Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tailormade Tours Danny Brennan is calling for the Uluru airstrip to be closed for five years saying it’ll increase flight capacity for Alice and drive airfare prices down

Transcript

Tailormade Tours Danny Brennan is calling for the Uluru airstrip to be closed for five years saying it’ll increase flight capacity for Alice and drive airfare prices down · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Have just been speaking about the situation in Central Australia
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: when it comes to tourism and indeed investment into the
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Red Center, with the announcement earlier this week that Quantus
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: plans to cut thirty thousand seats from the region and
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: ATG a major tourism player winding down its operations. Now
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  Speaker 1: one local tour operator who is calling for the airport
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  Speaker 1: at all the route to potentially be closed to rebuild
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  Speaker 1: capacity and help drive the flight prices is Tailor Made Tours,
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  Speaker 1: and the owner, Danny Brennan, joins me on the line
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  Speaker 1: right now, get a Danny here are you?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Good, Thanks so much for your time this morning. Duanny.
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  Speaker 1: First off, how much of a blow is the loss
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  Speaker 1: of these seats when it comes to an operator like yourself?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's definitely a last Like, it's not just the
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  Speaker 3: transport company losing that though, it's more than that. It's
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  Speaker 3: a travel agents internationally putting pressure on domestic travel agents
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  Speaker 3: to think about do we come to Alice going forward?
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  Speaker 3: Would you know with what's been going on. Obviously, flights
• 1:04
  Speaker 3: are hard. Some of them will get four or five
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  Speaker 3: flights just to get to Alice in the day, so
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  Speaker 3: that's definitely put an impact on as well, and that's
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  Speaker 3: why people might agree with it. But I do think
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  Speaker 3: they need to seriously have a conversation with Quantus the
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  Speaker 3: government about thinking about shutting the airport down on the
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  Speaker 3: Rock for a minimum of five years and then reevaluate
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  Speaker 3: so you can give confidence back to the travel agents
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  Speaker 3: to look at rebranding, rebrochuring for their seasons going forward,
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  Speaker 3: and that will help Alice get volume, it will help
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  Speaker 3: hopefully push prices down. I think the conversation would have
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  Speaker 3: to be around the place if they would have shut
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  Speaker 3: the airstreap at the Rock and just have one through us.
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  Speaker 3: That should give Condus good volume, and then they should
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  Speaker 3: definitely look at putting pressure on to look at getting
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  Speaker 3: the price of the air fares down. But it's not
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  Speaker 3: just the effect now, it's going forward with the next
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: two to three years, we're going to see it.
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  Speaker 1: Danny, just how big an impact has not only I
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  Speaker 1: guess the you know, the cutting back of these seats,
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  Speaker 1: but also the situation in terms of crime and anti
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: social behavior over recent months. How big an impact hasn't
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  Speaker 1: had on an operator like yourself.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, obviously it's had an impact in the town. But hopefully,
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: you know, we've hit Botton. The only way forward is
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  Speaker 3: up and we've all got to come together or the
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  Speaker 3: tour operators are pretty keen to get this back on
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  Speaker 3: track and we just need to figure out how we
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  Speaker 3: do that. I think we need more major draw cards
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  Speaker 3: in Ollie strings, so I've got a few conversations going around,
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  Speaker 3: you know, new things we can do in Alice as
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  Speaker 3: a draw card, because it's not just that we need
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  Speaker 3: more drawer card into oallus. We haven't had anything new
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  Speaker 3: for years. Twenty five or thirty years ago. When I
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: was going away to travel shows promoting tourism for the
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: Red Center, a lot of the agents were saying, what's new.
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  Speaker 3: We haven't had much new at all. So obviously they've
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  Speaker 3: got the Art Center going ahead eventually. I think it's
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: a bit of a shame that we didn't include that
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  Speaker 3: with a Stockman's Hall of Fame. Whether they could do
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: that something else, But we need to really seriously consider
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  Speaker 3: the direction of the town for tourism and have have
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: some really good ideas and open discussions. And yes we
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: have a Stockman's Hall of Fame in long reach, but
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  Speaker 3: very minimal international tourists get time to get a long reach.
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  Speaker 3: I do think we need some new draw cards. I
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  Speaker 3: think that would be great. I've got some ideas around
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  Speaker 3: a field of lights and cardiment festival and display of
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  Speaker 3: arts on a huge massive rock formation in my place
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  Speaker 3: at the old Quarry in Alice. But I think aliss
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  Speaker 3: new things. The thing with a lot of these places
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  Speaker 3: is they're not sustainable, like the Fossil Museum where it is,
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  Speaker 3: the aral And Center, the Museum of Central Australia. Now
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  Speaker 3: there are all individual places if they have played one
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  Speaker 3: big complex. When you walk through the door, you've got
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  Speaker 3: a Stockman's Hall of Fame, you've got an art center,
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  Speaker 3: of culture center, the history of all Tongue, the gold
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  Speaker 3: Rush fields. You've interest everyone's mind as a tourist. Whether
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  Speaker 3: they go through that door to see the Stocklin's all
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  Speaker 3: the fames are an ex farmer. Whether they go through
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  Speaker 3: there to see art or culture, you know you're definitely
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  Speaker 3: going to get a lot of volume go through that door.
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  Speaker 3: So they need to really consider what we need for OLUS. Well.
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  Speaker 1: The thing I love as well, Danny about tour operators
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  Speaker 1: and you know, people like yourself and when you're in
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  Speaker 1: business as you do think outside the box because you
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  Speaker 1: have to when you run a business, and sometimes I
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  Speaker 1: think that, you know, governments can be a little bit stifled,
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  Speaker 1: you know, by their thinking or by their ideas, because
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  Speaker 1: they let bureaucracy get the better of things. But we
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  Speaker 1: do have to start thinking outside the box, particularly for
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  Speaker 1: a place like ALUs at this point.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. So you know, the oldest industry in Alice Springs
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  Speaker 3: is the is cattle industry in eighteen seventy two, but
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  Speaker 3: we've got nothing to show for it. I think everything
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  Speaker 3: will feed off each other with the cultural center and
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  Speaker 3: the art center and everything else. Ye, the aviation museum,
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  Speaker 3: you know, they could clean that up a bit, along
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  Speaker 3: with the old cemetery there because we can't take people
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  Speaker 3: into that cemetery because of the three corner jacks that
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  Speaker 3: comes on their seat in Australia and the coaches just
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  Speaker 3: making things look look down for the town for tourism. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: I do think as well they need to think about
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  Speaker 3: the gentleman that's Sport Casino and most of the other
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  Speaker 3: hotels in our springs. I think the government we need
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  Speaker 3: to support them because if they were to leave, I
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  Speaker 3: don't see anyone else going to put much money into
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  Speaker 3: our strings.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, we did just catch up with We just caught
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  Speaker 1: up with him on air actually, Craig, Yeah, we just
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  Speaker 1: set him on the show and Craig Jarvis just had
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: to chat to him on the show. And yet, look,
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  Speaker 1: it sounds like they want to be investing into inter
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  Speaker 1: Central Australia, but they're quite concerned as well about the
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  Speaker 1: situation with those seats can.
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  Speaker 3: I definitely an issue and that's why I do stress.
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  Speaker 3: And you know it's my opinion. I've been in tourism
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  Speaker 3: my whole life, and my family went through the pilot
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: strike and the NS collapse and started taitle made in
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  Speaker 3: nineteen sixty five, and you know they shout it during
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  Speaker 3: COVID at the airport down there. I think they have
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  Speaker 3: to have a serious discussion around that, because it's not
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  Speaker 3: just losing the major transport operator at g We was
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  Speaker 3: do at here, but we're going to need another operator
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  Speaker 3: that they're not going to come into Alice. They've got
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  Speaker 3: to look at are they going to get the seats,
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  Speaker 3: They've got to look at the the place to operate from.
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  Speaker 3: Obviously for us and rock throwers are a big issue,
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: or have been in the past. For the buses, so
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  Speaker 3: you know, we need to look at that. But you
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  Speaker 3: know there is some good people doing good things with us,
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  Speaker 3: and you know we've got Michael Little the LYRICSIPA feel
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  Speaker 3: those guys are doing some good things around the kids
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  Speaker 3: and their thoughts as well, so that's good. But I
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  Speaker 3: think we need to probably have a monthly meeting with
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: government and key operators to get us back on track.
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  Speaker 1: Danny, do you feel as though the government is listening
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  Speaker 1: to the concerns of your tour operators like yourself and
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  Speaker 1: everybody else that's operating in Alice Springs at the moment.
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  Speaker 1: Do you feel as though they are listening to your concerns.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think obviously there's a lot going on. I
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  Speaker 3: think they're starting to listen of us. For a meeting
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  Speaker 3: with the Minister for Tourism and she said next time
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: she comes down she would come and see me. I
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  Speaker 3: think that's very important. But I think the main thing
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  Speaker 3: for them through government is to start knocking on the
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  Speaker 3: doors of business, whether it be big or small, whether
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  Speaker 3: it be tourism or cafes and restaurants around town, and
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  Speaker 3: knock on the door and say how are you going
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  Speaker 3: and find out exactly what's going on on the ground.
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  Speaker 3: I've even be tempted to talk to taxi drivers. So
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  Speaker 3: they're around town all day long. They're seeing what's going
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  Speaker 3: on there. At the airport, they're seeing flights coming in out.
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  Speaker 3: They just need to start knocking on the doors. We
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  Speaker 3: need to come together, Alice. It's the heart of Australia.
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  Speaker 3: It's got great things to see in the gaps and
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  Speaker 3: gorges and water holes and chasms. Who fly not to
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  Speaker 3: school the Itelican. Our hands are killed. We've got all
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: of these places people can come and see. But we
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  Speaker 3: just need new things. It's like the camel Cup. If
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  Speaker 3: that's not going to be sustainable because there's one of
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  Speaker 3: the rock now flip it. Let's let's put a national
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  Speaker 3: radio circuit in part of the national circuit, a small
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  Speaker 3: little radio and Alice Springs is just not going to
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  Speaker 3: work with the with the insurance now. But have we
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  Speaker 3: made it part of the Australian circuit. We've got good
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  Speaker 3: funding and we've built a big stadium. Then we've got
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  Speaker 3: another major event for our springs.
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  Speaker 2: Well, this is the thing. I mean, you've got one
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  Speaker 2: just up the road.
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  Speaker 3: Change them.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, you've got one just up the road in Mount Eiser.
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  Speaker 1: Why not try and get it to get it to
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  Speaker 1: Alae Springs afterwards.
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  Speaker 3: Well, you know you've got the Brisbane. What you got
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  Speaker 3: Mount Eyes, I think you've got cans You've got If
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  Speaker 3: we made it part of the national circuit, then it
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  Speaker 3: would get good volume and it would be a good
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  Speaker 3: news story along with the Stoppman's all the fame and
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  Speaker 3: the art center going forward. And I also think we've
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  Speaker 3: had a problem with the Todd More for years, and
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  Speaker 3: I don't think we should open the open the bottom
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  Speaker 3: end of the mall going south. I think the top
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  Speaker 3: end of the mall needs to be opened one way
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  Speaker 3: only with a heap of parallel parking. The reason why
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  Speaker 3: that mall is dead there is no traffic, there's no parking.
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  Speaker 3: I would say to Sam and Iris Capital that's bought
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  Speaker 3: the casino. In the other hotels, I think a good
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  Speaker 3: thing to do would be to change the Todd Tavern
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  Speaker 3: to a five star hotel, whether it be a five
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  Speaker 3: or six story, and that'll feed off of the art
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  Speaker 3: gallery when it's eventually built. But it will also have
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  Speaker 3: a beautiful vogue. Look at Avanza, kill them Donald Rangers
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  Speaker 3: with maybe a pull up the very top with a
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  Speaker 3: bar where you can go and do things in the
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  Speaker 3: evening for the locals. And then you've got the walking
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  Speaker 3: trail and the mountain by a trail concreted all the
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  Speaker 3: way to the telegram station, and having a five star
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  Speaker 3: hotel in the center of town. They're the people with
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  Speaker 3: money to spend in the mall. If the shop's got
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: going again, the shops in the moll, we're not going
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  Speaker 3: to get gone by backpackers. They're going to get going
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  Speaker 3: by five star people with money to spend the mall.
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: But you have to put a really good hotel in
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  Speaker 3: the mall. So people walk down the morning and they've
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: got time to shop because at the moment they come
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: off a King's bus out of the Rock at seven
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: thirty at night into Alice. A lot of those people
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  Speaker 3: stay on Barrett Drive, whether it be the Double Tree
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: or the Lasses Cramplus Lasses. The next morning they're gone
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  Speaker 3: on buses at nine thirty to ten o'clock to the airport.
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  Speaker 3: They don't put any money into the town. They don't
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  Speaker 3: have time, they don't even know where the town is.
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  Speaker 3: But if they come in at seven thirty at night
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  Speaker 3: and they see that mall. When they get dropped off
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  Speaker 3: at a five star hotel in the center of town,
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  Speaker 3: it'll be more inclined to wrecking in the mall. Put
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: money into the cafes and they'll be more inclined to
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: buy art to buy at the ar and William store.
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: The shops will feed again.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: But yeah, don't look at that, Danny. We are going
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: to have to wrap up, mate.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: I really appreciate you having a chat with us on
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: the show this morning and just talking us through.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: You know, what is going on in Alice Springs.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: Some of you know the situation of what's being what
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: you're dealing with, but some of those ideas as well.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: So I really appreciate you having chat with me today.
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: Thank you so very much for your time.
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: No worries, and thank you for your time.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thanks Danny,