Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford says he’s hearing reports of tourist cancellations on a daily basis due to crime and anti-social behaviour

Transcript

Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford says he’s hearing reports of tourist cancellations on a daily basis due to crime and anti-social behaviour · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But we know that light towers now it's happening at
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  Speaker 1: Kings Canyon. It's currently underway. It's a collaboration between Bruce
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Monroe and Australia's leader in regional tourism Experiences get a group.
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  Speaker 1: It consists of sixty nine of these two meter towers
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  Speaker 1: that change color in response to music emanating from within them.
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  Speaker 1: It sounds beautiful, it's said amongst Kings Canyon as the background,
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  Speaker 1: and it would be quite amazing to see now joining
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  Speaker 1: me on the line to tell us a little bit
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: more about this, but also a bit more about how
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  Speaker 1: things are going when it comes to tourism more generally
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  Speaker 1: in Central Australia. Right now it is the CEO of
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  Speaker 1: Tourism Central Australia, Daniel Rochford. Good morning, Daniel, Hey Katie helping.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Oh pretty good mate. How are you guys going in?
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  Speaker 1: Alice Springs are in Central Australia at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: Look, you know we're gearing up for a season ahead
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  Speaker 2: of us, and you know, you know, many things happening,
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  Speaker 2: and we've got Pajma studying in a couple of days times,
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  Speaker 2: so you know it certainly hopeful that we get a
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  Speaker 2: good season ahead of us.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's what everybody's hoping for, particularly for
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  Speaker 1: you guys in Central Australia. It's been rough going parchment
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  Speaker 1: kicking off in a couple of days right now though,
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  Speaker 1: You've got that beautiful light display happening at Kings Canyon.
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  Speaker 1: How's that going.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I was really lucky to be there at the
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  Speaker 2: launch on Friday with Bruce Monroe and the team from
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  Speaker 2: Discovery Parks. This is really amazing installation that they've done
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  Speaker 2: at King's Canyon. It's just absolutely aw inspiring, you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's I spent almost an hour just walking around the
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  Speaker 2: sixty nine towers and yeah, of course in the Foots
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  Speaker 2: Hills of Wichaka National Park in the background. So yeah,
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  Speaker 2: kutos to the team of Discovery Parks. They've done a
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  Speaker 2: great job and the work they've done at that resort
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  Speaker 2: is just nothing short of amazing. I have really put
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  Speaker 2: a lot of money in investing in that resort.
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  Speaker 1: On them and it is good to see that investment
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  Speaker 1: into Kings Canyon and into Central Australia.
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  Speaker 2: Daniel.
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  Speaker 1: You know, from the perspective of the crime and the
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  Speaker 1: anti social behavior that you and I have spoken about
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  Speaker 1: so much in recent months, have things subsided at all?
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  Speaker 1: How are things going?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I'd love to say, you know, I'm trying to
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  Speaker 2: be a glass upfull here, Katie, but you know the
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  Speaker 2: reality is it's not subsiding. In fact, you know, there
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  Speaker 2: are still issues day and day out. And look, my
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  Speaker 2: observation of the challenges ahead of us, this is not
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  Speaker 2: just becoming a Central Australian issue. It's now becoming a
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory issue. And the feedback that we've been getting
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  Speaker 2: from some of our caravan and camping shows, so people
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  Speaker 2: not wanting to come to the Northern Territory. It's not
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  Speaker 2: wanting to come to our of springs, it's not wanting
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  Speaker 2: to come to the Northern Territory. So you know, it
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  Speaker 2: is starting to become a much bigger issue for the
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: whole jurisdiction. And look, that's some of the challenges ahead.
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  Speaker 2: I was speaking to one of our operators this morning
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  Speaker 2: that reported just last week one hundred and thirty five
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  Speaker 2: thousand dollars worth of cancelations in the coming months. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, this is real for us, and you know
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  Speaker 2: it's still you know, we're going to soldier on and
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  Speaker 2: as an industry, you know, we fought through COVID. We'll
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: fight through this and you know, we'll brush ourselves and
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  Speaker 2: make sure our visitors have the best day they possibly
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: can during this person.
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  Speaker 1: So them farut one hundred and thirty five thousand dollars
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  Speaker 1: worth of cancelations just in one week.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. So, and that's I'm hearing that right across the
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  Speaker 2: board that you know that there are you know, we
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  Speaker 2: were getting just you know, modifications of bookings and some cancelations,
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  Speaker 2: but those cancelations starting to We're starting to hear reports
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  Speaker 2: pretty much on a daily basis of members saying that
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  Speaker 2: they're getting those cancelations, which is not good news for
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  Speaker 2: our region. It's not good news for the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: And that's the challenge that our industry lies ahead. And
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  Speaker 2: you know, unfortunately, you know, it is one of those
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  Speaker 2: things you know, we were we were we were the
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  Speaker 2: unintended consequence of COVID, you know, and the issues that
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  Speaker 2: are keeping us a safe during COVID, and of course
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  Speaker 2: you know the issues of highlighting the concerns that we
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  Speaker 2: have with crime. Again, the tourism industry is the industry
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  Speaker 2: that's copying it well, and.
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  Speaker 1: This is the thing and then you look at you know,
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  Speaker 1: something that like the display that's on at King's Canyon.
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  Speaker 1: You look at the likes of Pachama, the wonderful events
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  Speaker 1: that we have happening around the place. But the fact is,
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  Speaker 1: unless you can get that crime issue under control, your
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  Speaker 1: hard press to be able to get record numbers at
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  Speaker 1: any of those different events you betch ed.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, you and I have talked about this
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  Speaker 2: many times that you know this is you know, with
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  Speaker 2: it if you forget about the national negative media that's occurred.
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  Speaker 2: You know, if you look at the sort of ten
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  Speaker 2: year trends for this destination, it was doubt and we
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: were essentially suffering of both thousand cuts because of this
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  Speaker 2: ongoing crime issue. And you know, the last you know,
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  Speaker 2: last year, this band aid's been pulled off. You know,
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  Speaker 2: the collective efforts of people like the mayor and many others.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's almost been half a billion dollars worth
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  Speaker 2: of funding secured to really drive home some of these
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  Speaker 2: causal issues. And you know, we need that money spent
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  Speaker 2: on the ground. We need to get going because until
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  Speaker 2: such time we get the crime dealt with, It's a
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  Speaker 2: bit like recovering from a cyclone when you're in the
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  Speaker 2: middle of a.
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  Speaker 1: Cyclone, Daniel, can you tell me with some of the
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  Speaker 1: events that you've got coming up, you know, the likes
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  Speaker 1: of Paturema, the various other events coming up, how are
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  Speaker 1: those forward bookings looking comparatively to what they've been in
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  Speaker 1: previous years?
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  Speaker 2: Softer? Certainly, there's no I don't want to sugarcoat that.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we are seeing a reduced number of people
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  Speaker 2: coming to the region, certainly in peak periods you know
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: where you know, we're doing our best to market and
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  Speaker 2: tourism volun territory of just launching campaigns at the moment
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  Speaker 2: to help out that and the work that everyone's doing.
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  Speaker 2: Everyone's rolling up their slaves, which is great. But you know,
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  Speaker 2: we are certainly seeing on the ground a much softer
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  Speaker 2: season this year.
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  Speaker 1: I think, what is your message for the government today, Daniel?
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  Speaker 1: I mean you and I have spoken on so many occasions,
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  Speaker 1: and I know how passionate you are about tourism. I
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: know how passionate you are about Central Australia. But the
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  Speaker 1: fact is something has got to change. What's the message?
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  Speaker 2: Look, ultimately we need to get on top of the
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  Speaker 2: issue and that we can't sugarcoat that. You know, and
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  Speaker 2: we need to put all available resources and quite honestly,
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  Speaker 2: you know, every time our door gets opened, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we need to open another door and another door and
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  Speaker 2: another door, and we need to do things differently, and
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  Speaker 2: you know, ultimately we need to put all available resources
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  Speaker 2: to that. And I don't think that's you know, the
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  Speaker 2: government is doing much as they can, but I think
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: we needed to get more done both and say government,
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  Speaker 2: both at the territory and federal government levels. We also
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  Speaker 2: need some support for the industry. We recently called the
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  Speaker 2: government grow to the Chech Minister and the Minister for Tourism,
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: requesting a support package for tourism industry. And I think
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  Speaker 2: that support package nearly transcends the Red Center. Now it
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  Speaker 2: needs to be a support package for the whole of
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  Speaker 2: the normal territory because these negative media firestorms that we've
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  Speaker 2: had to endure are hurting and that's creating issues for
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  Speaker 2: the bottom line of our operators and of course impacting
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  Speaker 2: our regional economy.
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  Speaker 1: And Daniel, I've said it before but I'll say it again.
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  Speaker 1: None of us want to be talking the territory down,
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  Speaker 1: but at this point we're on our knees like saying,
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  Speaker 1: please help us, please get these issues under control so
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  Speaker 1: that we can be the wonderful place that we all
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  Speaker 1: want to be. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and you know I'm you know, you know I've
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  Speaker 2: been very active and very you know, we'll warn our
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  Speaker 2: hard on our sleeves on this issue because it affects us.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we have been going to bed at night
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  Speaker 2: here in fear and so things have to change. And
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  Speaker 2: until we get on top of it. You know, it
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  Speaker 2: is like that analogy I just said. It's a bit
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  Speaker 2: like trying to clean up up the cyclone and we're
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  Speaker 2: just still in the middle of the cyclone. We need
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that we get on top of this
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  Speaker 2: crime issue and get on top of it sooner rather
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: than later. Because the other the issue is we're starting
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  Speaker 2: to see a spike yet again. You know, we're hearing
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  Speaker 2: multiple reports daily of cars being stolen. Everything we were
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  Speaker 2: talking about in January came. We're just dancing this dance
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  Speaker 2: yet again, and it just seems to be a never
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  Speaker 2: ending cycle of issues coming and facing our territory at
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  Speaker 2: the moment, and you know, we just need to get
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  Speaker 2: off the dance floor, and that is in the hands
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  Speaker 2: of government to be more proactive working on getting these
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: programs and these funding projects delivered.
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  Speaker 1: You're spot on. You're absolutely spot on. Daniel Rochford, CEO
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  Speaker 1: of Tourism Central Australia. It's always good to catch up
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  Speaker 1: with you. I really appreciate your time and we'll talk
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  Speaker 1: to you again very soon.
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you,