to business needs. It's all about keeping Territorians in

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Speaker 2: jobs and as you just said, making sure we've got

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Speaker 2: an industry beyond COVID. So we'll keep working with the Commonwealth.

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Speaker 2: We'll keep working with industry to make sure that you

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Speaker 2: know this support package we announced twelve and a half million,

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Speaker 2: that was significant, but we'll keep working with them so

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Speaker 2: that we can help these business owners get back on

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Speaker 2: their feet and be there when we step through COVID.

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Speaker 1: Well, how soon can they expect a further announcement or

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Speaker 1: how soon can they expect the federal government and the

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Speaker 1: territory government to step forward and tell them exactly what

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Speaker 1: they're going to do to support those thirty businesses that

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Speaker 1: are at risk of shutting shop.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, we can't just magically waive a wand and

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Speaker 2: make this go away. It's continually grinding, hard work and

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Speaker 2: I've pointed to a number of packages already. We've got

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Speaker 2: the next round of Territory twos and vouches which will

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Speaker 2: launch next Monday. So absolutely working with industry, being responsive,

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Speaker 2: trying to balance a big variety within the industry some areas,

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Speaker 2: some packages work well, other areas packages work and so

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Speaker 2: that's why we respond as we work close in with

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Speaker 2: the sector.

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Speaker 1: Well, look, I don't think anybody's expecting you to wave

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Speaker 1: a magic wand, but they are begging for help at

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Speaker 1: the moment. I don't think I've ever heard Daniel Rochford

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Speaker 1: sounds so down actually, and they are really begging. They're

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Speaker 1: saying that they're on their knees at this point. I

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Speaker 1: know it's not only the Northern Territory government. I know

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Speaker 1: that it does come down to those federal subsidies as well.

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Speaker 1: But are you in talks with the Federal Minister for

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Speaker 1: Tourism to try and help them out here?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, I speak regularly with the Federal Minister for

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Speaker 2: Tourism Dantee, and I spoke to him just a couple

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Speaker 2: of weeks ago, making it very clear how devastated tourism

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Speaker 2: has been. But some of the unique features that we've

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Speaker 2: been impacted on in the territory and particularly Central Australia

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Speaker 2: which had a reliance on that international market that has

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Speaker 2: dried up.

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Speaker 1: And so at this point in time, are there planned

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Speaker 1: further talks to try and help these Central Australian businesses.

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Speaker 2: The Katie as I have already outlined, were continuingly working

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Speaker 2: with industry and in constant contact with the common was

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Speaker 2: gu We're open to ideas and solutions and we've shown

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Speaker 2: that by the funding we've provided to date with TCA.

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Speaker 2: Touris in Central Australia have suggested things and we've stumped

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Speaker 2: up and funded program. So we'll keep working with the

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Speaker 2: sector right across the territory.

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Speaker 1: Okay, one of the other things that I'm really keen

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Speaker 1: to get a bit of clarity on is this traffic

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Speaker 1: light system. We know that once we reach eighty percent

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Speaker 1: vaccination rate, we are going to see that system come

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Speaker 1: into play. Are we realistically looking at a situation here

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Speaker 1: where other parts of Australia are going to reach eighty

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Speaker 1: percent open up to each other and there will be

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Speaker 1: COVID in those communities, and that presumably we're going to

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Speaker 1: wind up unable to open up to them because they

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Speaker 1: are read or ramber.

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Speaker 2: So Katy, just before I come back directly to your question,

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Speaker 2: seventy five percent of territories have had their first notes

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Speaker 2: of the vaccine. That is fantastic and that number will

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Speaker 2: continue to rise. I was at the Morara Vaccination Hub

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Speaker 2: yesterday and it was really busy, pleasing to see a

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Speaker 2: number of children there getting back and then three weeks

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Speaker 2: later they get their steps in vaccination. So the figure

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Speaker 2: of sixty one percent people fully vaccinated across the territory

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Speaker 2: will continue to rise. In terms of the traffic light system,

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Speaker 2: the border changes will see a transition from hotspots policy

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Speaker 2: to three types of travel categories. In terms of the

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Speaker 2: rest of Australia hitting eighty percent and opening up, the

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Speaker 2: Chief Minister hasn't ruled out if we were to see

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Speaker 2: eighty percent of the top end population vaccinated, how could

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Speaker 2: we open up but protect our most vulnerable in remote communities.

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Speaker 2: So we're working through all of that and we'll work

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Speaker 2: with our health officials around what's the best way to

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Speaker 2: allow our community to go back to normal, but at

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Speaker 2: the same time make sure we protect people.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, but I suppose the concern here is that you

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Speaker 1: know the likes of Victoria and New South Wales. In reality,

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Speaker 1: you know, we're not going to be opened up to

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Speaker 1: them for some time, I would assume, given the fact

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Speaker 1: that they do still have a large number of active

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Speaker 1: cases of COVID.

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Speaker 2: Katie. Of course, not having COVID in our community means

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Speaker 2: that we have barely any restrictions. The quarantine is the

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Speaker 2: one restriction we have keeping COVID out of our community.

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Speaker 2: We can't forecast what is happening into the future. We've

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Speaker 2: seen COVID seep out of Sydney City, right across New

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Speaker 2: South Wales. It's gone into Queensland. Thankfully they've gotten that

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Speaker 2: under control, but Victoria and the Act are very concerning.

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Speaker 2: So it is a balance right now. We're keeping COVID

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Speaker 2: out of the territory and we are encouraging and providing

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Speaker 2: vaccination for everybody.

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Speaker 1: But even as you've just pointed out there, you know

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Speaker 1: nearly all of the states around Australia are juggling and

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Speaker 1: battling with those COVID cases. We are all expecting that

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Speaker 1: we're going to get to eighty percent. But with that

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Speaker 1: traffic light system, and we've had this raise with us

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Speaker 1: by a few industry leaders with that traffic light system.

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Speaker 1: There just doesn't seem to be the clarity in terms of,

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Speaker 1: you know, if the rest of the nation opens up.

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Speaker 1: I guess an example might be if queens OLARND for example,

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Speaker 1: we'll get you know, get to that eighty percent vaccination rates,

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Speaker 1: as does New South Wales they open that border. But

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Speaker 1: then we see that cpgy cross of COVID. Won't it

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Speaker 1: then mean that Queensland would essentially become a red or

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Speaker 1: an amber spot.

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Speaker 2: So then Katie, we need to look at it. Right now,

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Speaker 2: New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT are the only

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Speaker 2: places with COVID and the leaders of South Australia and

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Speaker 2: Queensland are not opening up their jurisdiction to that COVID.

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Speaker 2: So keeping COVID out is key and in the meantime

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Speaker 2: making sure as much of the community is vaccinated. But

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Speaker 2: what we have highlighted is the roadmap for when we

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Speaker 2: receive the magic figures of the numbers of people being vaccinated.

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Speaker 2: And there's some internal challenges with that. We're working very

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Speaker 2: hard on our remote communities being vaccinated, but we have

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Speaker 2: outlined a system that will see this transition from the

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Speaker 2: hot spots policy to three types of travel categories into

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Speaker 2: the future.

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Speaker 1: But the reality of it is it actually going to

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Speaker 1: be very different to what it is right now in

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Speaker 1: terms of those hot spots or those the tiered travel system.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, because if you're vaccinated, it will provide opportunities

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Speaker 2: for you to come into the territory and to know

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Speaker 2: Orange zone, which is a lower level risk. People can

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Speaker 2: have some quarantining and then once they've had a negative

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Speaker 2: test result, they'll be free to me about the community,

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Speaker 2: or they could home quarantine if they're from a red community.

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Speaker 2: So there is changes forecast in this and we need

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Speaker 2: people right now to be getting that all important vaccination

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Speaker 2: so we can shift across to this policy.

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Speaker 3: All right, I do. There's quite a bit that we

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Speaker 3: were still keen to ask you about.

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Speaker 1: But I want to take you to a call that

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Speaker 1: we received yesterday from Paul in relation to vaccines in

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Speaker 1: remote communities.

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Speaker 3: Take a listen to what he had to say.

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Speaker 5: So the video was filmed in town. What set it

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Speaker 5: up was that a friend of mine works in the

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Speaker 5: empty health system and she advised me that people on

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Speaker 5: communities are receiving one thousand dollars for their jads and

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Speaker 5: anyway I thought, well, I'll just I'll confirm it because

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Speaker 5: it's a bit concerning that they're getting bribed to get

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Speaker 5: their shot. So I just asked them, I said, well,

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Speaker 5: you know you're happy for me to film it. They're going,

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Speaker 5: oh yeah, that's okay. And I just asked them if

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Speaker 5: they had received the thousand dollars and oh yeah.

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Speaker 1: So, Minister, are people in some remote communities being paid

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Speaker 1: an incentive to get the COVID.

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Speaker 2: JAB not from the Northern Terrectory government. I can to

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Speaker 2: categorically rule that out.

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Speaker 1: Katie, So not being paid by the Northern Territory government

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Speaker 1: to get the JAB? Is there a situation where the

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Speaker 1: land councils or health authorities are paying an incentive for

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Speaker 1: them to.

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Speaker 3: Get the JAB?

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Speaker 2: Katie, I haven't heard. That's the first time I've heard

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Speaker 2: that that thousand dollars is being paid. It's not from

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory government. And I certainly haven't heard it

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Speaker 2: from the Aboriginal medical organizations or the land councils.

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Speaker 1: So you're saying that nobody is being paid an incentive

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Speaker 1: to get the JAB, not that I'm.

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Speaker 2: Aware of, Katie. It's certainly not from the Northern Territory government,

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Speaker 2: which haven't ruled out into the future having incentives to

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Speaker 2: get people vaccinated. But I haven't heard of that thousand

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Speaker 2: dollars being paid by anyone. I'd be happy to see

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Speaker 2: some detail on it, but it's certainly not from the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory government.

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Speaker 1: Okay, Well, it is one which we'll try and follow

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Speaker 1: up as well. We might put a call out to

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Speaker 1: those different land councils and to the health authorities to

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Speaker 1: see if they are paying for people to get that

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Speaker 1: jab Just another quick one, Minister. I know that we're

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Speaker 1: both pressed for time, but we had a couple of

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Speaker 1: phone calls yesterday as well.

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Speaker 3: Tony had called.

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Speaker 1: Through his child had had a fit and cannot get

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Speaker 1: in to see a specialist. It's one week since that

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Speaker 1: incident happened and this referral still hasn't been looked at.

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Speaker 1: That was one of the things that we'd heard. We

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Speaker 1: also had another listener get in contact and say that

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Speaker 1: they also had a childhood had a fit, a nineteen

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Speaker 1: year old daughter. She'd obviously left her office, walked to

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Speaker 1: Cole's and had been in that situation. It has now

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Speaker 1: been several months and still hasn't been able to get

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Speaker 1: in to see a specialist about this. Do we have

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Speaker 1: an issue here where when we don't have enough specialists

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Speaker 1: to try and to try and get territory and seene

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Speaker 1: for this type of thing.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, I'm not aware of those details, and you know,

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Speaker 2: of course happy to follow up if you provide our

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Speaker 2: sofare with any specific details. The process for people to

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Speaker 2: see specialists is their triarchs into categories and there's time

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Speaker 2: frames around that. If people feel that their condition may

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Speaker 2: have deteriorated, they should go back to their GP, who

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Speaker 2: can escalate that specialist request. But as I just said,

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Speaker 2: I'd be more than happy to chase up on both

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Speaker 2: of those cases. And the processes are that people are

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Speaker 2: triarched for a period of time based on their condition,

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Speaker 2: but we do understand that that can change.

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Speaker 1: All right, we will get that detail through to you

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Speaker 1: because I do think it's pretty important, particularly you know,

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Speaker 1: in one of these cases, this young woman is in

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Speaker 1: a situation where she can't work or can't actually drive

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Speaker 1: a vehicle anymore because she is waiting to get that

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Speaker 1: clearance and to find out exactly what is wrong. So

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Speaker 1: it is having a real impact on people's lives. So

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Speaker 1: we will make sure that we get that detail to you.

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Speaker 1: We are going to have to wrap it up. We've

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Speaker 1: got a busy morning ahead as do you. Thank you

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Speaker 1: very much for your time today, Sank Katie