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Speaker 1: And starting with some positive news this morning, which is

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Speaker 1: wonderful because we know that support services for veterans and

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Speaker 1: families in the top end have been boosted today with

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Speaker 1: the opening it's set to open of the Veteran and

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Speaker 1: Families Hub in Stuart Park. It does add to veteran

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Speaker 1: services already being delivered by Mates for Mates in Palmerston.

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Speaker 1: The Minister for Veterans Affairs, Matt Key Oh, he's going

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Speaker 1: to be officially there opening that hub along with Labor's

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Speaker 1: Luke Gosling, who joins me in the studio right now.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Luke.

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Speaker 2: Morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: Look, this is wonderful news, certainly a good news story.

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Speaker 3: What is the aim of this new center just.

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Speaker 2: To support our veterans and their families and it's been

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Speaker 2: there's been a few years coming. We've had the interim

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Speaker 2: Veterans Hub out in Palmerston that's still operating, but you

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Speaker 2: know it doesn't provide the suite of services that Stuart

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Speaker 2: Park is going to and it's already operating, so this

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Speaker 2: is kind of we had a soft opening a few

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Speaker 2: weeks ago because services have started to be provided there

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Speaker 2: and that's everything from GP services with the Veterans Medical

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Speaker 2: Group in there, so you've got veterans who have gone

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Speaker 2: onto medicine who providing GP services out of there and referrals.

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Speaker 2: In the same corridor, you've got psychologists and social workers

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Speaker 2: that can work with family, work with individuals, work with families,

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Speaker 2: and anyone who's spent one day in uniform. And that's

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Speaker 2: a lot of our first responders, a lot of our

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Speaker 2: prison offices, border force that have served with the ADF.

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Speaker 2: You can get mental health care for free with your

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Speaker 2: White Card. But there's also that physical rehabilitation space there,

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Speaker 2: so like a gym facility on the bottom floor of

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Speaker 2: the Wellbeing hubin Stuart Park on the Highway there where

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Speaker 2: exercise physiology can happen and that's good for people's connectivity

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Speaker 2: because you feel connected through this hub to other veterans,

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Speaker 2: but also you're getting your body back in the shape

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Speaker 2: and you can also see the doctor or just take

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Speaker 2: part in one of the many activities that Mates for

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Speaker 2: Mates run out of the hub.

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Speaker 1: So look, it sounds like there's going to be quite

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Speaker 1: a lot there, you know, with those different facilities and

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Speaker 1: mental health services available. So you were saying they're not

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Speaker 1: just for veterans, but also for some of those frontline services.

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Speaker 3: Is that correct?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? That When I was there for the soft opening

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Speaker 2: a couple of weeks ago, they were just saying how

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Speaker 2: they're looking forward to providing services to first responders. And

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Speaker 2: that's true too of the supported accommodation the Scott Palmer

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Speaker 2: Center that we're going to build, and we're going through

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Speaker 2: the process of the moment of planning that build out

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Speaker 2: at Marara, and that'll be first responders will be able

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Speaker 2: to to access that service. We're found through the Royal

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Speaker 2: Commission into Defense and Veteran Suicide and it's no different

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Speaker 2: to the trauma that's experienced by our first responders that

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Speaker 2: if someone becomes homeless or is it risk of homelessness

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Speaker 2: and starts CouchSurfing. We know that self medication with alcohol

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Speaker 2: and drugs tends to go with that sort of instability,

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Speaker 2: whether it be as a result of a relationship breakdown

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Speaker 2: or mental health issues. Then we just need somewhere where

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Speaker 2: they can rest up and get the support, get to

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Speaker 2: their get referred to support services and get back on track.

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Speaker 2: And that's going to be an important part or fill

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Speaker 2: the gap that's missing at the moment. In the past

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Speaker 2: we've had veterans accommodation, but we don't have any anymore.

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Speaker 2: Like it used to be focused on Vietnam veterans, but

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Speaker 2: we've got this whole cohort that have served in places

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Speaker 2: like Team or Afghanistan, Iraq. But we also acknowledge that

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Speaker 2: first responders on our front line sometimes you know, they

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Speaker 2: need that support as well, so really passionate and making

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Speaker 2: sure that they can get that supportive accommodation as well.

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Speaker 1: Do we know how many people it is expected to serve.

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Speaker 2: The supported accommodation Well.

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Speaker 1: That, but also just the actual you know, just the

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Speaker 1: well Being Center.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the well Being Central service, like thousands, because we're

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Speaker 2: talking about benefits to the families as well. Even Soldier

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Speaker 2: On with just one person here on the ground at

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Speaker 2: the moment, they've got about their supporting three hundred and

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Speaker 2: thirty one clients at the moment. Importantly helping veterans into work,

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Speaker 2: So that's an important part of the suite of services

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Speaker 2: because we know that we've got so many workforce challenges

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Speaker 2: up here, and the saddest thing that I hear as

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Speaker 2: the veterans who want to stay here but can't get

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Speaker 2: connected into a job. So helping employers also to realize

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Speaker 2: the benefits of employing veterans. That's a big part, but

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Speaker 2: then also job matching. So there's a lot of people

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Speaker 2: including ISAC and T that are working on that at

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Speaker 2: the moment and that'll be facilitated through the Mates for

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Speaker 2: Mates in Stuart Park.

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Speaker 1: Look a question from one of our listeners this morning

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Speaker 1: wondering when do you think there's going to be an

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Speaker 1: update on the RSL and a home for the RSL.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, there's a.

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Speaker 2: Lot of we're in this situation that is frustrating for

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Speaker 2: a lot of RSL members when we understand the RSL

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Speaker 2: burned down some time ago, but there's been a lot

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Speaker 2: of a lot of options canvassed and one hasn't landed yet,

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Speaker 2: but I'm told that it's close to landing where there'll

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Speaker 2: be a development on the old site, but a much

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Speaker 2: bigger development taking.

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Speaker 3: The city the one that burned down.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, but in the past there's been a view the

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Speaker 2: social what's it called Darwin Social maybe being brought online

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Speaker 2: as a as an RSL. The VIC was looked at

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Speaker 2: as a potential RSL down along the beach at the

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Speaker 2: Ski Club. People were looking at different options around town,

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Speaker 2: but it looks like the focus is to come home

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Speaker 2: to and rebuild on the old site, but get some

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Speaker 2: height so which would be great for views and it'd

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Speaker 2: be great for a variety of stakeholders. I mean I

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Speaker 2: don't want to sort of now, but they'll have more

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Speaker 2: to say soon. But we really need that hub. And

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Speaker 2: I thank Hotel Darwin who and also the Buff Club

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Speaker 2: who in the meantime have been sort of acting as

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Speaker 2: a as a temporary home for the RSL. But we

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Speaker 2: never forget about Parmerson RSL as well, and they have

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Speaker 2: a home there at the old bowls club at the

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Speaker 2: golf Club in Palmerston, but but they've the golf club's

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Speaker 2: expanded now so Parmesan are without a home as well.

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Speaker 2: So we really need to get get the facility is

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Speaker 2: up and running again.

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Speaker 1: Yesterday I was driving out past the out to the

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Speaker 1: Portuguese you know, out to the club out there for

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Speaker 1: kids soccer, and I noticed that there's a RSL site

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Speaker 1: out there as well, isn't.

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Speaker 2: There That's the one where the Scottie Parmersen is going

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Speaker 2: to go to support an.

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Speaker 3: Accommodation and so how far off is that?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's getting real close Now obviously a business

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Speaker 2: plan has been fleshed out with other stakeholders that are

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Speaker 2: also interested in sort of sharing the space and Darwin

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Speaker 2: men Shed. We know that dal Menshed needs to move

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Speaker 2: from its current location because that's where the youth engagement

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Speaker 2: hub is going to be in Casarina, so they're going

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Speaker 2: to build a brand new spot. So we're close, but

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Speaker 2: there are other stakeholders that want to be part of

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Speaker 2: the offering on that on that block of land out there.

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Speaker 2: The question about what to do with the old Darwen

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Speaker 2: North RSL building, whether you know whether it's more economical

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Speaker 2: to put more money in to get it back up

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Speaker 2: the speed or whether you demolish it. It's got a

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Speaker 2: bit of a spestos that comes with an extra cost,

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Speaker 2: so those things are being worked out. However, there is

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Speaker 2: work that can start soon and we're just finalizing the

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Speaker 2: details on that with the Council of Australian Veterans so

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Speaker 2: that the accommodation can be put in there, connected up

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Speaker 2: to the headworks and we can start providing that important

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Speaker 2: service to our veterans.

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Speaker 1: Although Gosling it sounds like there's quite a bit on

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Speaker 1: the horizon when it comes to you know when it

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Speaker 1: comes to those services for our veterans. Good to catch

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Speaker 1: up with you this morning, and good to hear that

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Speaker 1: that new.

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Speaker 3: Hub officially opening.

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Speaker 1: I know it's had a bit of a soft opening,

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Speaker 1: but good to hear that it's officially opening today. I'm

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Speaker 1: sure that it is going to be a fantastic spot

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Speaker 1: for so many of our veterans, but also for those

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Speaker 1: frontline service workers should they need it.

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Speaker 2: And it's already changing lives already, and I'm sure Mates

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Speaker 2: for Mates and we Ken Avianna.

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Speaker 3: Beet no doubt.

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Speaker 1: Luke, thanks so much for your time this morning. Much appreciated.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie,