Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford is glad tourists are returning, but says flood damage in our Central Aus National Parks desperately needs fixing or else they'll have nothing to return to

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Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford is glad tourists are returning, but says flood damage in our Central Aus National Parks desperately needs fixing or else they'll have nothing to return to · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line from Tourism Central Australia.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: It's the CEO, Daniel Rochford. Good morning to you, Daniel.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, good morning, Katie, Good morning to you.
• 0:08
  Speaker 3: Listen, Daniel.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Obviously a couple of flights arriving in Darwin today, international flights.
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  Speaker 3: Is there any arriving in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 2: No, Look, we don't have any international flights coming directly,
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: but we certainly will start to see international visitors starting
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: to roll through the region pretty shortly. We're very hopeful
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: for and look, this is great news after what has
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: been a very difficult two years as you know, for
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: our industry, and is a little bit of it's a
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: bit of a morale booster and a bit of light
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: at the end of the tunnel.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, I know it's been such a tough time for
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: you guys, Daniel. With those international borders opening. How soon
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: do you reckon you are going to see some international
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: travelers back in the Red Center.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Look, one thing I've seen from all of Tourism Australia
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: is advertising, is the showcasing of U LaRue and we're
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  Speaker 2: just so blessed to have one of Australia's key tourism
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: icons in our destination and look, I'm sure, well it's
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: a matter of hours and before we start seeing visitors
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  Speaker 2: roll through to our region, and look, that's going to
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: be good. And then hopefully we'll see them starting to
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  Speaker 2: permeate throughout Central Australia and the wider Northern territory and
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: they'll be enjoying the experiences. And look, but you know, good,
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: this is going to be a marathon, not one hundred
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: meter sprint. You know, I was hearing the of the
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: Brisbane Airport saying they're not expecting international numbers to be
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: at pre COVID levels until twenty twenty four, so you know,
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: they're still a long road to go. But you know,
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: this is a great first step and we haven't had
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: much to celebrate in tourism for a long time and
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: we've got this decision. And then of course this morning
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: the Deputy Prime Minister's announced the or over six hundred
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: million dollars for the ceiling of the Outback Way, and
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: yesterday out into the alban Easy announced two hundred million
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: dollars including funding for the feeling of the Maruny loops.
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  Speaker 2: So some pretty awesome news coming our way through the
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: last couple of days.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it is.
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  Speaker 1: There is some good news and we all certainly know
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: that there's a federal election looming because all of a
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  Speaker 1: sudden we've got the elected members all around the Northern territory.
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  Speaker 1: The Prime Minister was there on Friday, and I know
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  Speaker 1: that he was forced to really answer some questions about
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: the crime situation as well for Central Australians at the moment.
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  Speaker 1: Did that provide locals and indeed the tourism industry with
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  Speaker 1: any confidence.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, it's good that the PM met with our
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: mayor and for your listeners, we've got a dynamic young
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: man now in Matt Patterson, and he's put forward a
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: strategy of advocating for a regional deal to actually deal
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: with some of the causal issues rather than the symptomatic ones.
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  Speaker 2: I'm one hundred percent and the tourism industry is one
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  Speaker 2: hundred percent behind that. It's great that Chief Minister gon
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: has said publicly came out and supported that regional deal
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  Speaker 2: last Monday. We need to get behind our locals here.
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  Speaker 2: This needs to be a bottom up approach rather than
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: a top down approach. And I'm one hundred percent behind
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  Speaker 2: Matt Patterson's strategy here and hopefully it's GOMO and hopefully
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: all our leaders are listening and they put their hands
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: in their pocket and support our community.
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: Well, I think they have to.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: You know, I was going through the latest crime stats
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  Speaker 1: for Central Australia just a short time ago, just before
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  Speaker 1: ten o'clock, and those commercial break ins for that last
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: quarter were up eighty percent.
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: Daniel.
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  Speaker 1: I know you're obviously tourism, you're not with the Chamber
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: of Commerce, but you know there's no doubt that it's
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: had a real impact for so many different businesses.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: Oh absolutely too, is in Central Australia where we are
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  Speaker 2: the largest business association in Central Australia and with over
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: just under four hundred members, and you know our members
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  Speaker 2: have are impacted on this every day. And I've just
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: noticed that the tensity of the crime. We're starting to
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: get some serious assaults and you know, these are things
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  Speaker 2: that we have to take the bill by the horn
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  Speaker 2: on and it's not just about throwing police resourcing. We
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  Speaker 2: have to deal with the cause, not the symptoms. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, we have to get all of this because
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  Speaker 2: if we don't, we can throw millions of marketing money,
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  Speaker 2: but people just won't come here because they're too scared.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: That's exactly right, hey, Daniel.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: One of the other issues that you have had as well,
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: that a lot of people probably aren't actually aware of,
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  Speaker 1: is that there's been quite a bit of flood damage,
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  Speaker 1: as I understand, and in the West McDonald National Park
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  Speaker 1: what exactly has happened there.
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  Speaker 2: Look, you know just recently we had that flooding events
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  Speaker 2: a few weeks ago and there has been mass damage
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  Speaker 2: throughout the National Park area. And we're really deeply concerned
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: about this Arkadie in as much that for the first
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  Speaker 2: time in two years, in early April, we're going to
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: start to see tourists come flood back to Central Australia
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  Speaker 2: and if we don't put some haste to the work
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  Speaker 2: that needs to be done here, all of those is
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  Speaker 2: that are going to seize closed signs. I'm hearing reports
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: of the Larapinta Trail being very badly damaged. I'm hearing roads,
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: you know, it's basically for wheel drive access into some
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  Speaker 2: of our icons like Ormiston Gorge. The Ellery Creek Road,
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  Speaker 2: which was actually getting sealed at the time, has just
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: been completely destroyed, and likewise with the Owen Springs Road,
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  Speaker 2: so and also paths and work. That's paths that are
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: being completely washed away. What we need from our government
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  Speaker 2: at the moment is absolute haste here to try and
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  Speaker 2: get some of this work through. You know. I know
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  Speaker 2: organizations like Stanley Chasm, who are not for profit organization,
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  Speaker 2: they had a working bee yesterday and they started to
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: get things done. But I'm just a bit worried that
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  Speaker 2: if we don't put haste to this, are going to
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  Speaker 2: see close signs or all our major tourism my coons,
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  Speaker 2: which is what I define is the worst case scenario
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  Speaker 2: for tourism in Central Australia after two years of not
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: having tourists and finally welcoming them and all they can
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  Speaker 2: see is close signs.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: Oh absolutely.
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  Speaker 1: Can you imagine you travel from overseas, you get all
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: the way to Central Australia, you think you're going to
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  Speaker 1: see all these amazing things and then you're seeing closed signs.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: It would be terrible, terrible situation for those international tourists
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: or inter state and local tourists.
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and then terrible for our economy and terrible for
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: our reputation. So you know, we're finly calling upon the
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: government to really put some energy behind this to move
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: heaven and literally earth to try and get the sticks
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  Speaker 2: before early April. We've got Pajma, which is the town
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  Speaker 2: so completely sold out for early April, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: we really need to get some of this done before then.
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  Speaker 1: So really the government, you need them to step in
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: here and to make sure that this damage is rectified
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: as soon as possible.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: Very much, Okatie. And look, you know we do appreciate
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: that this is you know, natural disaster a situation.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: But.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: We need our government to support us on this one
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  Speaker 2: because otherwise it's going to be really detrimental to our sector.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: And Daniel, can I just confirm obviously with the West
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: Max it does fall under the Northern Territory Government's management,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: does not.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a jointly managed park between the traditional owners
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: and the Northern Territory Government and as part of Parks
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: and Wildlife. Fortunately, what's really good to hear is Wataka
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: and the East Max haven't been as badly damaged, but
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: in particular the West Max. You know, I've some of
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  Speaker 2: the pictures I've seen are really catastrophic and we need
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: to put we need to move heaven and Earth on
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: this to get our national parks open for what will
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: be hopefully are very busy tourism season.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: All right, we might get in contact with the Minister
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: for Park's office to see what work is going to
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: get underway and just how quickly that work's going to
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: get underway. Thank you very much for making us aware
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: of that, Daniel Rochford, always good to speak to you.
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: Thanks so much for your time this morning, appreciate it.
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: Thanks