Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford on how funding will help tourism bounce back the battling region

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Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford on how funding will help tourism bounce back the battling region · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: He's been very elusive over the last couple of days.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: But the CEO of Tourism Central Australia, Daniel Rochford, we've
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: finally got him on the line.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Daniel.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, and good morning to your listeners. I
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  Speaker 3: don't know, maybe we need to resurrect the old telegraph
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  Speaker 3: line between Allison and Well.
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  Speaker 2: We've got you today, so we're very pleased with that. Daniel.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, before I get into some of the more positive
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  Speaker 1: announcements that have been made over the last few days,
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  Speaker 1: how are things going in Central Australia at the moment
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to those issues of crime, we know
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  Speaker 1: that they've been bubbling along for quite.
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  Speaker 2: Some time now.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, I'm still plaguing our community as it is right
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  Speaker 3: across Regional Australia. Look on a positive there, Katie, is
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  Speaker 3: the support that our council is having at the moment.
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  Speaker 3: Mayor Matt Patterson's putting together a regeneration strategy from his council,
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  Speaker 3: which is great. It's local solutions to locals and Tourism
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  Speaker 3: Central Australia fully support council in that endeavor, and you know,
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  Speaker 3: we've got an opportunity with the upcoming federal election that
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  Speaker 3: you know, these solutions need funding support and we need
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  Speaker 3: the labor and Liberal parties to be backing our local solutions.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, and I think that it's one of those
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  Speaker 1: things some people listening will be thinking, well, hang on,
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  Speaker 1: it is a Northern Territory government issue. But if there
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  Speaker 1: are different initiatives, different ways that we can approach this,
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  Speaker 1: then it would be a good thing because you know,
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  Speaker 1: nobody wants to see the issues that we're seeing. Even
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  Speaker 1: over the last few days. You know, yesterday we'll send
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  Speaker 1: a pressure release that two people were assaulted down the
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  Speaker 1: Todd Mall.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, literally outside our information center. So look, it's the
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  Speaker 3: the issue is ever present. But I'm a big believer
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  Speaker 3: of local solutions for local problems and it's our community.
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  Speaker 3: We have the responsibility to takenabull by the horn and
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  Speaker 3: government needs to be there to facilitate it. And kutos
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  Speaker 3: to Mayor Paw and his counsels. He's really taking charge,
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  Speaker 3: taking on the mayoralty last year. And you know, this
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  Speaker 3: strategy from what I understand of it, and I've got
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  Speaker 3: a big meeting about it today as well. You know,
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  Speaker 3: I think is certainly the first time I've seen a
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  Speaker 3: really good local, bottom up approach to dealing with the
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  Speaker 3: issue and we need our government, our political parties to
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  Speaker 3: back him.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, good on him that the council is doing that.
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  Speaker 1: So big meeting today is there.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, look to TCA and council regular catch up, but
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  Speaker 3: we're catching up on the regeneration strategy that the Mayor
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  Speaker 3: and Council is putting up. And as getting a bit
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  Speaker 3: of a briefing, I think from what I understand, there
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  Speaker 3: is going to go on a bit of ann offentive
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  Speaker 3: to try and get the funds of the needing and
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  Speaker 3: we need to throw significant resources at this, Katie. And
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  Speaker 3: you know we certainly support the council and that endeavor.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, we might even try and get Matt Patterson on
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  Speaker 1: at some point. I totally agree with you. You know,
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  Speaker 1: you and I have spoken on so many occasions about
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  Speaker 1: the wonderful place that Alice Springs is, the wonderful place
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  Speaker 1: at Central Australia is. But this issue of crime has
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  Speaker 1: got to get sorted so that you guys are able
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  Speaker 1: to thrive.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly right. And look, you know I do advocate
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  Speaker 3: to the government on a regular basis at all levels,
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  Speaker 3: but you know, in this instant government needs to just
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  Speaker 3: get out of the way and facilitate and back the
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  Speaker 3: local solutions and local issues. This is our community. We
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  Speaker 3: need to take charge. But we need our government, both
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  Speaker 3: territory and federal to back our local options with funding.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Daniel, let's talk about some funding that has been
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  Speaker 1: provided and that is this International Restart Support Fund. So
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  Speaker 1: it's going to be providing grants of up to fifteen
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  Speaker 1: thousand dollars available to support Northern Territory tourism businesses return
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  Speaker 1: to the international market. How important is this funding and
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  Speaker 1: really trying to get those international tourist back to the
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  Speaker 1: Red Center.
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  Speaker 3: Oh huge, Codie. We as you know, I think the
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  Speaker 3: statistics seventy percent of all the international visitors that come
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  Speaker 3: to Orthern Territory come to the Red Center. So this
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  Speaker 3: is so critical for our region down the south of
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  Speaker 3: Territory we're seeing you know, it's been oblique two years.
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  Speaker 3: As you know, you and I have talked about the
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  Speaker 3: signs and you know, to have this support which is
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  Speaker 3: for every three dollars for every one dollar invested by
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  Speaker 3: a business, it's the government's putting three is a real
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  Speaker 3: leg up for industry to get them back into some
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  Speaker 3: degree of normality and some degree of pre COVID activity.
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  Speaker 3: So we need to be as active and shouting from
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  Speaker 3: the rooftops as the northern territories open and we're open
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  Speaker 3: and we're getting back to business.
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  Speaker 2: Mat How are those jurious numbers looking at the moment?
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  Speaker 3: Look, the numbers looking pretty awesome. In fact, you know,
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  Speaker 3: we're seeing a huge spike in bookings in our information
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  Speaker 3: center for the upcoming season. We've got a number of
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  Speaker 3: national campaigns in play today. I just received information on
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  Speaker 3: one of those campaigns that are returning a ten to
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  Speaker 3: one return on investment. Also, every one dollar we've invested,
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  Speaker 3: we've seen ten dollars worth of booking, so you know,
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  Speaker 3: that's great news for the industry coming up. And you know,
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  Speaker 3: all reports from my operators is bookings are looking very nice.
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  Speaker 2: So how are the operators feeling right now?
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  Speaker 3: Oh, there's a little bit of you know, this is
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  Speaker 3: an interesting time and you know, we're closely working with
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  Speaker 3: our operators. You know, everyone's rated the piggybank over the
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  Speaker 3: last two years, so there's not a lot of cash
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  Speaker 3: reserves in most businesses. But at the moment, everyone's onboarding
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  Speaker 3: staff and you know, expenses are starting to mount up,
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  Speaker 3: and with tourism you don't often get paid by trade
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  Speaker 3: partners for a couple of weeks, even up to a
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  Speaker 3: month after the actual visit of travels. So you know,
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  Speaker 3: this is a little a little bit of an issue
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  Speaker 3: window at the moment that we're worried about. But I suspect,
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  Speaker 3: you know, with the morale and the confidence that's come back,
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  Speaker 3: there are some still niggli issues. You know. For instance,
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  Speaker 3: we are losing a lot of Victorian school groups at
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  Speaker 3: the moment because of the seven day manatary quarantine rules
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  Speaker 3: that we still have here in the Northern Territory. So
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  Speaker 3: we are seeing a lot of Victorian schools in particular
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  Speaker 3: cancel and that's still that's still causing some concern.
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  Speaker 2: Hang on, what do you mean the seven day quarantine rules.
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  Speaker 1: I thought everybody was free to travel to the territory
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  Speaker 1: as they see fit right now.
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  Speaker 3: So if you do get so if you do come
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  Speaker 3: down with COVID while you're traveling, you do need to
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  Speaker 3: self isolate for seven.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, right, So that's having an impact.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely. School groups are very you know, obviously you know
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  Speaker 3: you've got children. You know, if your child was away
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  Speaker 3: on a school camp and got thick. You know, you'd
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  Speaker 3: be beside yourself.
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  Speaker 2: So it wouldn't send them, would you.
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  Speaker 1: You'd be so worried they're going to get stuck somewhere.
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  Speaker 3: And that's you know, we have a number of operators
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  Speaker 3: here in Central Australia that that is their own. All
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  Speaker 3: that they do is they work with school groups and
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  Speaker 3: so we're seeing some big cancelations on that front.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, that's a shame and that's not something that
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  Speaker 1: I'd sort of thought of before. But Daniel, we know
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  Speaker 1: that one of the other really big announcements that the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory government has made is that they've taken that
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  Speaker 1: final step to acquire the land allowing the National Aboriginal
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  Speaker 1: Art Gallery to be built in our Springs.
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  Speaker 2: So it is.
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  Speaker 1: They're calling it a historic one hundred and fifty million
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  Speaker 1: dollar National Aboriginal Art Gallery precinct. Mate, How has this
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  Speaker 1: been received in Central Australia and particularly by the tourism industry.
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  Speaker 3: Well, you know, we have a good, deep down natural
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  Speaker 3: cynicism of governments here in Central Australia and you know,
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  Speaker 3: this project has been here for talked about for a
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  Speaker 3: long time, but I'd have to say that, you know
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  Speaker 3: the government's use of the term historic is very true.
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  Speaker 3: This is a great decision for our community. TCA has
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  Speaker 3: been advocating at for to be built in Manzac Oval
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  Speaker 3: Precinct for many years and we can only but congratulate
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  Speaker 3: the government. This is, and the wider announcement, the single
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  Speaker 3: largest investment in Alice Springs this century. So you know,
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  Speaker 3: any situation where governments announced almost a quarter of a
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  Speaker 3: billion dollars worth of investment into our community has to
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  Speaker 3: be warmly welcomed. This will be a game changer for
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  Speaker 3: our region and our tourism industry. And of course the
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  Speaker 3: other announcement that came off the that of this was
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  Speaker 3: the government announcing the establishment of a new Visitor Information
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  Speaker 3: Center for Tourism Central Australia, which unto itself, is great
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  Speaker 3: news for our region.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that is good news. Just to go back to it.
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  Speaker 1: How important is it then? You know, I know that
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  Speaker 1: you said the Council is working at that grassroots level.
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  Speaker 1: You guys are working with them as well, Daniel. How
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  Speaker 1: important is it when you talk about these investments into tourism,
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  Speaker 1: when you talk about tourism really trying to get moving again.
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  Speaker 1: In central Australia that we get it right and get
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  Speaker 1: this crime issue soughted.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, there's a no doubt how to paticati. We need
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  Speaker 3: to and also for the kids. You know, we you
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  Speaker 3: know we're letting people down. People are falling through the cracks.
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  Speaker 3: You know, these are deep seated issues and you know
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  Speaker 3: we need to take the bill by the horn and
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  Speaker 3: you know we need our governments to support local programs
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  Speaker 3: and local solutions. You know there needs to be some
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  Speaker 3: short term investment in greater police presence, but you know
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  Speaker 3: that's symptomatic. You know, we need to get down into
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  Speaker 3: the cause issues and we're letting a lot of people
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  Speaker 3: fall through the cracks here right across regional Australia and
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  Speaker 3: you know we need our government to stand up here.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel Rochford, it's always good to speak with you. We
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  Speaker 1: really appreciate your time this morning. Better late than never,
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  Speaker 1: we finally got you on this week. Good stuff mate,
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  Speaker 1: Thank you,