‘If the ship lift project is not built in Darwin it will be built somewhere else’: Ben Carter, Master Builders NT

The NT government must defy the knockers and persevere with one of its major projects.

Right now, in the run-up to Christmas we are all counting down to the brief respite that

the festive season provides from our day-to-day challenges.

But before we know it, we will be looking down the barrel at the New Year trying to plan ahead for the challenges that lie ahead in 2023.

Australians don’t know it, but we have been living through a golden era of economic success.

Yes, not everyone has been so lucky and there have been some substantial hiccups along the way but generally we have seen almost 30 years of good economic times which is astonishing.

With a history of surfing the wave of booms and busts, Territorians will say that life in the Top End has been a bit patchier but overall, the national success story has been enjoyed here too.

Master Builders NT chief executive Ben Carter. Picture: Mark Wilson

But as we head into this Christmas, that is all ancient history.

Building back from Covid has proved trickier than many people allowed themselves to believe despite the long tail of previous economic shocks.

Builders and tradies were the canaries down the inflationary coalmine earlier this year and experienced the shock of cost increases ahead of the rest of the of the economy.

Unfortunately, the rest of the economy, including household budgets, are now also feeling the pinch.

In 2023 businesses and households will face continuing spikes in energy costs, higher costs for mortgages, loans and overdrafts and fuel.

Shaping the response to these challenges is going to be up to us not just our politicians, bureaucrats, and Reserve Bank Governors and how good they are at economic management.

In golden eras that management can be as simple as pull a lever here or pull a lever there and that fine turning keeps us moving forward.

But we are entering some turbulent times, so we need to ask ourselves what we can do to help.

Despite national and global pressures, the truth is that ‘all economics is local’ so continuing to back infrastructure projects that will drive economic growth in the immediate and longer term is just one of the ways that we can support the Territory economy.

A real-life case in point is the Darwin Ship Lift Project.

Good on the CLP team for shining a light on the project’s costs.

Lia Finocchiaro is a dynamo and as Opposition Leader she’s doing the job that the Territory needs her to do.

Keeping the government accountable is vital, particularly in uncertain times.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro speaks at a State of the Union Property lunch. Picture; Glenn Campbell

But credit where it’s due. When it comes to this project, Natasha Fyles and her ministers are stalwarts in the Territory’s best interests.

They recognise the vital importance of the project and are showing resilience and perseverance in their determination to see that it’s delivered.

We need to face up to the fact that we are in competition with the rest of Australia for billions in defence, transport and social infrastructure.

If the Ship Lift project is not built in Darwin it will be built somewhere outside the Territory.

So good on the chief minister and her ministerial team for standing up to the knockers and naysayers who are so disingenuous in their assertions about value for money.

Assessing value for the community is not just about the dollar value for construction of a

project when the long-term economic benefits across the wider economy are enormous.

For business, it’s always frustrating when good ideas are killed off by bureaucrats who have forgotten that they are not elected and play very little role in creating the economic pie that they are so controlling about carving up.

This dead-zone for good public policy can only occur when politics for its own sake is allowed to prevail.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

But the Ship Lift has enjoyed bipartisan political support at the Territory and federal levels from the beginning which is no mean feat.

The cost is also being shared by the Territory and Federal Governments and if we want sustained growth and opportunities for local businesses, families, and young people then we need investment from the national government to continue.

Strong support from industry, business and the community to build the Ship Lift will also bolster our federal politicians in their advocacy for further federal government infrastructure investment.

The project is going to deliver infrastructure that’s essential for Darwin’s future economic development.

In addition to the ship lift which has the capacity to support both local industry, other private sector marine operators and the navy, the facility will include 20 hectares of hard stand area for marine repair and maintenance works.

It’s going to provide an entire ecosystem of opportunities for local businesses and long-term employment for Territorians.

Importantly, it will also send a strong signal down south that it is not too hard to build things in the Territory.