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Speaker 1: Joining us in the studio right now though, to tell

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Speaker 1: us well where things are at with the takeaway liquor

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Speaker 1: situation down at the waterfront. It is Sam Burke, who

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Speaker 1: is the CEO of the Darwin Waterfront Corporation. Good morning

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Speaker 1: to you, Sam.

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Speaker 2: Morning Katie general manager.

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Speaker 1: But I'll take I did just think to myself as

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Speaker 1: I said it, I wonder if I got that title

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Speaker 1: right now, Sam, this is something that you and I

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Speaker 1: have spoken about on a few occasions. The popular beach

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Speaker 1: club down there at the Darwin Waterfront. Just before Easter,

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Speaker 1: that license was well stopped, so basically you could no

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Speaker 1: longer get the takeaway alcohol there. What's the current situation.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so big blow as the emergency power ceased with

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Speaker 3: very little notice. But thankfully everyone has worked extremely hard

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Speaker 3: on this. I've got to congratulate and thank the guys

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Speaker 3: in the liquor department, also Minister Kirby in his office

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Speaker 3: and the NT government for getting behind us to resolve

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Speaker 3: this situation.

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Speaker 2: Where pleased to have heard.

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Speaker 3: From the Minister this morning that the new condition on

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Speaker 3: all of the restaurants at the Waterfront that's called a

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Speaker 3: catering authority, will allow them to sell takeaway liquor with

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Speaker 3: food effective basically immediately. I think maybe give the venues

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Speaker 3: today to gear up to it, but certainly for the weekend.

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Speaker 2: It's I mean, it's great.

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Speaker 3: This is back to our fish, tacos and sangria on

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Speaker 3: the lawns and the deck chairs.

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Speaker 2: And then come June.

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Speaker 3: So first week of June, huge relaunch of the Beach Club.

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Speaker 3: So that's the big day beds, that's the umbrellas, that's

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Speaker 3: the Beach Club. Music and my team have been working

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Speaker 3: really hard to make it particularly special this year, so

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Speaker 3: there's going to be that big launch in the first

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Speaker 3: week of June's.

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Speaker 1: Well, that's fantastic to hear.

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Speaker 2: And I'll tell you what it does.

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Speaker 1: Seem as though common sense has prevailed in this space.

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Speaker 1: I mean, we're talking about people enjoying a couple of cocktails,

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Speaker 1: saw a couple of drinks with their dinner down there

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Speaker 1: at the waterfront on the lawns, like you and I

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Speaker 1: have discussed. You know, if you've got young kids, it

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Speaker 1: makes life pretty easy. If they can run around, you

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Speaker 1: can supervise them and relax while you're doing it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a real pity the other weekend when

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Speaker 3: DJ whose name I don't know, because I'm obviously out

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Speaker 3: of the loop, but the town was a buzz with

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Speaker 3: people to see a DJ concert. It's right, yes, you

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Speaker 3: don't know the name of us, we're obviously.

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Speaker 2: In the same boats. Maybe God well done, well done.

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Speaker 3: So the place is absolutely heaving and unfortunately the takeaway

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Speaker 3: wasn't available and it would have just been a great

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Speaker 3: additional benefit for venues that Honestly, the waterfront has been packed.

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Speaker 3: It's still packed at the moment, but this just means

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Speaker 3: venues can sell more. It means more people can enjoy

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Speaker 3: it in a relaxed atmosphere. And as we've discussed before,

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Speaker 3: we haven't had a single issue to do with this

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Speaker 3: takeaway alcohol with food at the waterfront. It's really well managed.

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Speaker 3: People are really responsible and it has become sort of

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Speaker 3: an iconic thing.

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Speaker 2: We get Southerners who are coming.

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Speaker 3: Out of the cold, they come down the glass lifts

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Speaker 3: at the waterfront and just see this tropical paradise. Then

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Speaker 3: you've got a cocktail with a meal sitting next to

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Speaker 3: the water while the kids play. Really like it's everything

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Speaker 3: that we want to present as Darwin. It's the image

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Speaker 3: that will ensure that our hospitality venues small, family owned

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Speaker 3: venues will survive this year and flourish beyond.

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Speaker 1: Those businesses down there telling you today. I mean, obviously

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Speaker 1: they've heard that news how they're feeling.

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Speaker 3: So we're very confident at the Waterfront, and indeed we're lucky.

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Speaker 3: We've been performing strongly throughout the pandemic and things are

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Speaker 3: going gangbusters at the moment. So for them, it's more

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Speaker 3: about making hey while the sun shines, which is why

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Speaker 3: these extra sales help. The biggest issue they're facing that

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Speaker 3: they're telling me is capacity to service the demand.

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Speaker 2: So staffing is still a big issue. But look, come down.

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Speaker 3: They'll make sure that you get a great meal and

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Speaker 3: drink and it's such a great environment.

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Speaker 1: That is one of the things that we've spoken about

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Speaker 1: at length over the last few weeks, and that is

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Speaker 1: the stuff in concerns that we've got around the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory at the moment, particularly in tourism and hospitality, and

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Speaker 1: by the sounds of things, even the Waterfront has been

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Speaker 1: experiencing some staff shortages.

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Speaker 3: Yes, so the hotel has been doing record numbers for

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Speaker 3: months and months. All of our apartments are basically booked out,

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Speaker 3: all of the short term ones.

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Speaker 2: The restaurants.

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Speaker 3: I mean I went down there on a Monday, non

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Speaker 3: public holiday Monday to have a meal and basically had

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Speaker 3: to squeeze in between bookings and venues were fully booked.

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Speaker 2: So it's really great.

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Speaker 3: But when the Waterfront does well, Darwin City does well,

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Speaker 3: the CBD does well, people move backwards and forwards. There's

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Speaker 3: a great energy around town at the moment, and we're

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Speaker 3: very proud to be the anchor of that energy. But

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Speaker 3: this additional offering is just it recognizes the fact that

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Speaker 3: Darwin people and visitors are inherently responsible. We can enjoy

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Speaker 3: a drink out responsibly with food, and we should be

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Speaker 3: able to do that, and the Waterfront's the place to

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Speaker 3: do it at the moment. It's just a great offering

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Speaker 3: and it's really unique, but arguably it shouldn't be that

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Speaker 3: unique because it works so well and it's done well

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Speaker 3: and people really love it.

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Speaker 1: So we're excited and so Sam, first of June, it's

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Speaker 1: when we're.

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Speaker 3: Going first week of June, So I think it's the

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Speaker 3: fifth and sixth June. I don't have a calendar in

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Speaker 3: front of me, but I think that's the first weekend,

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Speaker 3: and yeah, I'll come back and have a chat to

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Speaker 3: you about that Beach Club launch, because there are some

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Speaker 3: really exciting bits and pieces that I reckon we'll get

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Speaker 3: you down for. I think we might even try and

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Speaker 3: drag you and the team down for a live cross or.

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Speaker 2: Ronnie and Ronnie, Ronnie and b King for that as well.

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Speaker 2: We'll guarantee cocktails.

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Speaker 3: And someone told me firefighters might be giving massages or

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Speaker 3: I don't know.

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Speaker 2: It's all it's going to be huge, so.

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Speaker 1: It sounds like it could be crazy down there. Sam Burke,

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Speaker 1: it's always good to catch up with you. We really

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Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning, General Manager of the Darwin Waterfront.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you.

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Speaker 1: You are listening to Mix one oh four point nine

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Speaker 1: is three sixty