Former NT Government Minister Ken Vowles back in business after quitting politics
THERE’S an old saying that you can never keep a good man down and former Territory government minister Ken Vowles fits that category after quitting politics
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THERE’S an old saying that you can never keep a good man down and former Territory government minister Ken Vowles fits that category.
Mr Vowles has just started his new consultancy business, aptly named Ken Vowles Consulting.
“I want to be many things but I want to bring my experience as NT Government minister to help people and businesses navigate the road between private sector and government,” he said.
“To manoeuvre around what’s available and also having someone they can trust to go in and represent them.”
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Mr Vowles has always been a strong advocate for the Territory’s agriculture and gas and minerals sectors. That hasn’t changed.
“It’s the future of the Northern Territory … I’ve said this in many speeches that the future of the Territory is its people and their futures can only be made better by the mining industries, both the minerals and gas sectors,” he said.
“And of course then there is the Territory cattle industry that is so critically important to our economy.
“The Cattlemen’s Association is a billion-dollar industry and what they do for our economy should never be undervalued.
“We should be fast tracking the gas sector now and I think we will see a lot of work being done in this space by the Feds.”
Mr Vowles says he has happily maintained his contacts with the resource and cattle sectors and will continue to be a strong advocate for them.
“Look you do all the safety that you have to do, but these are extraordinary times,” he said.
“These are probably generational times around our Territory economy.
“If we have product sitting there that other people want we should be doing everything we can to get it out of the ground now.
“If we do we can save thousands of Territory jobs and create thousands of new ones, particularly for indigenous communities.
“There is so much that still needs to be done for our remote communities.
“My focus is the Territory and doing what I can do to help Territorians.
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“It’s been great I have had a number of people contacting me wanting help with what are very difficult economic times.”
Mr Vowles said being local he understood that and his rates reflected that.
“I do the complex negotiations and I really am that link between government and private sector,” he said. “I intend to focus a lot of my work in the Barkly region with traditional owners and work to help Aboriginal communities.
“This isn’t about being a highly paid southern blow-in. I will have local rates.”
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