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Speaker 1: It is looking increasingly likely that there is going to

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Speaker 1: be delays to Australia's COVID vaccine rollout, as the federal

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Speaker 1: government have today announced that the Johnson and Johnson one

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Speaker 1: dose vaccine is not going to be part of the

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Speaker 1: vaccine rollout at this stage. The federal government confirmed that

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Speaker 1: it would not purchase any doses from the company. Now,

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Speaker 1: this Johnson and Johnson vaccine is based on similar technology,

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Speaker 1: is what's been reported to the Astrosenica vaccine. A spokesperson

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Speaker 1: for Health Minister the Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt said

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Speaker 1: those similarities were the reason that the Federal government had

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Speaker 1: decided against pursuing this option any further joining me on

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Speaker 1: the line well from Alice Springs as I understand it

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Speaker 1: is the Health Minister for the Northern Territory, Natasha Files.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, good.

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Speaker 3: Morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.

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Speaker 1: Now, Minister you had mentioned the Johnson and Johnson vaccine

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Speaker 1: as another option when we spoke on Friday about the

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Speaker 1: vaccine rollout during the week. That was by the look

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Speaker 1: of it, this isn't going to be an option well

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Speaker 1: for now, Laced how big an impact is this going

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Speaker 1: to have on the Northern Territori's vaccine rollout.

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Speaker 3: So, Katie, I think when I was talking during the week,

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Speaker 3: it was about different vaccine options. I didn't mention Johnson

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Speaker 3: and Johnson. I was talking about the novavac, which is

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Speaker 3: another vaccine, so we know the Johnson and Johnson vaccines

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Speaker 3: being utilized in the United States. It is, as you

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Speaker 3: were just saying, a one dose vaccination. I had some

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Speaker 3: time ago, our federal health authorities, you know, what options

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Speaker 3: would that have in Australia, because clearly one dose would

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Speaker 3: be easier to roll out, particularly in the territory situation,

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Speaker 3: But they had indicated that it was still going through

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Speaker 3: the processes, and we've seen the information you know, from

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Speaker 3: the federal government today saying that they won't be placing

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Speaker 3: in an order with that. But we certainly have got

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Speaker 3: the Firezer, we've got the novovac, which they're working through

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Speaker 3: the possibility of that vaccination. And it's also really important, Katie,

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Speaker 3: for your listeners to understand that the AstraZeneca vaccine is

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Speaker 3: still safe for certain cohorts. It is a very rare

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Speaker 3: situation where though flood cuts do occur, but we need

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Speaker 3: to look at the risk as we're talking about on

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Speaker 3: Friday with the actual virus itself and the health impacts

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Speaker 3: it can have, particularly on older territories. So we're certainly

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Speaker 3: our vaccine program will be impacted by the astrosenica changing

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Speaker 3: in the guidelines from a TARGI, which is immunization body

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Speaker 3: that recommends under fifties don't have astrazenica. But it is

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Speaker 3: still really important that people consider the risk of COVID

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Speaker 3: and particularly on the elderly, how that virus can impact

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Speaker 3: you and have catastrophic impact, and the vaccine and how

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Speaker 3: helpful that can be.

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Speaker 1: All right, So justin with sir Johnson and Johnson. So

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Speaker 1: from your perspective, this isn't going to change the rollout

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Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory in any way towards the end

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Speaker 1: of the year or later in the year.

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Speaker 3: But Katie, what I can say is that the changes

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Speaker 3: with AstraZeneca guidelines will impact the vaccination rollout in the territory.

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Speaker 3: In terms of Johnson and Johnson, we hadn't contemplated that

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Speaker 3: for our vaccination program and so it won't have an impact.

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Speaker 3: But certainly the changing guidelines from a TARGEI last week

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Speaker 3: we'll have an impact on our vaccination program. So what

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Speaker 3: we're doing, Katie, is We're going back and we're working.

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Speaker 3: I've had conversations both Friday and yesterday with our health officials.

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Speaker 3: We're looking at we do have a steady supply of

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Speaker 3: FISA coming into the territory, and so how can we

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Speaker 3: utilize the FISA for those that need that vaccine? Yes,

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Speaker 3: Doersenica for those that are eligible for that, and continue

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Speaker 3: to roll out our program. There are some changes. For example,

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Speaker 3: fires there is a three week between the two doses,

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Speaker 3: as Doersenica is nine to twelve weeks, So in terms

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Speaker 3: of visiting remote communities, clearly that has an impact on

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Speaker 3: our plans. But I'm confident we'll work through those changes

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Speaker 3: and we'll still be able to deliver a strong vaccination program.

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Speaker 3: In fact, we are, Katie. Over fifteen thousand territories have

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Speaker 3: now been vaccinated. That's a combination of the MTG program

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Speaker 3: and the Commonwealth program. Already in the Northern Terrectory have

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Speaker 3: received the vaccine.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so I will get to those numbers in just

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Speaker 1: a second, But just going back to the PISA vaccine

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Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory, the Chief Minister have mentioned

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Speaker 1: on the show yesterday the files of vaccine is obviously

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Speaker 1: the one that needs to be kept at those quite

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Speaker 1: low temperatures, but that's going to be a difficulty as

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Speaker 1: I understand it, in some of those more remote communities.

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Speaker 1: So how are we going to be ensuring that people

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Speaker 1: are vaccinated under the age of fifty in those remote communities.

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Speaker 3: So, Katie, we did also see some changing information around

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Speaker 3: the fires of vaccination late last week where the TGA,

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Speaker 3: the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has said that it can be

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Speaker 3: treated more like a normal vaccine, and so that means

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Speaker 3: that it has to be kept at that very cold

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Speaker 3: minus seventy for a period of time, but then it

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Speaker 3: can be kept in normal freezers I believe for around

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Speaker 3: two weeks, and then it can also have a period

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Speaker 3: of refrigeration for a couple of days. So what that

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Speaker 3: changed information will allow us to do is look at

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Speaker 3: where we can store the vaccination once it comes into

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Speaker 3: the territory, and then how we can roll that out

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Speaker 3: into our communities, particularly you know, the remote communities, not

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Speaker 3: the urban location.

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Speaker 2: So it's not going to have an impact.

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Speaker 1: We're not actually going to see an impact into terms

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Speaker 1: of that cold storage going out to the communities.

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Speaker 2: You're confident that we.

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Speaker 1: Are going to still be able to roll out fizer

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Speaker 1: to those under the age of fifty in the communities.

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Speaker 3: So, Katie, the changes in the TGA guidelines as well

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Speaker 3: as the ability for the fizer, it always has the

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Speaker 3: ability that in small doses you could have it in

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Speaker 3: smaller cold storage using dry ice, for example, and that

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Speaker 3: would allow us to get it out to some of

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Speaker 3: those areas where we have a small population but in

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Speaker 3: a remote location. So I'm confident that we'll be able

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Speaker 3: to roll out whatever vaccines needed right across the Northern Territory,

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Speaker 3: but it will take a great level of planning and work,

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Speaker 3: and that's being undertaken now, and it's going right back

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Speaker 3: to looking at the doses that are coming into the

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Speaker 3: territory and then also once we get those doses, how

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Speaker 3: we can practically roll it out with that three weeks

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Speaker 3: three weeks excuse me, turn around between dose one and

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Speaker 3: three or one and a second dose.

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Speaker 1: So, just going through those numbers, you said that fifteen

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Speaker 1: thousand people have now been vaccinated here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: So that's the most up to date figure as of

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Speaker 1: the small warning.

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Speaker 3: Katy. The latest figures that I've got from NT Health

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Speaker 3: show that we've got very close to eleven thousand people

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Speaker 3: have got the vaccination from NT Health. The Commonwealth vaccination

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Speaker 3: has been around four and a half thousand people, and

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Speaker 3: so in total it's over fifteen thousand and of that

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Speaker 3: three thousand, seven hundred are the second dose of their vaccination,

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Speaker 3: which means they're fully vaccinated against COVID nineteen.

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Speaker 1: And have any of those taken place out in our

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Speaker 1: remote communities yet or is that still the you know,

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Speaker 1: those in urban centers and our frontline workers and those

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Speaker 1: that were part of Phase one A.

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Speaker 2: Was it?

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Speaker 3: So that's Phase one A and some of Phase one

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Speaker 3: B those territories that fall into those categories. The vaccination

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Speaker 3: has been delivered, you know, from Central Australia, Ala Springs,

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Speaker 3: Tenet Creek through to the top end in Norman Boy.

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Speaker 3: I understand there's been very small numbers in the remote communities, Katie,

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Speaker 3: and that's been staff that fall into that one A

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Speaker 3: category and that's through the Commonwealth program, but very small numbers.

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Speaker 3: We haven't rolled out the program in remote communities yet.

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Speaker 2: When are you anticipating starting that?

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Speaker 3: But Katie, we had hope to start that during April,

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Speaker 3: and so that's the work that's now being relooked at

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Speaker 3: with the changes to the AstraZeneca guidelines, because not only

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Speaker 3: is it making sure that we've got the fires of

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Speaker 3: vaccination and I'm confident we'll be able to store it

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Speaker 3: and deliver it in remote communities, it's making sure that

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Speaker 3: we've got enough vaccination and then the vaccination to back

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Speaker 3: it up three weeks later for that second dose. It

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Speaker 3: also greatly changes our program. We'd imagine we'd roll out

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Speaker 3: three communities and then revisit in nine to twelve weeks. Clearly,

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Speaker 3: when the first dose is and the second dose is

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Speaker 3: only three weeks later, that changes all of those plans.

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Speaker 3: So we're working in earnest in NT Health to look

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Speaker 3: at those plans around how we'll change the delivery model.

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Speaker 1: Now, So when do you anticipate that the rollout to

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Speaker 1: those communities is now going to begin.

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Speaker 3: I don't have a timeline, Katie, and I won't make one.

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Speaker 3: We certainly are undertaking that work. Once that work's completed,

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Speaker 3: which I imagine will be in the next couple of weeks,

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Speaker 3: we'll share with the community the time frames around rolling

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Speaker 3: out the vaccination. But we don't have that community transmission.

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Speaker 3: There's no rush. Of course, we want to do it

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Speaker 3: because we want to get back to life as normal

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Speaker 3: as possible, but we have to make sure these plans

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Speaker 3: are strong and that they'll uphold through the whole program.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so by the sounds of things, there is going

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Speaker 1: to be a delay in rolling out the vaccine to

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Speaker 1: our remote communities. But at this point, given the fact

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Speaker 1: we don't have community transmission, it's you know, it's not expected,

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Speaker 1: and I'm sure it's not what you want, but it's

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Speaker 1: also not unprecedented. I guess, given the fact that we've

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Speaker 1: had these vaccine changes around the nation.

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Speaker 3: Katie, when the vaccine changes that we saw announced from

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Speaker 3: Astrozeneca last week absolutely have an impact on our vaccination

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Speaker 3: roll out plans. We're not saying that that doesn't. But

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Speaker 3: there's no need that we don't need to panic, we

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Speaker 3: don't need to rush this. We need to get it right.

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Speaker 3: So that's the work that we're undertaking so that we

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Speaker 3: can be very thorough and we can deliver that vaccine

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Speaker 3: in a safe manner and make sure we get that

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Speaker 3: second dose all so out in the timeframes required.

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Speaker 1: So from your perspective, when you look at the timeframe.

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Speaker 1: So when you look at those timelines, it does sound

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Speaker 1: like they're are delays, but the majority of that is

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Speaker 1: when we talk about the delivery and remote communities. Are

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Speaker 1: you quite happy with the progress at the moment when

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Speaker 1: it comes to our urban centers, Katie.

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Speaker 3: I'm pleased with the progress. So have fifteen thousand territorians

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Speaker 3: have already received at least one dose of their vaccination

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Speaker 3: is really great work and I thank everyone that's been

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Speaker 3: a part of that. And I think that also we

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Speaker 3: just need to repivot our plans based on the vaccine

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Speaker 3: doses that we're getting. We've got a steady supply of

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Speaker 3: the fires are coming into the territory and so we

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Speaker 3: will continue to roll out this program and we will

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Speaker 3: keep territory in safe.

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Speaker 1: All right, Minister, let's move along. I understand that you

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Speaker 1: are in Alice Springs at the moment for the part

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Speaker 1: of the festival. How's it going, Katie.

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Speaker 3: It's simply magnificent down here, you know, Alice in Central Australia. Well,

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Speaker 3: having lived down here, the weather has just changed. I

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Speaker 3: was here a couple of weeks ago and it was

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Speaker 3: certainly a lot warmer, and so there's a real buzz

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Speaker 3: around town. It's absolutely packed in terms of tourists. You

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Speaker 3: cannot get accommodation, you can't get a rent a car,

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Speaker 3: and Pachmo was simply spectacular and there's a lot of

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Speaker 3: locals and visitors alike heading out there.

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Speaker 1: How many people are there or how many visitors have

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Speaker 1: we had to the Red Center for the festival so far, so.

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Speaker 3: Katie, just the opening weekend, So the first three nights

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Speaker 3: saw over eight thousand people attend the event and n

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Speaker 3: teen major events have done a great job. Not only

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Speaker 3: have they got the simply spectacular lighting display against the

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Speaker 3: backdrop of the McDonald Rangers, but they've also got a

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Speaker 3: number of interactive artists and performances and so it's really

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Speaker 3: got people out. People are certainly talking about it, and

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Speaker 3: if people haven't been there, they're planning on heading down.

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Speaker 1: And I know at the moment, you know, it seems

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Speaker 1: we can't get through an interview without having to talk

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Speaker 1: about the issue of crime. But there has been reports

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Speaker 1: of tour buses targeted by thieves in Central Australia.

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Speaker 2: What are operators telling you?

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Speaker 3: So caught up with tourism Central Australia. Yesterday we announced

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Speaker 3: that package one point two million dollars to help those

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Speaker 3: operators here in Central Australia who've been really impacted by

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Speaker 3: a lack of international tourists. And those plans are rolling

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Speaker 3: out well, but it was disappointing to hear that some

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Speaker 3: out at Ullaru I understand that a bus had been

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Speaker 3: left unlocked and had been targeted. It just, you know,

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Speaker 3: ruins people's trips. They don't leave with a good feeling

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Speaker 3: about the territory and it just one little incident underg

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Speaker 3: all that good work. You know, operators are working so hard,

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Speaker 3: going out of their way in really tough conditions that Katie.

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Speaker 3: They've gone from a situation of no visitors to lots

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Speaker 3: of visitors, but they're struggling to get staff. So they're

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Speaker 3: doing everything, working really hard, so people have a magnificent

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Speaker 3: time in the territory and then you have one incident

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Speaker 3: like that and it ruins it.

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Speaker 1: Well, we had the Opposition leader Leafanocchiaro on the show yesterday.

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Speaker 1: She was saying that the gunn of Government needs to

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Speaker 1: call or recall i should say, Parliament for a day

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Speaker 1: to get this crime legislation across the line, get it

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Speaker 1: happening sooner rather than later. I mean, do we need to.

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Speaker 3: Do that, Katie. Community safety remains our highest priority. Police

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Speaker 3: have put their resources in down here, working with the ngngos,

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Speaker 3: working with the community to keep the community safe. Parliament

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Speaker 3: is in just a few weeks time, and that legislation

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Speaker 3: needs to be debated during those sittings, and so that

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Speaker 3: we don't rush that and get something wrong simply by

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Speaker 3: recalling it for the sake of a few weeks.

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Speaker 1: Are you confident though, that that legislation is actually going

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Speaker 1: to pass in May?

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Speaker 3: So the advice I have is that will be ready

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Speaker 3: to introduce The Chief Minister's indicated he wants to pass

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Speaker 3: that on urgency, so that's what we're aiming for, all.

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Speaker 1: Right, Minister for Health and also Minister for Tourism Natasha Fhiles,

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Speaker 1: we are going to have to leave it there. We

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Speaker 1: really appreciate your time this morning. What's the weather like

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Speaker 1: in Alis?

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Speaker 2: Just very quickly, Oh.

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Speaker 3: Katie, it's beautiful. It's very cool at night, but the

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Speaker 3: days that are simply spectaculous. As I said, there's a

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Speaker 3: real buzz around the town. You can certainly feel that

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Speaker 3: the tourism operators are feeling positive off the back of Parchmuth.

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Speaker 3: So we hope that they have a really successful drive

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Speaker 3: seas and we're certainly doing everything we can to support them.

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Speaker 1: Natasha Files, thanks so much for having a chat with

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Speaker 1: us this morning.

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Speaker 3: Thank you