Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Matt Hepworth spoke with City of Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell

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Matt Hepworth spoke with City of Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce Main Darwin
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  Speaker 1: Homes on Stuart Highway, Berrima. I Matt Hepworth filling in
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  Speaker 1: for Katie Wolf this morning. Joining me in the studio
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  Speaker 1: is the Mayor of Palmerston, Athena Pasco Bell. Good morning,
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  Speaker 1: Good morning. There's been a lot of chat around animal
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  Speaker 1: management by laws at the moment, as I understand that
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  Speaker 1: Palmerston Council put out a review discussion paper. How is
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  Speaker 1: that going? Look, it's going quite well.
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  Speaker 2: I believe we've had over one hundred and forty people
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  Speaker 2: already respond to that. We have released a discussion paper
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  Speaker 2: and there is a survey available in order for counsel
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  Speaker 2: to get a better understanding of what we need to
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  Speaker 2: cater for in our particular community. And we want to
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  Speaker 2: rewrite our bylaws so to make them more contemporary and
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  Speaker 2: according to current legislative standards as well.
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  Speaker 1: Is there a sense that it is outdated at the moment? Oh?
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  Speaker 2: Look, absolutely, it is twenty years old. It hasn't been
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  Speaker 2: updated for twenty years. A lot of what is in there,
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  Speaker 2: you know, it does work, but it doesn't meet current
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  Speaker 2: standards and community expectations. Our by laws also only cater
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  Speaker 2: for dogs. We don't have any specific dangerous dog provisions
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  Speaker 2: in there, which is not contemporary practice right now.
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  Speaker 1: And we are also asking.
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  Speaker 2: The community about other nuisance animals such as poultry and
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  Speaker 2: cats as well. So we're aiming to get the feel
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  Speaker 2: from the community about what they have in terms of expectations,
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  Speaker 2: and then we'll work to put together a drafting instruction
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  Speaker 2: for Parliamentary Council. So this is really only the beginning.
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  Speaker 2: It is a very long process. We'll have to go
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  Speaker 2: back and forward with Parliamentary Council over about eighteen months,
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  Speaker 2: I think, in order to get a final draft.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I've read a report recently that there were
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  Speaker 1: some complexities around different by laws for as a Darwin Council,
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  Speaker 1: Partistan Council and Luchfield Council. As part of this review,
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  Speaker 1: are you working in consultation with them to try and
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  Speaker 1: unify the by laws across those top end councils.
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  Speaker 2: We're not. We're not looking to unify by laws, but
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  Speaker 2: we have identified that dangerous animals in general are a
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  Speaker 2: problem across our three councils and we need some consistency
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  Speaker 2: in that space. And in particular, what we do need
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  Speaker 2: is the ability to share information about dangerous dogs with
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  Speaker 2: our neighboring councils, because we do know that people move
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  Speaker 2: between the three council areas quite regularly, and obviously if
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  Speaker 2: there's a dog that's been a nuisance or a danger
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  Speaker 2: to the community in one of our council areas, we
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  Speaker 2: need to share that information with the incoming council and
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  Speaker 2: make it a responsibility of those owners that they are
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  Speaker 2: to you notify the councils that they're moving and also
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  Speaker 2: that where they're moving too, so that we can take
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  Speaker 2: appropriate action with the incoming council.
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  Speaker 1: So currently that system is not in place.
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  Speaker 2: It's not in place, and you know, we don't have
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  Speaker 2: any provisions in that space for notifying the other councils.
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  Speaker 2: It is a big concern. We'd also like to see
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  Speaker 2: some more strengths in how we deal with dangerous animals.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm saying animals.
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  Speaker 2: Because in discussion with some of the other councils in
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory, they've also identified issues with people's pet
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  Speaker 2: buffaloes and potty pigs and other animals that people keep
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  Speaker 2: in a domestic situation but can escape and cause nuisance
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  Speaker 2: to the community. So it's not exclusively about dangerous dogs,
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  Speaker 2: but dangerous animals in general could be dealt with at
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  Speaker 2: at legislation level with the Northern Territory government rather than bylaws.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it certainly is a big body of work. So
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  Speaker 1: the review discussion paper open at the moment. If people
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  Speaker 1: want to provide feedback on that, what can they do
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  Speaker 1: and where can they go?
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  Speaker 2: Get onto councils website Palmerston dot T dot gov dot U.
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  Speaker 2: The discussion paper and survey will be open until the
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  Speaker 2: eighth of May, so it's open for two months. If
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  Speaker 2: you require a hard you can email Palmerston at Palmerston
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  Speaker 2: dot n T dot gov dot AU and a hard
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  Speaker 2: copy of those discussion papers and surveys will be sent
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  Speaker 2: to you.
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  Speaker 1: In some good news Athena, the Community Benefit Scheme application
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  Speaker 1: has been awarded.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, so we've last night we awarded Writing for the
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  Speaker 2: Disabled in the top end a grant of seven and
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  Speaker 2: a half thousand dollars to improve their Marlow Lagoon facility.
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  Speaker 2: This is fixing up and improving their outdoor area their
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  Speaker 2: main arena, to make it, I guess, improve the standard
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  Speaker 2: there and also fit a gate with solar power and
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  Speaker 2: a code operated entry to enable people to enter the facility,
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  Speaker 2: I guess in order to undertake their activities, writing for
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  Speaker 2: the disabled Provider service, enabling people of all abilities to
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  Speaker 2: undertake equestrian activities. It is something that is a great
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  Speaker 2: asset to our community and Councils is very happy to
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  Speaker 2: support them.
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  Speaker 1: A wonderful organization, I imagine. Obviously, the Community Benefits Scheme
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  Speaker 1: I think is something that's ongoing. Other community organizations are
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  Speaker 1: able to apply to this is they're ongoing funding there is.
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  Speaker 2: We have around one hundred and thirty thousand dollars a
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  Speaker 2: year in our Community Benefits scheme. It is open all
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  Speaker 2: year round, so I think some other grants have a
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  Speaker 2: specific opening and closing date, but our open year round yep.
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  Speaker 2: And anyone who's not for profit can actually apply. And
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  Speaker 2: we're pretty generous and we like to see our community
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  Speaker 2: groups thrive.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, Moving on Athena. I understand next week is
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  Speaker 1: Harmony Week and it sounds like City of Palmerston have
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  Speaker 1: got quite a few activities organized yep.
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  Speaker 2: So we'll be celebrating on Monday the twenty second at
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  Speaker 2: the Palmerston Recreation Center and we've got activities from nine
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  Speaker 2: till three on that day, celebrating Aboriginal culture, enjoying morning
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  Speaker 2: tea and following with some shrim lank and cooking at
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  Speaker 2: the end of the day, and a belly dancing workshop.
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  Speaker 1: Look, there's some things there that I can do. I'll
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  Speaker 1: let you figure out which ones are which.
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  Speaker 2: All events are free, but bookings are required to be
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  Speaker 2: made on our website and that's in the upcoming events section.
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  Speaker 2: And how Many Week is a chance to celebrate Australian
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  Speaker 2: multiculturalism and the successful integration of migrants into our community.
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  Speaker 1: It certainly is. Back on the topic of animals, the
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  Speaker 1: Positive Pets Palmestan tell us more about this.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you can join our friendly rangers this evening on
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  Speaker 2: a walk around Palmeston with your fur friend at five
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  Speaker 2: pm at Sanctuary Lakes, and there will be another one
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  Speaker 2: on the thirty first of March five pm at Marlow Lagoon.
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  Speaker 2: We'll be trialing fortnightly walks to try and build some
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  Speaker 2: community walking groups and they will be assisted with our rangers.
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  Speaker 2: So if you have any animal behavior issues or just
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  Speaker 2: general concerns, you can raise them with our ranges and
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  Speaker 2: they will take you on a guided walk.
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  Speaker 1: Sounds like a good opportunity. Where as we're discussing a
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  Speaker 1: little bit earlier around some of the animal management buy
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  Speaker 1: it sounds like a very informal way to perhaps have
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  Speaker 1: discussions with some of those council ranges if there are
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  Speaker 1: concerns around some of those by laws, an informal way
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  Speaker 1: to have that conversation. It is.
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  Speaker 2: It's about reaching out to the community providing animal education
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  Speaker 2: opportunities and we have been doing a range of things
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  Speaker 2: to do with barking dogs and other matters like that,
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  Speaker 2: community engagement and training. Our Animal Education officer does a
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  Speaker 2: great job and this is just another opportunity for you
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  Speaker 2: to get out with your furry friend, speak to the rangers,
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  Speaker 2: get some information and go for a walk.
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  Speaker 1: Well I think the Pasco bell anything else happening in
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  Speaker 1: Palmerston that we should know about. I don't know. There's
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  Speaker 1: always things happening.
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  Speaker 2: You know. We are still pursuing our swimming pool, so
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  Speaker 2: a grant when in progressing quite well. So we wait
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  Speaker 2: now to hear from the Commwealth Government to find out
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  Speaker 2: whether our grant application has been successful and fingers crossed
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  Speaker 2: or do we all go go go from there? I
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  Speaker 2: believe the tender for great community Hall reconstruction is in
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  Speaker 2: the final stages of consideration, so that announcement should be
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  Speaker 2: made soon about that as well.
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  Speaker 1: So lots of things happening excellent. When will the Commonwealth
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  Speaker 1: get back to you on the on the grant or
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  Speaker 1: the funding, I should.
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  Speaker 2: Say, I imagine by May, so it might take a
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  Speaker 2: few weeks for them to get through their applications. The
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  Speaker 2: Building Better Regions fund is two hundred million dollars and
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  Speaker 2: there are around five hundred councils in Australia, and although
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  Speaker 2: not all of them will apply, I imagine they'll have
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  Speaker 2: a very large number of applications.
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  Speaker 1: We certainly won't be getting all two hundred if we
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  Speaker 1: got we get the application through well. The Mayor of Palmerston,
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  Speaker 1: Athena Pasco Bell, thank you so much for public bar
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  Speaker 1: this morning. Thank you