Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford says a bus crash in Hermannsburg, that left 1 gead and several injured, has rocked the Alice Springs community

Transcript

Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford says a bus crash in Hermannsburg, that left 1 gead and several injured, has rocked the Alice Springs community · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But as I mentioned earlier this morning in tragic news
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: from overnight, one person is dead and six passengers were
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: transferred to the Allie Springs Hospital from the scene of
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: a tour bus crash about five kilometers east of Hermannsburg.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: The crash, as we understand it, happened late yesterday afternoon,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: sending shockwaves through Central Australia. Now joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line is the CEO of Central Australian Tourism, Daniel Rochford.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Daniel, Yeah.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, Good morning to.
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  Speaker 1: Your listener, Daniel. This is a terribly tragic situation. What
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  Speaker 1: do you know at this point.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: Well, Katie, we certainly knew that this incident occurred late
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: yesterday afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are obviously with the
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: families involved in this tragic accident, and you know, we
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  Speaker 2: can only but thank the first responders who supported at
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: the scene yesterday. And you know, it is an unfortunate
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: and tragic situation and the thoughts and prayers are definitely
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: with all those involved at the moment.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, one hundred percent. As I say, I'm sure it
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  Speaker 1: has absolutely sent shockwaves through Central Australia and particularly the
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  Speaker 1: tourism industry, Daniel, do we know where the bus was traveling?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a four wheel drive bus around twenty
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: a capacity of around twenty passengers. It was coming back
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  Speaker 2: from one of our national parks back into our springs
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  Speaker 2: like yesterday afternoon. I really don't have any other detail
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  Speaker 2: beyond that what occurred. Obviously the matter quite appropriately is
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: with the Anti Police and NT work Safe at the
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: moment to investigate.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, our thoughts and prayers, as you said, with absolutely
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: everybody involved. What a terribly tough time for everyone in
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  Speaker 1: Central Australia. We know in a community like Central Australia
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  Speaker 1: that it is so close knit, a place where everybody
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  Speaker 1: really does care about one another, and when something like
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  Speaker 1: this happens, particularly within the tourism industry, I would imagine
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  Speaker 1: it's really tough going.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're all family here and we all know one another,
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  Speaker 2: and you know it's a difficult situation for everyone and
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: that all the families.
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  Speaker 3: Involved look certainly from what I know is that the
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: company involved has put all the resources they have available
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  Speaker 3: to support their passengers and their staff at this difficult time.
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  Speaker 2: And you know that the ideas have said, is it
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  Speaker 2: with the NT police and in ta work safe at
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  Speaker 2: the moment.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Daniel, you and I would do to speak this
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  Speaker 1: morning to obviously talk about the phenomenal amount of various
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  Speaker 1: things that are coming up over coming weeks, but certainly
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  Speaker 1: over the coming days in Central Australia. The Think Desert
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  Speaker 1: Race due to kick off in a few days time.
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  Speaker 1: I've no doubt that it's all starting to bust.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you bet you it's you know, the events is
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  Speaker 2: expected to bring around ten thousand people extra people into
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  Speaker 2: town and looking at many of our shops and I
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  Speaker 2: was at all Worth last night. The place was packed
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  Speaker 2: with people keen to get out on the track and
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  Speaker 2: to be involved in Think this weekend. So it's great
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  Speaker 2: to see so many people. And you know, I've talked
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  Speaker 2: about over the last couple of years, you know, the
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  Speaker 2: challenges we faced as a results of the pandemic, and
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  Speaker 2: it's great to see visitors returning back to Central Australia.
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  Speaker 1: One hundred ten thousand. How does that compare to previous years?
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  Speaker 1: Is that a pretty good number, particularly post COVID.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not too sure how it compares against previous years,
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  Speaker 2: but it's bloody awesome in my mind, because you know,
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  Speaker 2: what that sees, you know, people coming in and spending
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  Speaker 2: money in our local economy, and you know, it's great
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  Speaker 2: to see that influx of people in the town after
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  Speaker 2: what has been a really terrible two years.
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  Speaker 1: Oh it's you know, you and I have spoken on
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  Speaker 1: so many occasions about the tough time that you know
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  Speaker 1: that al tourism operators are obviously facing, and the tourism
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  Speaker 1: industry has faced over the last couple of years, but
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  Speaker 1: particularly for you guys in Central Australia. And I know
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  Speaker 1: that the THINK is a wonderful event. I haven't been
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  Speaker 1: for quite a large number of years, but I tell
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  Speaker 1: you what, the town goes off, doesn't it, Daniel?
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  Speaker 2: It does? And look at you know, tomorrow night we've
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  Speaker 2: got our night market, which is kind of the start
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  Speaker 2: of the whole affair, and then obviously over the weekend
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  Speaker 2: we'll rev up to fever pitch levels and you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's great to see so many people. And also hats
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  Speaker 2: off to the organizing committee. This is a massive event
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  Speaker 2: to put on and they do an amazing job putting
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  Speaker 2: THINK on. It's one of many events that we have
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  Speaker 2: here in Central Australia, and there's so many on the books.
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  Speaker 2: Coming forward, and it's great to see some of our
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  Speaker 2: iconic events like the Henley on Todd Wrigatta returning this year.
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  Speaker 2: And you no better time to come and visit Central
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  Speaker 2: Australia this winter.
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  Speaker 1: Oh well, you know what, I think a lot of
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  Speaker 1: people I don't know whether they realize how beautiful Central
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  Speaker 1: Australia is over that winter period as well, because obviously
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  Speaker 1: it gets very cold in the mornings and at night,
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  Speaker 1: but it is glorious throughout the day.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, you know, you could be loosely described as a
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  Speaker 2: brass monkey season in the early mornings, but you know,
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  Speaker 2: absolutely pleased, beautiful sunny days and a great time to
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  Speaker 2: visit and get out and get amongst it. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: it certainly encourages many people from the top end to
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  Speaker 2: come down this winter's come and experienced Central Australia. And
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  Speaker 2: you know, as we've talked before, you know we've got
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  Speaker 2: many of our icons now returning. Glen Helen Resorts to
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  Speaker 2: reopen this week and the newly refurbished King Creek Station
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  Speaker 2: and King's Canyon resorts have come back online, so you
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  Speaker 2: know we're back at full capacity again and you know,
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  Speaker 2: now's that time to have that said Red Tender Holiday.
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  Speaker 1: Oh absolutely. Now you and I have spoken as well
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  Speaker 1: over the months about you know, about staff and some
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: the shortages that we're seeing right around Australia, but particularly
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  Speaker 1: for us here in the Territory and in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 1: How are you going with those with the staffing numbers
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  Speaker 1: and that kind of stuff.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, it's still diabolical levels. You know, we're still
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  Speaker 2: challenge as we as most of the industry is right
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  Speaker 2: across the country. I guess that we have some challenges
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  Speaker 2: that we need to overcome. And I certainly echo the
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  Speaker 2: comments made by Alex Bruce in your text that you
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  Speaker 2: read out just before okame online. You know, we do
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: need to see that mandate finish because there are people
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: here in the Northern Territory or wanting to come to
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory to work in the tourism and hospitality
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  Speaker 2: industries that just can't do so because of that mandate.
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  Speaker 2: And given the circumstances that we face ourselves, that's an
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  Speaker 2: important change that the government needs to do. We also
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  Speaker 2: need to be as proactive as we possibly can, and
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  Speaker 2: you know the government as doing some work in this space,
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  Speaker 2: but we need our federal government to start looking at
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  Speaker 2: increasing caps for migration into Australia, and we certainly echo
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  Speaker 2: the words of the National Federal Chamber of Commerce who
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  Speaker 2: wanting to see that cap increase by forty thousand people.
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  Speaker 2: We have to do an amazing array of different things.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we need to encourage Gray Army and retirees
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  Speaker 2: to come to the Northern Territory this winter to come
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  Speaker 2: and work. You know, there is no one answer here.
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  Speaker 2: We need to do a series of things.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel, how many staff do you reckon you need at
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: this point? Have you any idea or yeah?
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  Speaker 2: You know, probably six months ago I remember talking with
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  Speaker 2: you about needing a thousand. We're way less than that
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  Speaker 2: at the moment. We're probably around five hundred staff required,
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  Speaker 2: but that's still when things are at fever pitch levels
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  Speaker 2: in terms of demand. You know, to get that extra
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  Speaker 2: five hundred staff would be the absolute difference. And I
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  Speaker 2: was only speaking to one of our iconic tour operators
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  Speaker 2: this morning who was telling me that he just cannot
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  Speaker 2: go to full capacity at the moment because he just
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  Speaker 2: doesn't have the staff. So he's having to say no
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  Speaker 2: to business just because he doesn't have the staff to
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  Speaker 2: be able to meet that demand.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, gee, that makes it hard part. You know, we've
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  Speaker 1: got so many wonderful businesses there in Central Australia, so
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  Speaker 1: many amazing tourism operators, and you know, if they don't
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  Speaker 1: have the staff to be able to fill those jobs,
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  Speaker 1: it makes it really tough. But it sounds as though
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  Speaker 1: there are a few levers that could be pulled to,
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  Speaker 1: you know, to really try to get things moving.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's certainly what we need our new federal
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  Speaker 2: government to be doing to support especially internal migration into Australia.
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  Speaker 2: We need to be getting rid of things like the
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  Speaker 2: vaccination mandates. We need to be as proactive. The South
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  Speaker 2: Australian government just recently did a ten pound pome initiative
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  Speaker 2: to encourage people to come into South Australia. All these
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  Speaker 2: things are great, and you know we need to be
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  Speaker 2: having our government support our tourism and hospitality industries rebound.
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  Speaker 2: We've faced down the darker stages in the pandemic where
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: we also need that support now to rebound because what
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  Speaker 2: we're going to have to see is and now the
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  Speaker 2: challenge is over to us. You know, we've got a
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  Speaker 2: big challenge here in the northern territory to become the
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  Speaker 2: forty billion dollar economy that the government is looking to do.
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  Speaker 2: For us to do that, we need to overcome some
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  Speaker 2: of these short term challenges and we need the help
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  Speaker 2: of government to do that.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you spot on. It is an incredibly important point
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  Speaker 1: to make, and I think that it's one of those
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  Speaker 1: issues at the moment that is bubbling along that unless
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  Speaker 1: you own a business, or unless you are trying to
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  Speaker 1: run a business and trying to actually employ people, you
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  Speaker 1: probably don't realize just how pressing it is right now.
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  Speaker 1: But there, you know, it's there, and it's bubbling along
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  Speaker 1: and it really needs to get sorted.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's probably the most disheartened and disheartening thing. And
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  Speaker 2: you know I've talked about it as well. Yes, this
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: is the second fun army after the pandemic. Is that
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  Speaker 2: you know when you get a phone call after phone
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  Speaker 2: call saying can I make a booking? And unfortunately the
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: parat it just doesn't have the room or the ability
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: to service that booking because they don't have the staff.
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  Speaker 2: That's almost as disheartening as what it was back in
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  Speaker 2: the days of the pandemic with no business. At least
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: there is some business and that's growing and come back online.
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  Speaker 2: But we could be doing better right here right now.
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  Speaker 1: Well, let's hope that we can get some more people
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: into the Northern Territory to fill some of those jobs.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Get people into those jobs and get everybody to Central
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  Speaker 1: Australia over winter to check it out and experience the
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: gloriousness that is Central Australia.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: And of course the best way to do that is
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: jump onto our website at discover at Central Australia dot com.
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  Speaker 2: Great deals and experiences on there, and yeah, we'd certainly
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: welcome everyone from the top end to come down to
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: the Central Australia and get amongst it.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: Oh, good on you, Daniel. It's always lovely to speak
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: to you. I appreciate your time this morning. I know
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: plenty to cover off on there, and it's been a
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: tough twenty four hours or so for you guys in
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: Central Australia. But we'll talk again in soon.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, Thank you,