Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford explains the impact of QANTAS stopping direct flights between Alice Springs and Perth

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Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford explains the impact of QANTAS stopping direct flights between Alice Springs and Perth · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And unfortunately yesterday we learned that Quantas are set to
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: suspend direct flights from Alice Springs to Perth from July
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: one due to low passenger numbers. Now, Tourism Central Australia
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: says that the national carrier has an obligation to remote
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: and regional Australians, and the chief executive, Daniel Rochford, said
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: that the move could impact corporate activity as well as
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: tourism and is really calling for more support for other
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: operators providing flights to and from Central Australia. Now, Daniel Rochford,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: the CEO of Tourism Central Australia, joins me on the
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  Speaker 1: line right now get a Daniel.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and good morning to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Daniel, this is obviously a decision which is going
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  Speaker 1: to impact not just tourism, but as you've rightly pointed
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  Speaker 1: out to other media as well, it's going to impact
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  Speaker 1: corporate activity. Tell us when you found out this was
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: happening and what your reaction was.
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  Speaker 3: I found out from a media outlet who rang me
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  Speaker 3: up about it. So would you be appointing at the
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  Speaker 3: first instance, because if we knew that there were low
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  Speaker 3: numbers on this flight. As the tourist authority representing Central Australia,
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  Speaker 3: we could have rolled up athletes and supported.
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  Speaker 2: Our national Austraia. But that which think you had been
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  Speaker 2: to as you say, it just have any impact.
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  Speaker 3: The livability of living in central as If we need
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  Speaker 3: the most community access to our nation Australia and international
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  Speaker 3: flight earth quit Ran, we've lost now that.
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  Speaker 2: Connective from those from those international flights.
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  Speaker 1: You know, what a disappointing situation to be in because
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  Speaker 1: obviously you know when people are coming from overseas, one
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  Speaker 1: of the places that they all want to get to
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  Speaker 1: is Central Australia and particularly out to all the ruins
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  Speaker 1: some of the other wonderful destinations that you've got there
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  Speaker 1: in Central Australia you.
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  Speaker 2: Vetta and you know it is certainly a kick in
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  Speaker 2: the gap through our industry and well acation so critical
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  Speaker 2: for any promote the destinations like ours. It would have
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  Speaker 2: been nice to be able to work with us ride
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  Speaker 2: and build up then the service and we all know
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  Speaker 2: West Australians the big sailor.
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  Speaker 3: Coming back a lot of time.
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  Speaker 2: I've put a lot of the time to stab through
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  Speaker 2: to the perm over the issue back and now would
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  Speaker 2: have done. We've been friends up room and it is
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  Speaker 2: disappointing that they've made the decisions. So I still appreciate it.
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  Speaker 2: It's been up time for all our life from the
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  Speaker 2: welders honest to be passively, but you know we need
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  Speaker 2: a positive at it too, especially as so get.
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  Speaker 1: It, Nataniel, I know that you know that obviously it's
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  Speaker 1: it's this is going to have an impact. As we've
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  Speaker 1: just discussed. How are those passenger numbers looking at both
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  Speaker 1: well Alice Springs and also the Ularum Airport.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, numbers are going actually relatively well across the region.
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  Speaker 2: So the flights into Ulu. I really ram back up
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  Speaker 2: a quintus of announced new flights from Sydney into which
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  Speaker 2: is great news. Certainly, we were watching very closely now
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  Speaker 2: the Brisbane services into our springs because you know, I'm
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  Speaker 2: you know, it's a not too dissimilar framework for the
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  Speaker 2: Perth services. So that's that's what I'm going to watch
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  Speaker 2: very carefully and certainly very keen to talk to all
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  Speaker 2: stakeholders on. But you know, it's certainly coming back from
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  Speaker 2: where we were. Of course, we were down to just
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  Speaker 2: a handful of flights in and out of Alice Springs.
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  Speaker 1: D'artaniel. We've been talking this morning as well throughout the week.
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  Speaker 1: That was about the staffing shortages which are being experienced,
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  Speaker 1: you know, right around around the nation. That's something that
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  Speaker 1: you and I have discussed on numerous occasions. But I
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  Speaker 1: guess what we're starting to see now is that in
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  Speaker 1: some of our other states and some of the other
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  Speaker 1: locations around Australia is they've got some interesting initiatives really
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  Speaker 1: to try and get stuff into those locations. I understand
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  Speaker 1: that CANS is doing something a bit different.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, Katie, this is a really interesting you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're all facing the same issue and you know, everyone's
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  Speaker 2: being as proactive as they possibly can. But ends up
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  Speaker 2: have been ounced yesterday that they're putting free first class
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  Speaker 2: air tickets with Singapore Airlines from Europe to can plus
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  Speaker 2: I think up to one thousand dollars worth of free tours.
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  Speaker 2: So that's I just go back over that free first
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  Speaker 2: class who are airfaes. So that's the level of the
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  Speaker 2: work that the Queensland Government, in Australian Government and the
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  Speaker 2: local authorities and CANS are doing to try and track
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  Speaker 2: to tropical North Queenslane. So that's the competition that the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory is facing because this is a competitive environment
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  Speaker 2: and you know, we're unfortunately going to get if we're
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  Speaker 2: not careful and we need to be more proactive in
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  Speaker 2: this space. We're going to be consumpt by other destinations
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  Speaker 2: and other regions.
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  Speaker 1: Well this is the thing, isn't it. You know again,
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  Speaker 1: you and I have spoken on quite a number of
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  Speaker 1: occasions about the fact that you know that other states
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  Speaker 1: are doing different things. I believe in South Australia like it.
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  Speaker 1: You know you've touched on as well. In South Australia,
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  Speaker 1: they're trying different things. But now to hear that kans
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  Speaker 1: is offering first class flights and free tours, I mean,
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  Speaker 1: what better way really to get people working in the
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  Speaker 1: industry because they're not only are they getting across here
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  Speaker 1: in some you know, like you know, on a nice flight,
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  Speaker 1: but then they're actually experiencing the different you know, the
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  Speaker 1: different offerings. I work in that industry.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly right. And look, you know, to our government
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  Speaker 2: spread it. You know, they've got three million dollars on
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  Speaker 2: the table for innovative different strategies and that's something that
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  Speaker 2: I don't know, we've sat down with Minister Manison on
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  Speaker 2: just this week, and you know, we really need to
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  Speaker 2: come together and do this quickly to look at some
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  Speaker 2: innovative strategies to try and get back into the game here,
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  Speaker 2: back into a competitive brain because other destinations and other
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  Speaker 2: jurisdictions are just going over the top of us. And
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  Speaker 2: you know, at the moment we've got a couple of initiatives,
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  Speaker 2: but you know that's they're paling into insignificance compared to
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  Speaker 2: what other jurisdictions doing.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel, what do you reckon we could offer here? What
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  Speaker 1: do you think we could look at?
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  Speaker 2: Look? I think you know, it's the ability to get
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  Speaker 2: here easy. And you know the great thing is we
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  Speaker 2: have those thingafore our flights airline sites coming into Darwin,
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  Speaker 2: and you know we have such great attraction and you're
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  Speaker 2: great things to experience. But I think it's really getting
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  Speaker 2: down to overcoming some of the dollar issues in terms
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  Speaker 2: of being able to come to the Northern territory, especially
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  Speaker 2: from interstate. You know, I get feedback from many tourism
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  Speaker 2: operators here that when they're trying to attract staff, the
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  Speaker 2: issue becomes you know, it's so costly, and that goes
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  Speaker 2: back to that issue of the airfare. You know, on
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  Speaker 2: that flight from Perth to Alice Springs, a return airfare
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  Speaker 2: was fifteen hundred dollars to Alice Springs. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: this is the level of expense that many of our
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  Speaker 2: businesses have to incur to attract staff. And our ability
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  Speaker 2: to be able to pump prime and overcome some of
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  Speaker 2: these expenses is going to be really critical in encouraging people.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I certainly is well, Daniel Rochford, It's always great
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  Speaker 1: to talk to you. I know we're battling a little
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  Speaker 1: bit with the sound that we're hearing down here at
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  Speaker 1: the track at the Merlin Darwen Triple Crown still now
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  Speaker 1: quiet and down just as we're finishing our interview.
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  Speaker 2: It's great to you know. Obviously we had think last
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  Speaker 2: week here in Alisair which went off like a prominent
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  Speaker 2: stock and you know to have the event up in
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  Speaker 2: dar One at the moment, well, you know, I'm obviously
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  Speaker 2: very proud about promoting Central Australia. But as long as
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  Speaker 2: you know, to see events like the one up in
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  Speaker 2: dar One this weekend, it's great to see so many
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  Speaker 2: people throughout the territory and they'll get out and get
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  Speaker 2: amongst it. And it's good for our industry and good
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  Speaker 2: for good for our economy.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely well. Daniel Rochford, CEO AF Tourism Central Australia.
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  Speaker 1: Always good to talk to you. Thank you so much
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  Speaker 1: for your time this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, Cheers