Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Alice Spring Mayor Matt Patterson says the town needs more safe accommodation facilities for youth as sometimes home is not suitable

Transcript

Alice Spring Mayor Matt Patterson says the town needs more safe accommodation facilities for youth as sometimes home is not suitable · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Continuing on with the discussion out of Alice Springs, we
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  Speaker 1: know that the Alice Springs Mayor, Matt Patterson is supporting
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  Speaker 1: calls for a solutions based approach to curtail crime and
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  Speaker 1: anti social behavior, but he's proposing a possible model under
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  Speaker 1: which things could operate a little bit differently. He joins
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  Speaker 1: me on the line right now, Good morning to you, Matt.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Matt, what was your reaction, firstly to the announcement
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  Speaker 1: by the government yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: I look, with Counsel have endorsed the document in regards
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  Speaker 2: to the Social Order Response Plan, So you know, I
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  Speaker 2: sit on that committee and I guess the proofs want
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  Speaker 2: to be in the pudding as we go further down
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  Speaker 2: the track to see some changes within our springs. So look,
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  Speaker 2: I think at the moment people are just willing to
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  Speaker 2: try anything to try to curb what we live through
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  Speaker 2: every day.
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  Speaker 3: It sounds that way.
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  Speaker 1: And I did just catch up with Daniel Rochford from
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  Speaker 1: Tourism Central Australia and he said that, you know, it
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  Speaker 1: looks as though some of those longer term and medium
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  Speaker 1: term measures are good, but that there needs to be
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  Speaker 1: a good circuit breaker right now, in terms of short
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  Speaker 1: term measures, what do you think I mean, are we
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  Speaker 1: in a situation where in Alice Springs there should be
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  Speaker 1: those security patrols with dogs similar to what we see
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  Speaker 1: in the likes of Parama and Malac.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think even you know, the short term's fine,
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  Speaker 2: but let's talk about immediate term stuff. You know that's
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  Speaker 2: tonight and tomorrow night rather than you know, short term
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  Speaker 2: can be anywhere. I've asked for more resources as patrols,
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  Speaker 2: whether that these dogs, I certainly support the dogs, and
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  Speaker 2: as I said, I'm happy to support anything at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: and it's not to add fear. It's just to try
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  Speaker 2: to get the safe streets back and where people are,
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  Speaker 2: you know, more people will go. We know that passive surveillance,
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  Speaker 2: when you've got a busy CVD, there's less crime. All
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  Speaker 2: of those sort of things happen. So how do we
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  Speaker 2: get that pulse back into the part of our CVD.
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  Speaker 2: And look, I think that the more patrols are better,
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  Speaker 2: the visual pol of patrols, that's what everyone's been asking
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  Speaker 2: for for a long time.
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  Speaker 1: What do you make of the argument, then you know
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  Speaker 1: that it just moves the problem to another location.
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  Speaker 3: Do you think that that has any merit?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I certainly I appreciate that. But as I said,
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  Speaker 2: if you don't have a CBD, what do you have.
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  Speaker 2: You know, our CBD is flat and so we're certainly
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  Speaker 2: looking at ways as a council to revitalize and rejuvenate that.
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  Speaker 2: But I think at the moment we still need to
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  Speaker 2: give confidence to the public that it is a safe
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  Speaker 2: place to go.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Matt, you've actually come through with some other solutions
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  Speaker 1: as well, some different things.
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  Speaker 3: That you think could be happening. Now.
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  Speaker 1: I understand as well that the town council's past emotion
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  Speaker 1: calling on the Territory government to implement a curfew.
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  Speaker 3: Firstly, is that correct.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. So previously we have asked, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we would support the government if they implement of a curfew.
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  Speaker 2: We understand that we can't do that, you know, the
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  Speaker 2: rangers can't pick up kids obviously, but we certainly support
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  Speaker 2: if the Northern Territory government tried something. Now I've come
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  Speaker 2: out today and just said that I think it's the
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  Speaker 2: Child Protection Act that we need to start enforcing and
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  Speaker 2: we need to pick the kids up if they're on
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  Speaker 2: the street and they're not safe and we need to
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  Speaker 2: pick the kids up. It might be an unpopular decision,
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  Speaker 2: but it's certainly in the benefit of the children. If
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  Speaker 2: they don't have somewhere safe to go, then we need
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  Speaker 2: to provide them that facility. We have two youth hubs
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  Speaker 2: here in our springs that do shut at nine to
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  Speaker 2: ten pm, but where do they go after that? And
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  Speaker 2: the comparison I've used is, if you suffer domestic violence
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  Speaker 2: as a woman, you go to the women's shelter. Drug
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  Speaker 2: an alcohol provide a service equaled DASA if you are
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  Speaker 2: recovering from drugs in ourcohol But if you're a youth
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  Speaker 2: that's disengaged, you need somewhere to go. Well, unfortunately there's
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  Speaker 2: nowhere for you to go. And I think that that's
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  Speaker 2: the real problem that we need to provide that facility.
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  Speaker 2: The infrastructure is I've pushed for Yarra College. Now all
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  Speaker 2: the infrastructure is there, it is a boarding facility. I
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  Speaker 2: can't see why that wouldn't work in the short term.
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  Speaker 2: We know that the summer's ramping up and summer for
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  Speaker 2: us is the busiest time of year in regards to
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  Speaker 2: any social behavior, so we certainly need that six month
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  Speaker 2: approach till next year to make sure we're better. But
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  Speaker 2: also we're looking after the kids because if the longer
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  Speaker 2: we leave it, the worst it's going to get in future,
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  Speaker 2: in another generation.
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  Speaker 3: So we'll fly past us.
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  Speaker 1: So Urara College is the location that you are proposing
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  Speaker 1: that have you raised this with the Northern Territory government
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  Speaker 1: and has there been you know, like have you got
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  Speaker 1: support on this?
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  Speaker 2: Look when I was in Darwin recently, I certainly raised
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  Speaker 2: this to the Chief Minister and you know, to her credits,
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  Speaker 2: is it sounded like she would consider the option. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: And you know, I want to be clear, it's not
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  Speaker 2: lot these kids up there. It's just to provide them
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  Speaker 2: a safe place, you know, provide them a bed, provide
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  Speaker 2: them a warm you know, a feed or whatever it
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  Speaker 2: may be that they're in a safe environment. So the
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  Speaker 2: Chief Minister did sound like it's something she would entertain,
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  Speaker 2: and I urge, you know, the government and people from
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  Speaker 2: both sides that you know, we need to try something different.
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  Speaker 2: And the legislation is there to the Child Protection Act
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  Speaker 2: to enforce it. So let's have a go. And I
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  Speaker 2: can say to you, OK, it's not going to get
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  Speaker 2: any worse if we try it.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, get any worse? And the government keeps saying
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  Speaker 1: there all is. You know that if people have got
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  Speaker 1: ideas that there all is. So you know the thing
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  Speaker 1: is now we have got the community coming out with
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  Speaker 1: some different ideas. How big a difference do you reckon
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  Speaker 1: this would make?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I mean the proof will be in the pudding.
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  Speaker 2: As I said, I can't get any worse, So what's
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  Speaker 2: the harm in trying? And you're right everyone talks about
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  Speaker 2: community led solutions. I think that this is certainly something
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  Speaker 2: in a solution that is worth investigating. We can see
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  Speaker 2: how and I echo the chair of PCA the other day.
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  Speaker 2: I echo his words around COVID and how quickly they
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  Speaker 2: could move and try things. And you know we were
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  Speaker 2: the safest place in Australia at that time, so that
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  Speaker 2: can be flexible. At one point. We need to be
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  Speaker 2: flexible here and make some changes to look after the
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  Speaker 2: kids and look after the community.
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  Speaker 1: Matt, look at the moment, you know, are you are
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  Speaker 1: you upset with how long this is taking to really
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  Speaker 1: try to sort out and to make any kind of difference.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean pulling the hair out. I mean I'm
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  Speaker 2: not the only one, but it's not. You know, it
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  Speaker 2: has spent a long time coming and we've just had
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  Speaker 2: this explosion of events. Will happen at the same time,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the Stronger Future's legislation laps. All of these
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  Speaker 2: sort of things happen within the same time, and it's
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  Speaker 2: because of years of decisions out of CANBRA that have
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  Speaker 2: made this effect as well. Like, let's be real about that,
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  Speaker 2: a lot of these kids' age around the baby bonus age.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I'm not sure that the parents necessarily want
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  Speaker 2: the kids at the time, and you can see that
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  Speaker 2: they're so disengaged now that the age of these kids
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  Speaker 2: goes to the policy change in CANBRA. So whilst thying
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  Speaker 2: frustrated that has taken so long, I certainly welcome a
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  Speaker 2: trial of anything. And you know, we've got the Social
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  Speaker 2: Order Response Team with Chelsey, Families, players, counsel or a
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  Speaker 2: tip all of the people sitting at the table to
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  Speaker 2: come up and you know, enforce some things to change.
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  Speaker 2: So we'll wait and see what changes happen.
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  Speaker 1: Matt, just on the proposal that you're putting forward around
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  Speaker 1: you are a college. Just paint a picture for our
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  Speaker 1: listeners here in Darwin and in the top end, how
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  Speaker 1: far out of Alice is it? And who do you
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  Speaker 1: reckon could run us?
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  Speaker 2: So, I mean it is a school at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: It is a boarding school. And I'm not saying that
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  Speaker 2: we picked these kids up and put them into a
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  Speaker 2: shared dorm with everyone. I think that you know, there's
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  Speaker 2: four or five dorms out there. It is probably six
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  Speaker 2: or seven case outside of the CBD, so it's probably
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  Speaker 2: in between the gap and the airport. People have been
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  Speaker 2: here before. Yeah, And I mean it's a fantastic facility,
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  Speaker 2: and I'd say that it's incredibly underutilized. It's got a
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  Speaker 2: footy oval, it's got basketball courts, it's got assuming pool, dormitory,
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  Speaker 2: it's got all of those things that you could imagine
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  Speaker 2: well underutilized. It's a safe space for kids. I just
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  Speaker 2: think it's absolutely worth a try. And you know, if
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  Speaker 2: we don't try it, we're not going to know if
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  Speaker 2: it works or not, and we're going to be in
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  Speaker 2: the same scenario. And I suppose the end of the decade,
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  Speaker 2: if there's one child who's in harm's way and we
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  Speaker 2: do this and it gets them on a straight, narrow
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  Speaker 2: and in a safe environment, well then you'd have to
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  Speaker 2: say that just one child.
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  Speaker 1: It would be worth it, really, Matt, just to make
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  Speaker 1: it really clear for our listeners as well, because we
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  Speaker 1: did catch up with the principle of your Pernia school
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  Speaker 1: a little while.
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  Speaker 3: Back, a couple of weeks back.
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  Speaker 1: So this is a different facility, and obviously what you
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  Speaker 1: bring your you know, what they are in the process
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  Speaker 1: of doing is they're trying to secure funding so that
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  Speaker 1: their students are actually able to board there. That's not
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  Speaker 1: sort of being confirmed at this point in time whether
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  Speaker 1: they've got that funding. But this is a different location,
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  Speaker 1: a different school, isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, different school. I mean, you know, in future, you
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  Speaker 2: for Inia is probably you know, it's closer in the CBD,
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  Speaker 2: so it can be more flexible. But we don't have
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  Speaker 2: that resource right now that community asking for right now
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  Speaker 2: implementation of things that are going to make a difference.
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  Speaker 2: You Ara is set up. That's why I suggested youur
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  Speaker 2: Ara College. So in the future if the principle for
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  Speaker 2: me Brenian, if they do get that funding and it
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  Speaker 2: does become a boarding school, then I'd welcome anything to
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  Speaker 2: be trialed there or maybe even a second facility.
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  Speaker 1: Yep.
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  Speaker 2: The reason I'm suggesting you are ra is because it
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  Speaker 2: is ready to go. Yeah, and we could do that tomorrow.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Matt Patterson, we are going to be catching up
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  Speaker 1: with the Minister just after ten o'clock this morning, so
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  Speaker 1: we'll see what we can find out. We always appreciate
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  Speaker 1: your time. Thank you very much for having a chat
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  Speaker 1: with us this morning.
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  Speaker 2: No worries, thank you very much, so I'll make sure
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  Speaker 2: I tune in to the minister.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you.