Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission to turn NT from Australia’s weakest jurisdiction to post-pandemic ‘comeback capital’
A CRACK nine-member team of respected Australian business leaders and bureaucrats has been handed the monumental task of figuring out how to transform the NT from being Australia’s fiscally weakest state into its post-coronavirus ‘comeback capital’
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A CRACK nine-member team of respected bureaucrats and business leaders has been handed the monumental task of figuring out how to transform the NT from being Australia’s fiscally weakest state into its post-coronavirus “comeback capital”.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner yesterday unveiled the make-up of the “Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission”, a group he hopes can help the NT add 35,000 jobs and become a $40 billion economy within a decade.
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“This is a moment in time, an opportunity for us to grasp to recover, rebuild and rebound to be a jobs first economy,” Mr Gunner said.
“We are back in business and back to work before the rest of Australia, we have the best natural resources in Australia … the territory can be Australia’s comeback capital.”
The commission’s membership so far includes tech entrepreneur and clean-energy transition advocate Eytan Lenko, former Westpac chief executive Gail Kelly, Infrastructure Australia chief executive Romilly Madew, highly respected bureaucrat Martin Parkinson, former Chief Minister Paul Henderson, and NT Treaty Commissioner Professor Mick Dodson.
Retiring Daly MLA and former CLP leader Gary Higgins will also come on board.
Mr Gunner also announced a shake-up of “Team Territory”, which will be chaired by former Labor chief minister Clare Martin and businessman Dick Guit, to advise the commission on how to make the recommendations work in the NT before later ensuring the government of the day is implementing them.
The commission will also receive support from a “small number” of public servants called “Team Rebound”.
Despite the commission’s terms of reference outlining it would have “five to seven” members, Mr Gunner said he would announce two more members and appoint a chair next week.
There is speculation chemical manufacturing and petroleum businessman Andrew Liveris could be one of them.
The commission has five key responsibilities; create jobs in the near term, attract investment, find ways government can slash red tape, figure out how to “build on the Territory’s competitive advantage” and engage with the Federal Government, investors and trade partners.
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The commission, expected to operate for up to six months, will deliver an interim report by late July and a final report in November.
The commissioners can be reimbursed up to $44,000 each in a year and they will be paid pro-rata.
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