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Katie Woolf spoke with Tourism Central Australia CEO Daniel Rochford · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: And well we're now going to head on down to
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  Speaker 1: Central Australia and joining us on the line is Tourism
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  Speaker 1: Central Australia CEO Daniel Rochford.
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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.
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  Speaker 2: Daniel.
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  Speaker 1: We know that there has been so much talk up
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  Speaker 1: here in the top end over the last couple of
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  Speaker 1: days about vaccines and the rate at which we're at
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to vaccines and opening the Northern Territory up,
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  Speaker 1: or what our plans are ahead of Christmas. Earlier in
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  Speaker 1: the week we caught up with Hospitality and t CEO
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  Speaker 1: Alex Bruce. We also spoke to Jarvis Ryan from the
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  Speaker 1: Education Union about the real need for a plan. I think, Daniel,
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to how this is all going to
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  Speaker 1: look over the next couple of months, how are you
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  Speaker 1: feeling at the moment from Tourism's perspective.
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  Speaker 3: Well, there's certainly a nervousness and anxiousness within the industry
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  Speaker 3: in terms of the rollout, and we're certainly calling upon
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  Speaker 3: all governments to work and be absolutely focused on role
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  Speaker 3: on increasing the speed of the rollout. Certainly we join
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  Speaker 3: with all other sectors in terms of ensuring that we
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  Speaker 3: need to have greater vaccination rates across the territory. We
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  Speaker 3: have a lot of vulnerable communities and we do understand
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  Speaker 3: why the government's are saying what they're saying in terms
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  Speaker 3: of keeping things closed until the end of the year,
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  Speaker 3: but we need to make sure that is speeded up.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, how are you guys going at the moment?
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  Speaker 2: Daniel?
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  Speaker 1: Last time I spoke to you, you talked us through
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  Speaker 1: some of those numbers when it comes to the flights
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  Speaker 1: going into Central Australia, particularly Ularu.
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  Speaker 2: How are things tracking right now?
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  Speaker 3: Well, in the case of Ularu, very little has changed.
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  Speaker 3: We normally see about fifteen flights into the Yolara Airport.
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  Speaker 3: We're just down to three and that's not looking promising
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  Speaker 3: going into the future. We're not seeing any change to
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  Speaker 3: what's happening in mis South Wales or Victoria. So we
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  Speaker 3: really are grinding to a halt, and what our industry
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  Speaker 3: is doing is staring down the viewpoint of a long,
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  Speaker 3: hot summer, which is traditionally our low season and when
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  Speaker 3: we would normally receive international visitation. Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Daniel, you know, last time you and I spoke,
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  Speaker 1: we talked about the need for some real assistance I
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  Speaker 1: think you'd say from both the federal government and also
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  Speaker 1: the territory government for those businesses that work in the
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  Speaker 1: tourism sector that are struggling at the moment. But have
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  Speaker 1: you had much movement? I mean, I know that the
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  Speaker 1: government has spoken a bit more about those tourism vouchers
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  Speaker 1: and also about their drive strategy, but are those things
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  Speaker 1: enough to get you through?
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  Speaker 3: No. And the reality is that, unfortunately the industry, is
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  Speaker 3: that the consequence of keeping us safe. You know, you
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  Speaker 3: and I have talked about many times that we've appreciated
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  Speaker 3: the work that our governments have done to keep us safe,
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  Speaker 3: but the downstream consequence has been the smashing of the tourism,
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  Speaker 3: hospitality and events sector. And we feel that quite significantly
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  Speaker 3: given our reliance on international visitation here in the Red Center. Look,
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  Speaker 3: the reality is, until such time we can get some certainty,
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  Speaker 3: we need to have some form of job retention support
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  Speaker 3: or hardship support on a regular basis. I don't want
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  Speaker 3: to sound like the winging tourism industry, but the reality
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  Speaker 3: is the fact that we're all safe, there is a
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  Speaker 3: consequence to our industry as a result, and we're just
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  Speaker 3: asking for some support, targeted support over the next few
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  Speaker 3: months to get us through this low season.
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  Speaker 1: I actually think it's fair enough. I don't think that
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  Speaker 1: you sound like the winging tourism industry. I think you
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  Speaker 1: sound like someone who's advocating for an industry that's really
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  Speaker 1: struggling right now when you look at what's going on
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  Speaker 1: with tourism. But then when you sort of take it
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  Speaker 1: a step further and go in central Australia, there's not
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  Speaker 1: the great ability like there is in some other parts
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  Speaker 1: of Australia where you've wet, you know, a big base
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  Speaker 1: load in terms of locals who are able to travel there.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so true, Katie. Look, I think look are the
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  Speaker 3: regional parts of Australia. You know, they have a population
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  Speaker 3: base and even with the top end you know, with
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  Speaker 3: the voucher program as you know, a lot of the
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  Speaker 3: voucher support has gone to predominantly top end businesses because
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  Speaker 3: you've got a population base. Unfortunately, here in the Red Center,
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  Speaker 3: we just don't have that population base to draw upon.
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  Speaker 3: And you know that's one of the unique situations that
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  Speaker 3: we face ourselves face out with ourselves and also the
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  Speaker 3: reliance on international visitation. So between those two points, it's
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  Speaker 3: really making it difficult for us.
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  Speaker 2: Now, Daniel, then when you sort of look, I know.
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  Speaker 1: That there's a report in the NT News today saying
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  Speaker 1: that Australia's largest Indigenous health organization has revealed that since
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  Speaker 1: August thirty, almost forty percent of its clients have refused
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  Speaker 1: the COVID vaccine when it was offered to them. So
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  Speaker 1: that's despite clients being offered twenty five dollar food voucher
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  Speaker 1: if they do get vaccinated. So Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
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  Speaker 1: Chief Executive Donna rg had said that since launching a
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  Speaker 1: six week vaccination blitz just over a week ago, thirty
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  Speaker 1: three percent of clients said not today went off of
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  Speaker 1: the JAB and a further four percent said no not ever.
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  Speaker 1: Is that a worry to you given the fact that
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  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister has been out in recent weeks saying
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  Speaker 1: that we need to get to eighty percent vaccination rate
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  Speaker 1: across the board before we can actually open back up.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, there's no doubt that we need to put
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  Speaker 3: all efforts into increasing that vaccination rate and encouraging overcoming
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  Speaker 3: the hesitancy issues that we're facing. You know, we all
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  Speaker 3: want to get back to some degree of normality as
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  Speaker 3: soon as we possibly can. So governments across the nation
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  Speaker 3: are working towards vaccination strategy so as the quickest pathway
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  Speaker 3: to get back to normality, and we certainly need a
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  Speaker 3: government at all levels to be making sure that we
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  Speaker 3: work towards that as swiftly as we possibly can. Look at,
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  Speaker 3: the reality is again for us here in Central Australia,
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  Speaker 3: we have a small regional hospital. You know, if COVID came,
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  Speaker 3: when COVID comes to Central Australia, that's going to put
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  Speaker 3: enormous pressure on our health system here locally. And you know,
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  Speaker 3: we you know, we need to make sure that we
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  Speaker 3: do see those vaccination rates as high as we possibly can,
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  Speaker 3: because we certainly don't want to see the negative impacts
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  Speaker 3: that we've seen across health systems around the around the world.
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  Speaker 1: Tourism Central Australia CEO Daniel Rochford, anything else we should
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  Speaker 1: know about this morning before we before we wrap up.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, look at we had the Red Center that's here
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  Speaker 3: last week, O Katie. It was a great weekend. As
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  Speaker 3: much as I talk often a bit of doom and
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  Speaker 3: gloom in terms of the industry, leaves and bright points.
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  Speaker 3: It was great to see so many people, it was
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  Speaker 3: a record number. Hats off to the great team at
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  Speaker 3: NT major events. They know how to make a good event,
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  Speaker 3: put on a good event, and that they did.
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  Speaker 2: All good stuff. It is wonderful.
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  Speaker 1: It sounds as though it absolutely went off, which is
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  Speaker 1: exactly what you guys needed. It is always good to
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  Speaker 1: have those visitors to Central Australia as well.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, very much so true, Katie. Look again, the best
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  Speaker 3: thing everyone can do to with your listeners has come
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  Speaker 3: down to Central Australia. There's a vouch around in the
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  Speaker 3: next couple of weeks, so head on down and experience
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  Speaker 3: the great Red Tenner.
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  Speaker 1: Well Tourism Central Australia CEO Daniel Rochford good to speak
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  Speaker 1: with you this morning. We'll talk to you again soon.
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  Speaker 1: Thank Katie, Thank you,