Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford is rejoicing after learning that the car component of the Finke Desert Race is going ahead

Transcript

Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford is rejoicing after learning that the car component of the Finke Desert Race is going ahead · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A real change of pace now after what we've just
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: heard there from Carry the Beauty Bar and Catherine, and
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: we are going to head back to Catherine again hopefully
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: before eleven o'clock. But well, the car section of the
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Think Desert Race it is set to go ahead with
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: some new safety measures being introduced, so Motorsport Australia held
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: off from issuing that permit for the car component of
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: the event while the inquest into the death of spectator
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Nigel Harris was under way. The new safety measures, some
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: of them include a minimum spectator setback from the track
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: of thirty meters. It does render some areas along the
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: track that have traditionally been quite popular camping areas now
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: off limits. There are going to be landing zones over
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: crests and rises along the track will have significant spectator setbacks,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: but there will also be supervised public viewpoints throughout the
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: track and spectator exclusion zones, off limit zones at high
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: risk corners throughout the track. Now, joining me on the
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: line to talk a little bit more about what this
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: means from a tourism perspective, and particularly the fact that
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: it's able to go ahead is Daniel Rochford who's the
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: CEO of Tourism Central Australia.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Daniel, Good morning Katie, and good morning to
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: you listeners.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Daniel. I'm assuming that this was positive news for you guys.
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: This is not positive. This is bloody awesome year's Katie,
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: and you know, hats off to all those involved. I
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: understand the Northern Territory Government really got in in fact
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: the Think Organizing Committee and really worked together collaboratively with
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: Motors Wort Australia to make this happen. And you know,
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: the whole community here in our springs, you know, we
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: mean had the proverbial pineapple up our arsen for the
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: last few years. And this is good news.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Daniels. There's so much to like about you, mate, but
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: you don't mintion your words.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: I love that indeed, and look, you know it's and
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: the other good news around it is, you know, you know,
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: with obviously some of the challenges that the committee had
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: over the last few weeks, you know, we were expecting cancelations,
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: but that doesn't seem to be happening. Our members are
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: reporting their bookings are holding. Yes, there will be some
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: changes to how people will be able to camp and
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: where they can camp. But I think most people enjoy
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: the spectacle of the race and are really key to
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: back it, and there is overwhelming support here in Alice
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: for I think, and it is such an important part
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: of our event calendar.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: It is a massive event, isn't it on the event calendar? Like?
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: How many people do you expect to get there?
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's thousands, you know, it's you know, I think
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: a couple of years ago I was a reporter that
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: was the values of our economy was between eights ten
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: million dollars. So it's a massive ejection to it to
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: our local region and it's such a great event. And
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: hats off to the committee. They do have done an
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: amazing job. And yes, you know there's been some challenges
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: that that I have, it's a face, but they've taken
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: that with great gusto to work with all those involved
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: to get this event happening this year.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Mate, how big a blow would it have been if
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: that car section of the thing couldn't have gone ahead?
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: Well, I think, to use my analogy earlier, that Pineapple
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: would have been a very i think we're talking nandbore
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: sized big.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: Playh wow, So it would have been absolutely devastating If
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: it couldn't.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: It would have not only been devastating from an economic perspective,
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: but the morale of the town. It would have been
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: just a death bidon Daniel.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: Speaking of that morale, how is how is the town
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: going at the moment?
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Well, it's quiet and down. You know, I've been hearing
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: some of the challenges you've got up at the top
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: end of the moment, but it's far from that's here.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: It has actually very much quieted down and that's you know,
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: we're seeing the introduction recently at the Lara Tipper nightly patrols,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: which is bolstering of the already existing support services we
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: have on the streets. So my members are reporting that
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: you can hear a pin drop in Todd Mall at
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: night time, so look along. May that last and you know,
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: cutos to all those involved. But yeah, it seems to
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: be heading in the right direction.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: And Daniel, do you reckon that's as a result of
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: the Laura Tipper increased patrols or do you think it's
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: as a result of additional police What do you attribute
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: it to?
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: I think a lot. It's all mixed up, and you know,
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: certainly the changes to our whole policy in our town camps.
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: You know, all that mixed together. But you know what,
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: I've got a member who actually who owned that art
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: gallery in the Todd Mall and lives in the Todd
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Mall and they reported in local media yesterday that the
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: moment that Lara Tipper patrol commenced, things turned one hundred
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: and eighty degrees.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: Wow, that's a that's massive.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: In fact, I'd encourage it maybe at some states to
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: have attached to these guys because it's certainly you know,
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: that's you know, we have been quite direct of good news,
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: but here's some good news finally.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Finally, I think if all you deserve it, you guys
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: absolutely deserve it. Then on the tourism front, then Daniel,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: you know, how long do you think it's going to
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: take before that news kind of starts to flow through
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: that you know that Alice Springs is a safe place
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: to visit again.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, about a month and a half we were tracking
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: on all the major tourism sites around the Australia was running
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: about seventy percent to thirty negative to positive. But that's
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: really come back to fifty to fifty and most of
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: that's driven by people making comment of actually after they
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: visited here making positive comment, So you know, that's the
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: best word of that form of advertising, of course, is
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: word of mouth. And as visitors come and experience what
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: we have here and certainly encourages many people from the
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: top end maybe get our come down and experience our
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: cool weather over the next few weeks and months and
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: come and see the Red Center. Because the moment you
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: do and you the experience that you know, everyone seems
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: to be talking it up, which is what we need.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, one hundred percent, it is certainly what you need.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: I made on a separate topic, we've been hearing quite
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: a bit actually on the phone and techt lines about
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: some massive potholes that are craaticized on the Berkley Highway.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Are people raising those concerns with you guys in the
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: tourism sense, I know you've got plenty of gray nomads
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: traveling around.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, certainly. Certainly the Barkley Highway and sort of
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: the northern aspects of the of northern north of Tenant Creek.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: We're also hearing that as well, So you know, we
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: certainly very much support any push by the government to
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: get this sorted sooner rather than later. Yes, I appreciate
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: there was this is obviously as a result of flood
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: damaging flood damage over the summer, but you know, we
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: need to start making things happen sooner rather than later,
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: because we are getting feedback here in the Alice Springs
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Information Center that those potholes are pretty big.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we've been told the same and yeah, you know,
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: it is a concern because you want to make sure
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: that people are safe on those roads. So those are
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: the biggest hot spots really the Barkley Highway but just
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: north of Tenant.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: Creek there, yeah, absolutely, and on the Barclay it's in
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: and around the Avon Downs area. It's all the key
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: flood play areas that were flooding went over the road.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: So you know, yes, appreciate that that was obviously a
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: huge issue over summer, but you know, we do need
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: to pick up the game there and get that sort
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: sooner rather than later. And from my understanding, Katie, the
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: government actually had seventy odd million four Buckley Highway upgrades
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: in the last week's budget, so you know, the money
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: is there, like everything, the money is there, but you
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: know we need to get shovels in the ground.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, Daniel Rochford from Tourism Central Australia. The CEO mate,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: always good to catch up with you, but really good
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: to hear some good news out of Central Australia today.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: No, that sounds good, Katie. And yeah, I'm not doing
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: cartweels down the Toddsmall yet, but I might be. I
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: might be having a bit of fly pineapple suit.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: Good on you, Daniel, Thank you, We'll talk to you soon.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: Cheer Katty.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: Thank you.