Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson hopes $94 million in Federal funds earmarked for the region will go towards a safe place where children can go at night

Transcript

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson hopes $94 million in Federal funds earmarked for the region will go towards a safe place where children can go at night · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: One of the other areas that people have indeed got
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: concerns right now is with the investment into Central Australia.
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  Speaker 1: Now we know that the Prime Minister Anthony Alberanezi did
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  Speaker 1: announce earlier this year that two hundred and fifty million
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  Speaker 1: dollars is going to be invested into Central Australia and
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  Speaker 1: that is in an effort to really try to make
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  Speaker 1: the community safer, tackle alcohol related crime and harm, and
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  Speaker 1: also provide more opportunities for young people. So, working closely
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  Speaker 1: with the Office of the Central Australian Regional Controller, Central
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  Speaker 1: Australian Communities as well the Australian Government say that they
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  Speaker 1: are going to be delivering on those next stage of
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  Speaker 1: investments that will strengthen local communities across Central Australia, including
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  Speaker 1: Alice Springs. Now joining me on the line to talk
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  Speaker 1: more about how this money has been divvied up and
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  Speaker 1: whether it's the right way is the mayor of Alice Springs,
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  Speaker 1: Matt Patterson. Good morning to you, Matt.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning carry I'll do my best to try to
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  Speaker 2: explain it. Hopefully It's been cold to me, but I'll
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  Speaker 2: try my harder.
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  Speaker 1: Let's give it a go.
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  Speaker 2: Matte.
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  Speaker 1: We know that there is a significant amount of money here.
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  Speaker 1: They're talking two hundred and fifty million dollars. I've added
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  Speaker 1: it all up and can see that we're ninety four
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  Speaker 1: million dollars short. I'm told that that's going into a
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  Speaker 1: contingency fund. But what do you make of the way
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  Speaker 1: that this money has been divvied up at this point.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I think it's obviously a very good start and
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  Speaker 2: I welcome the investment. It's not often the Federal treasure
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  Speaker 2: will talk about cedral Australia and his budget speech, so
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  Speaker 2: I think that the ball is certainly moving and it's
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  Speaker 2: a welcome investment from our end. There are some really good,
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  Speaker 2: really good pieces of the pie that will be hopefully
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  Speaker 2: spending the right area for Center Australia make some change.
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  Speaker 2: I look at the Community and Regional Infrastructure Fund for
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  Speaker 2: Central Australia, so fifty million dollars on in community infrastructure.
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  Speaker 2: One of the things that we constantly told is that
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  Speaker 2: there's not enough infrastructure for teenagers and young people in
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  Speaker 2: Alice Springs. So hopefully that's something that we can certainly
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  Speaker 2: tap into straight away. Now.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously plenty of different different initiatives and money going into
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  Speaker 1: different areas. Forty million for on country learning to improve
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  Speaker 1: school engagement, twenty three million for improving First Nations health outcomes,
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  Speaker 1: nine million for strengthening community safety, three point nine for
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  Speaker 1: a youth Services action plan, ten million to enhance digital connectivity.
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  Speaker 1: But Matt, ninety four million dollars in a contingency fund.
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  Speaker 1: Have you been told how exactly that's going to be spent?
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  Speaker 2: No, not as yet, But as I said, we just
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  Speaker 2: did with the information in front of me and try
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  Speaker 2: to spend what we can in the right areas. I
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  Speaker 2: think you know, through the past we've thrown money at
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  Speaker 2: it and expected to fix it really quickly and not
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  Speaker 2: done it. So I appreciate that whilst there's ninety four
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  Speaker 2: million dollars still in the buck are there's still consultations
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  Speaker 2: going on with communities surrounding our springs around what that
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  Speaker 2: investment looks like. So I certainly don't have a problem
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  Speaker 2: with that ninety four million sitting there whilst the consultations
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  Speaker 2: being completed.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, And from what the Northern Territory Treasurer Evil Laula
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  Speaker 1: had said to us on the show a bit earlier
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  Speaker 1: this morning, she had said exactly that that it's a
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  Speaker 1: contingency where there is going to be further consultation. You know,
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  Speaker 1: there'd been discussion about a boarding facility and things like that,
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  Speaker 1: So that further consultation and that funding will look at
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  Speaker 1: what's you know, they'll be able to look at exactly
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  Speaker 1: what they're going to invest it on.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I mean one of the things that I've
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  Speaker 2: been advocating for for a long time is having a
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  Speaker 2: safe place for kids to go, and that's really the
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  Speaker 2: piece that you know, I'm hoping we'll get picked up
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  Speaker 2: through this consultation around having a place where children can
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  Speaker 2: go after hours that's a safe place because having a
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  Speaker 2: child on a street at the moment in our springs
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  Speaker 2: is freezing col It's just you know, it's not safe
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  Speaker 2: for anyone and we just need to wrap services around
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  Speaker 2: these kids. So hopefully that comes out in the wash
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  Speaker 2: out of that ninety four million.
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  Speaker 1: So, Matt, from your perspective, do you think that this
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  Speaker 1: investment is going to see some change on the very
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  Speaker 1: serious issues that you've been experiencing in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, my fingers are crossed. I go back to
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  Speaker 2: the forty eight point eight million dollar announcement that was
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  Speaker 2: announced earlier in the year. I mean that got more
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  Speaker 2: place dweller Springs and that continued some services for the
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  Speaker 2: next financial year. So hopefully we know this substantial investment,
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  Speaker 2: we do to see some positive change code because we
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  Speaker 2: need to. But I think that it's a very good start.
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  Speaker 1: And we also know that there's going to be fourteen
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  Speaker 1: odd million on thirty additional police officers. There is money
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  Speaker 1: going towards corrections, so that there's going to be more
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  Speaker 1: facilities as I understand it for the prison. Even those
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  Speaker 1: different measures, you would hope we'll go some way into
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  Speaker 1: making some change.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, And I've talked about having more police offices
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  Speaker 2: not going to fix the problem, but it's about having
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  Speaker 2: passive surveillance for the community and proactive policing. So it's
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  Speaker 2: something that we know works when you have proactive policing.
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  Speaker 2: And so if you've got thirty more police officers in
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  Speaker 2: our Springs, I think that'll be welcomed by the community.
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  Speaker 1: Now, is there anywhere that you think the budgets and
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  Speaker 1: the funding falls short.
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  Speaker 2: I look a lot at this stage. I think that
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  Speaker 2: you know, for a town of twenty five thousand, you
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  Speaker 2: know that services forty thousand. We have been reasonably looked
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  Speaker 2: after in the budget, but now it is up to
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  Speaker 2: us to continue to work with the FEDS in the
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  Speaker 2: territory to see the roll out. Commitments are one thing,
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  Speaker 2: but now we need to get the ball rolling and
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  Speaker 2: start seeing some shovels in the ground for the infrastructure
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  Speaker 2: stuff and seeing the social side of it from a
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  Speaker 2: government point of view that rollout as well, because it's
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  Speaker 2: okay to commit it, but we also need to see
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  Speaker 2: it in the region and we'll do everything we can
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  Speaker 2: to make sure we can keep that ball rolling as
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  Speaker 2: quickly as we possibly can.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Matt, are you able to give us a bit
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  Speaker 1: of an update on where things are at with the
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  Speaker 1: footy competition in Central Australia. I know that there was
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  Speaker 1: people that were at Trager Park as I understand it,
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  Speaker 1: yesterday evening protesting the fact that some of that local
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  Speaker 1: foot has not been able to be played. Where are
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  Speaker 1: things at?
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  Speaker 2: So I met with Gil McGlaughlin earlier in the week
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  Speaker 2: and we had a a pretty good conversation. I think
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  Speaker 2: it'll be resolved by this week, but you know, hopefully,
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  Speaker 2: you know, hopefully that gets moving and we get a resolution.
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  Speaker 2: Just want to be clear though we're not. Football hasn't
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  Speaker 2: stopped in our springs, the town competition and we still
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  Speaker 2: have other rivals that are being access so I think
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  Speaker 2: that's an important part for your listeners to understand as well.
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  Speaker 1: But I mean, is Trager Park being used as a
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  Speaker 1: bit of a political football here for want of a
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  Speaker 1: better word. You know, should those kids and should people
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  Speaker 1: be able to get back onto the field.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it is our best facility and I hope people
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  Speaker 2: can use it sooner rather than later. But as I've said,
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  Speaker 2: we've got incredible facilities, sporting facilities in other springs that
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  Speaker 2: are being utilized and they'll continue to be utilized so
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  Speaker 2: people aren't missing out on sport.
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  Speaker 1: So what's holding it up right now? Is it still
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  Speaker 1: the is it still the you know, the fixture from
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  Speaker 1: the a f L.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just a bridge of license that we're trying
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  Speaker 2: to work with AFL in Team good faith, AFL in
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  Speaker 2: Tea and AFL to try to resolve it. And I'm
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  Speaker 2: confident after having a discussion with AFL earlier in the
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  Speaker 2: week that it will be resolved.
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  Speaker 1: Now, what about that big match with the Demons and
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  Speaker 1: the GWS Giants. I think it is for a bit
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  Speaker 1: later in the year. Is that going ahead.
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  Speaker 2: I'm very confident that will happen on the second of July, Kadian,
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  Speaker 2: I think you should come down and have a look
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  Speaker 2: at it as well. Why don't you come down to
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  Speaker 2: our springs mate?
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  Speaker 1: How good would that be? The weather would be glorious.
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  Speaker 2: You go, We'll get you in the We'll get you
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  Speaker 2: in the media box right off on the work trip.
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  Speaker 1: We'll give it outside broadcast going Maybe we need an
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  Speaker 1: outside broadcast in Alas Springs. Tell my boss, will you?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Papasa, I'm sending my detail Matt Pattison.
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  Speaker 1: Good to catch up with you as always. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: very much for your time today.
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  Speaker 2: Good on you, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you