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Katie Woolf spoke with Endeavour Drinks Group Managing Director Steve Donohue · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: As we've heard in a statement or as I've just
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: read out in a statement, the Director of Liquor Licensing,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: under his statutory powers, has issued decision notices in respect
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  Speaker 1: to four historic liquor applications made under the Liquor Act
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  Speaker 1: of nineteen seventy eight. Now. One of those includes and
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  Speaker 1: deva Groups application for Dan Murphy's. It has been approved
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  Speaker 1: on the basis of a site change and consultation with
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  Speaker 1: indigenous groups, both key issues that the Liquor Commission has
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  Speaker 1: flagged in refusing the initial application. The Director has imposed
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: additional conditions of reduced trading hours nine pm closing time,
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  Speaker 1: and that customers must identify where they intend to consume
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  Speaker 1: that alcohol. Now joining us on the line to talk
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  Speaker 1: further about this approval is Endeva Drinks Group Managing Director
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  Speaker 1: Steve Donahue. Good morning to you, Steve, Yeah, very well,
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  Speaker 1: thanks very much for your time this morning, Steve. Are
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  Speaker 1: you pleased by the announcement?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, obviously we are. We're very pleased to be
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  Speaker 2: given the opportunity to take the next step, I suppose,
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  Speaker 2: so there's still quite a bit more work to do,
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  Speaker 2: particularly on community engagement, but we're very pleased to be
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  Speaker 2: given this decision. Yes, do you.
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  Speaker 1: Feel like this has been one of the longest and
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  Speaker 1: most arduous applications you've ever had to go for?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, look at certainly five years is a long time
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  Speaker 2: and as I say, we're not finished yet in terms
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  Speaker 2: of the work that we need to do. But yes,
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  Speaker 2: it's taken you know, clearly longer than perhaps we would
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  Speaker 2: have liked. But we do recognize the importance of going
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  Speaker 2: through due process and engaging with the community. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: those are the that's what comes with the responsibility of
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  Speaker 2: having illegal licenses that need to follow the process.
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  Speaker 1: Steve, you did say that there are obviously going to
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  Speaker 1: be some additional steps which need to be taken. Obviously
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  Speaker 1: it was announced as well, you know, earlier in the
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  Speaker 1: world that there would be that there would be an
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  Speaker 1: independent panel review as well by Woolworths. What are the
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  Speaker 1: initial steps that you're going to be taking now? Basically, Well, the.
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  Speaker 2: Woolworth independent Panel review, I think is a good and
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  Speaker 2: important step to make sure that a third party can
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  Speaker 2: review the steps that we've taken to engage with all
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  Speaker 2: the stakeholders that have an interest in the topic, and
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  Speaker 2: that's an ongoing engagement that we're pursuing. I'll personally be
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  Speaker 2: back up in Darwin Borders, allowing at least once in January,
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  Speaker 2: and we I was there as my most recent prior
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  Speaker 2: to it was back in February. But in the meantime
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  Speaker 2: through COVID, we've had engagement with community and other interested
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  Speaker 2: parties all the way through. So we're very committed to
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  Speaker 2: continuing that. We want to work out ways to deepen
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  Speaker 2: the connection that we have with community and other interested parties,
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  Speaker 2: so that'll happen in parallel, will work through the independent
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: panel review, will make it, make it, provide feedback to
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  Speaker 2: the Woolworth Board on the effectiveness of that undertaking.
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  Speaker 1: Now I know that one of the real sticking points
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  Speaker 1: here is consultation with indigenous groups. Is that something that
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  Speaker 1: that endeavor group had felt as though they'd already done.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I don't think you ever finished with consultation on
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  Speaker 2: a topic like this. So we have put, you know,
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  Speaker 2: quite significant efforts into that engagement consultation and we seek
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  Speaker 2: to continue to do that. So as I said, I
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  Speaker 2: will be you know best I can, getting up to
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  Speaker 2: the NPT as soon as possible. But we've still we've
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  Speaker 2: still managed to engage with indigenous community leaders throughout COVID
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  Speaker 2: and we intend to continue to do so.
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  Speaker 1: And so how do you plan on doing that in
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  Speaker 1: the new year.
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  Speaker 2: Well, might preferred ways to sit down at the table
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  Speaker 2: and have a good old yard. Yeah, sometimes we have
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  Speaker 2: to use you Zoom or Google hangout or whatever the case,
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  Speaker 2: but just getting around a fable and having a chat
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  Speaker 2: is the best way to do things. You know. One
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  Speaker 2: of our aspirations is to set up a committee that
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  Speaker 2: advises us as a participant, not only through the Dan Murphys,
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  Speaker 2: but through our hotels and our BWS network in the
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  Speaker 2: NT on further steps that we can take to meet
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  Speaker 2: expectations of all of our community stateholders.
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  Speaker 1: Have you been surprised by some of the pushback? I mean,
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't seem as though, you know, from the from
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  Speaker 1: the community feedback that I get on this show, and
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  Speaker 1: we have a lot of listeners, you know, the feedback
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  Speaker 1: that I've received, the majority of it has been quite
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  Speaker 1: welcoming of Dan Murphy's entering the Northern Territory. We know
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  Speaker 1: that there's certainly been different indigenous health groups who've raised
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  Speaker 1: concerns and we've spoken to them on the show as well.
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  Speaker 1: But have you been surprised by the level of pushback,
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  Speaker 1: even from people into state.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, I think there's always a very broad change
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  Speaker 2: of views, and you know, we're a business that operates
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  Speaker 2: throughout the country, so we're very conscious of paying attention
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  Speaker 2: to those varied views. I must say that we're very
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  Speaker 2: grateful for the support that we've had from the public
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  Speaker 2: in Darwen and a number of other groups in Darwin
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  Speaker 2: actually that represent a stakeholder groups. So we're very grateful
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  Speaker 2: for the feedback, support and the patience of those groups.
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  Speaker 2: But I think what we all need to recognize that
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  Speaker 2: everybody is entitled to an opinion and it's our role
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  Speaker 2: to listen to that and take a balanced view into
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  Speaker 2: account when we get to the point of potentially opening
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  Speaker 2: and operating the store. So we'll continue to do that.
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  Speaker 1: And do you think that the review by will Works
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  Speaker 1: will sort of allay some of those concerns that are
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  Speaker 1: still being raised by by health groups.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I think the hope is that, or the expectation
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  Speaker 2: of the independent panel review is that they are ensuring
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  Speaker 2: that we as a management team are doing all the
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  Speaker 2: things that we should to have the right levels of engagement.
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  Speaker 2: So really their job is to sort of check the
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  Speaker 2: way we're going about it, and as I say, that
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  Speaker 2: is an ongoing and ongoing process. So I feel quite
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  Speaker 2: confident that we have done and will continue to seek
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  Speaker 2: to engage with as many interested stakeholders as we can.
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  Speaker 2: And I guess I would add that our great encouragement
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  Speaker 2: to everybody is to take that opportunity to sit down
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  Speaker 2: and have the conversation with us, because we are certainly
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  Speaker 2: up for the chat.
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  Speaker 1: And Steve, I know that one of the other, you know,
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  Speaker 1: one of the other things that the Liquor Commission has
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  Speaker 1: obviously Liquor Licensing has obviously said in the statement which
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  Speaker 1: has been issued to the media. The director has said
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  Speaker 1: that there will be additional conditions of reduced trading hours
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  Speaker 1: and that customers must identify where they intend to consume
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  Speaker 1: the alcohol. I think the point about where they intend
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  Speaker 1: to consume the alcohol is something that is you know
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  Speaker 1: that quite often people are asked when they do go
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  Speaker 1: into to buy alcohol at any liquor store here in territory.
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  Speaker 1: But those reduced trading hours will that have much of
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  Speaker 1: an impact for Dan Murphy's No.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think it will in terms of our understanding
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  Speaker 2: of the extent of which customers want to enjoy the
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  Speaker 2: Dan Murphy experience that won't be inhibited by what I
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  Speaker 2: think are very reasonable measures taken in the report. And
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  Speaker 2: I also think that it's incumbent on us as a
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  Speaker 2: member of the community, as we are to reflect the
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  Speaker 2: community we serve. So we've got a big job to
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  Speaker 2: do in terms of recruiting people that can work in
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  Speaker 2: US law that will be able to be members of
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  Speaker 2: the community or are drawn from the community to support
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  Speaker 2: the outcomes that are being sought by the community and
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  Speaker 2: us as a participant therein. So I don't think that
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  Speaker 2: any of the conditions that have been handed down our
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  Speaker 2: owners and actually commend to the NC government on the
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  Speaker 2: steps of their taken to address the challenges of problem
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  Speaker 2: consumption of alcohol in their territory, and as challenging as
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  Speaker 2: it can be the time to enact those we understand
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  Speaker 2: the necessity and importance of them, and we're very committed
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  Speaker 2: to continuing to work together to determine what the next
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  Speaker 2: steps might need to be in respect of that in
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  Speaker 2: a way that meets the needs of people who consume
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  Speaker 2: alcohol responsibly but also helps address the challenges for those
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  Speaker 2: who have a problem with the product.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Steve, Obviously we all understand that the review is
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  Speaker 1: still going to happen, that independent review will buy will
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  Speaker 1: works I've seen obviously by an independent person. But taking
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  Speaker 1: that into account and I suppose putting that to the
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  Speaker 1: side for a moment, how soon is construction going to
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  Speaker 1: get underway?
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  Speaker 2: Well, the independent panel review will make its announcement at
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  Speaker 2: the start of April, is our hope, and that will
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  Speaker 2: probably correlate with the seasons allowing us to get started
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  Speaker 2: in the event that we think we've got ourselves into
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  Speaker 2: a position where we've had the right levels of engagement
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  Speaker 2: to allow that. So I'd like to think sometime just
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  Speaker 2: to April, all things going to plan. But there is still,
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  Speaker 2: as I say, some work to do in terms of
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  Speaker 2: thinking through how we're going to do it. All we've
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  Speaker 2: done so far is earned the right to do it,
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  Speaker 2: notwithstanding checking in on the process of engagement for how
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  Speaker 2: we're going to go about it, we do need to
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  Speaker 2: do some more work on and that's that's things, like
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  Speaker 2: I said, making sure that we can build a really
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  Speaker 2: great Dan Murphy team in that store, drawn from the
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  Speaker 2: community that is able to be a reflection of them
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  Speaker 2: and support them in the way they need it, all.
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  Speaker 1: Right, So a commitment to try your best to employ
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  Speaker 1: locals as well, obviously one.
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  Speaker 2: Percent, No, it's absolutely the case, is to say, in
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  Speaker 2: our hotel business and in our BWS business, no one
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  Speaker 2: knows locals like locals, so we won't be won't be
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  Speaker 2: shipping them in, will will be certainly looking to bring
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  Speaker 2: some new folks into the team. So look forward to
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  Speaker 2: getting that engagement under way too.
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  Speaker 1: And Steve, so, obviously, if construction was able to begin
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  Speaker 1: with that April time frame, how soon do you think
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  Speaker 1: the doors will open?
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  Speaker 2: Don't put me on the hook because I'll make a
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  Speaker 2: mistake in giving you a date. But let us come
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  Speaker 2: back to everybody in the end, So as soon as
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  Speaker 2: we can, you know, with this little bit of water
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  Speaker 2: under the bridge, and give some more clarity and due course.
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  Speaker 2: But certainly, you know, pending our capacity to do as
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  Speaker 2: we've said, and that being endorsed by the independent panel review,
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  Speaker 2: will be getting our gates on and we can get them,
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  Speaker 2: can get them up pretty quick. So we hope to
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  Speaker 2: stay tuned to that one.
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  Speaker 1: I'm afraid okay, well, and Steve, I know that there
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  Speaker 1: will still be some people listening this morning who still
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: have concerns about Dan Murphy's opening in the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 1: What would you say to those listeners.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, look, I just acknowledged those concerns first up, and
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  Speaker 2: acknowledge their validity first of all, because I think everybody
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  Speaker 2: who has concerns on this topic is entitled to them.
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  Speaker 2: But reiterate the openness that we have to having the
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  Speaker 2: conversation and engaging on how we can continue to be
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  Speaker 2: the most responsible server of alcohol, not only in the
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: territory of but right across the country. That's what we
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: aspire to. There are times when we miss the mark,
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  Speaker 2: but we always go again, double down and renew our
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: efforts to achieve that aim. So we will be present
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  Speaker 2: and will be open to having the conversations that need
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  Speaker 2: to be had from here to make sure that we've
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  Speaker 2: heard and as best we can respond to the concerns
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  Speaker 2: of the community and other stakeholders.
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  Speaker 1: Well and Devin Drinks Group Managing Director, Steve Donaghue, I
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  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much for
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: having a chat with us.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: Good on you, Katy Y. Thank you