Jobs to flow in NT from historic Indon trade pact
THE workforce at the soon to reopen Batchelor meatworks is expected to be larger than expected because of this week’s historic trade pact between Australia and Indonesia
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THE workforce at the soon-to-reopen Batchelor meatworks is expected to be larger than expected because of this week’s historic trade pact between Australia and Indonesia.
Early plans were for 40, but this now may grow to more than 100.
Central Agri Group, which owns abattoirs in Victoria and Western Australia, has spent the past six months working on the old meatworks south of Darwin, giving it a multimillion-dollar refurbishment
Central Agri Group’s Peter Polovinka said once Government red tape was cleared, processing cattle and buffalo in Batchelor could start in May or June.
The Batchelor abattoir closed in 2003.
Mr Polovinka said the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement could not have come at a better time.
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“We already have Indonesia listing with our other meatworks so we will definitely get Indonesia listing with our Batchelor plant,” he said.
“So for our processing facility, this is great news. This means we will likely be sending a lot more meat over to Indonesia now. We are just months away from a start-up.
“Instead of one shift we may end up needing two shifts. This is going to mean more jobs for slaughtermen, boners, slicers, labourers, truck drivers, drovers. We will probably start with about 35 to 40 people and now this may end up going to more than 100 workers.
“We will process even more meat now. We may well go to a double shift. It is good for the economy, it is good for the business, it is good for the farmers, it is a win for everybody.”
Northern Territory farmers and businesses will be major winners from the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will improve market access and opportunities for NT beef and agriculture sectors to sell their high-quality produce to Indonesia.
For the Northern Territory it means:
■ NT livestock farmers — live cattle will be duty free for 575,000 head increasing by 4 per cent per year to 700,000
■ NT red meat producers — an immediate halving of the tariff on frozen beef and sheep meat from 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent, with elimination over five years
■ NT service providers — more certainty and guaranteed levels of Australian ownership in areas such as vocational education, mining services, health and aged care, tourism, professional services, telecommunications, energy, transport and construction.
“I am hoping to do around a thousand head of stock a week and I expect to double that when we go to a second shift,” Mr Polovinka said.
He said Batchelor residents will be given first go at joining the abattoir’s workforce.
“I’ll give the town the first crack at getting a job,” he said.
“From there we will probably go down towards Adelaide River, then towards Acacia Hills.
“I am trying to employ locals where I can.
“They are my first choice, it will be good for the area, it will be good for the township.
“I want the country towns to have first chance at the jobs.”
The trade agreement means more than 99 per cent of Australia’s goods exports will enter Indonesia either duty free or under improved and preferential arrangements.
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That means they’ll pay no or significantly reduced taxes when their goods hit Indonesia, which lowers their costs and makes them more competitive against domestic producers and businesses.
Australian-owned vocational training providers will now be able to partner with Indonesian business to provide quality skills training to upskill Indonesia’s workforce.
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