Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford says someone is going to die if crime isn’t address immediately after more havoc in Alice Springs overnight

Transcript

Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford says someone is going to die if crime isn’t address immediately after more havoc in Alice Springs overnight · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me in well on the line right now from
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  Speaker 1: Alice Springs. It is Daniel Rochford, the CEO of Tourism
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Central Australia. Good morning to you, Daniel.
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  Speaker 2: Morning Kating, Good morning to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel, is Alice Springs in a state of emergency?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, quite clearly. I think, as we talked about a
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  Speaker 2: few weeks ago, I did say that the government had
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  Speaker 2: lost control of the streets of Alice Springs and I
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  Speaker 2: still reaffirmed that view and clearly last night demonstrated that
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  Speaker 2: most wholeheartedly, we are facing an emergency situation here and
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  Speaker 2: we need the Northern Territory government to act accordingly.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel, tell us exactly what went on last night from
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  Speaker 1: a residence perspective.
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  Speaker 2: Look, there was a communicate from police media saying that
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  Speaker 2: essentially encouraging visitor, encouraging residents to avoid the CBD due
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  Speaker 2: to the emergency situation that was being faced. Kids had
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  Speaker 2: stolen vehicle and were rampaging through the CBD and obviously
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  Speaker 2: causing an enormous concern to the safety and security of
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  Speaker 2: all residents. So look, at the end of the day
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  Speaker 2: we were locked out of our CBD.
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  Speaker 1: How unbelievable Honestly, I didn't think that it could get
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  Speaker 1: more surprising in Alice Springs and what.
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  Speaker 2: It is right now, Yeah, words just to not describe it, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: And I know we talk about this ad nauseum, but
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  Speaker 2: it has got to that stage now where this cannot
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  Speaker 2: be you know, we've gone past the word crisis and
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  Speaker 2: we are now really, as you said earlier, with the
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  Speaker 2: Chief very much in that state of emergency. And I
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  Speaker 2: just noted the Member for aral Lewins just to put
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  Speaker 2: out a press release basically confirming as such, and the
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  Speaker 2: mayor on ABC Radio this morning here in Alys alluded
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  Speaker 2: almost the same sentiment as well. We're getting to that
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  Speaker 2: situation where we need something tonight, Katie. We have something
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  Speaker 2: to keep the streets safe tonight. And if that's about
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  Speaker 2: mobilizing more police into our springs, mobilizing the TRG into
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  Speaker 2: our springs and getting the streets so that especially our
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  Speaker 2: CBD is safe, things must happen today.
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  Speaker 1: You one spot on and Daniel, I don't know if
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  Speaker 1: you heard the Chief Minister earlier, but do you feel
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  Speaker 1: as though there is that urgency from the government right now.
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  Speaker 2: Look, there's no doubt that they see this as their
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  Speaker 2: number one issue, and I suddenly, you know, affirm that.
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  Speaker 2: But I think the Chief you know, I've got to
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  Speaker 2: work with her quite well when she was Ministerpa Tourism,
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  Speaker 2: and you know she understands, and you know she understands
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  Speaker 2: the fact that when we say something, it's not just
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  Speaker 2: the fact that we're wanting a political astra grind here.
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  Speaker 2: We wear our heart on our sleeves, an organization and
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  Speaker 2: this has got to that stage where we just cannot
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  Speaker 2: call it for what anything but it is, and that
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  Speaker 2: is that we are in, as you say, that state
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  Speaker 2: of emergency. And when we face the situation, we've effectively
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  Speaker 2: this town is now in the control of thirty to
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  Speaker 2: fifty young people who have just taken control of the town.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, look, even when I went through it with
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  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister earlier this morning, you've got the scenes
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  Speaker 1: from the weekend that look like scenes out of Grand
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  Speaker 1: Theft Auto. You know, kids in backs of utes. It's
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  Speaker 1: bloody dangerous for them, it's dangerous for everybody who lives
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  Speaker 1: in Alice Springs. But then last night you've got alleged
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  Speaker 1: youdes trying to actually ram marked police vehicles. I don't
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  Speaker 1: know how much clearer, it can be that things are
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  Speaker 1: out of control. And then you add to that the
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  Speaker 1: tourism operator Patrick who we spoke to yesterday, who's had
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  Speaker 1: rocks hurled at that tour bus while it's driving back
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  Speaker 1: into town while there's tourists inside. He's asking for a
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  Speaker 1: police escort to bring them back into town. Like that
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  Speaker 1: in itself unbelievable. Then you've got Sue Shira from Kota
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  Speaker 1: saying on the show yesterday that seniors do not feel
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  Speaker 1: safe to leave their homes. But they don't even feel
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  Speaker 1: safe in their homes.
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  Speaker 2: Oh. Absolutely, And look all this just goes Look I said,
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  Speaker 2: you know a month or so ago, now that you
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  Speaker 2: know the streets had lost control, and to your listeners,
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  Speaker 2: it's actually got worse, not better. Yeah. Since I made
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  Speaker 2: those comments a few weeks ago, and you know, the
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  Speaker 2: government has tried and is trying to work on a
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  Speaker 2: number of strategies. And you know, we've been very categorical
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  Speaker 2: around our support for the Social Order Response Focus and
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  Speaker 2: we fully support that, but it will take time to
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  Speaker 2: implement and it Meanwhile, the government needs to take control
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  Speaker 2: back of the streets and if that, you know, mobilizing
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  Speaker 2: the TRG if it's mobilizing extra police resources or extra
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  Speaker 2: private security. This needs to be done now, Katie, as
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  Speaker 2: a matter of emergency, to stabilize the streets of Alice Springs. Otherwise,
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  Speaker 2: this utter lawlessness that is happening night after night after
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  Speaker 2: night is going to continue on. And this is destroying
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  Speaker 2: our town. It's destroying our industry. And how you should
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  Speaker 2: see the amount of comments that we're getting from tourists
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  Speaker 2: and visitors. And as you say, you know, could just
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  Speaker 2: put your cells in the shoes of those visitors who
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  Speaker 2: are on that bus a couple of nights ago when
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  Speaker 2: those rocks come screaming through the windows of that tourist.
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  Speaker 2: But that's why this organization is advocating to the way
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  Speaker 2: it is, because we do wear our heart on our sleeve.
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  Speaker 2: This town is amazing place. But if we do not
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  Speaker 2: stop this, if we do not get this town stabilized,
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  Speaker 2: we are going to descend into oblivion. And we are
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  Speaker 2: getting worse, not better.
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  Speaker 1: It's unbelievable, Like honestly, it feels unbelievable. And I think
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  Speaker 1: what you're saying there is spot on. Something needs to
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  Speaker 1: be done today. So Daniel, realistically, what you are calling
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  Speaker 1: from from the government today is either mobilize a TRG,
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  Speaker 1: mobilize additional police, or get the additional security on the
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  Speaker 1: ground immediately for tonight.
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  Speaker 2: Indeed, and that's look. I've been out on the streets
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  Speaker 2: over the last few nights and it is I don't
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  Speaker 2: want to sugarcoata and I don't want to paint a
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  Speaker 2: picture that's trying to sensationalize this. It's a bloody war zone,
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  Speaker 2: Katie out and you know you've got cars, stolen cars
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  Speaker 2: screaming around. Someone is going to die here if we
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  Speaker 2: do not get control of the street. You know, will
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  Speaker 2: be the kids, or an innocent bystander, or someone just
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  Speaker 2: driving home after work and getting hits as these cars
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  Speaker 2: career through the streets of our springs. We need to
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  Speaker 2: stabilize the streets, and we need to stabilize it tonight.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Daniel Rochford, I always appreciate your time. I'm really like,
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  Speaker 1: I feel really bad for the people of Alice Springs
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  Speaker 1: about what's going on at the moment. It's honestly, it's
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  Speaker 1: sad to listen to. I can't imagine what it's like
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  Speaker 1: for you guys, So we're thinking of you. I really
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  Speaker 1: hope that something changes and that there is some action
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  Speaker 1: taken for tonight.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I really appreciate Katie, and look, it's really
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  Speaker 2: got to that stage where we're playing. It is an
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  Speaker 2: honest plea to the government and to all those out
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  Speaker 2: there to lend that support because we do need that support.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Daniel Rochford, we'll talk to you again very soon.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you again for your time today. Thank Katie, thank you.