Chief Minister Michael Gunner outlines his vision for the NT for the next four years

IF Territorians work together, we can transform this once-in-a-century crisis into a once-in-a-century opportunity and make the Northern Territory Australia’s comeback capital, writes Chief Minister MICHAEL GUNNER.

2020 has been a pretty tough and trying year for us all.

The image that stays with me, and it will stay with me forever, is the queues around the corner at the Centrelink Office in March. That same day I heard a bloke on the radio, who had just lost his job, saying that he felt like a failure, and that he’d let his family down. It was heartbreaking.

Of course, he hadn’t let anyone down. It wasn’t his fault at all.

Nobody here caused the coronavirus crisis, and nobody wanted it. But I’m so proud of how Territorians have handled it. We are the safest place in Australia, and that’s because Territorians have been the best.

So while there a lot of reasons to think 2020 can just get in the bin already (and I don’t blame you if you’re thinking that) this year has also renewed my optimism in the Territory, its people and our future.

On election night, Territorians told my government to keep working for them.

It’s important to have the right plan for the future – and we do. But it’s just as important to have the right values – because that’s what drives a government when a crisis emerges, as it inevitably will again.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner. Picture: Glenn Campbell

You know my values, you know what’s important to me. I put Territorians first – your lives and your jobs.

The Territory is on the road to recovery before the rest of the nation. And we know the only way to have a strong recovery is by putting Territory jobs first.

We are continuing to waive or defer payroll tax for struggling businesses, and we’ve cut power bills in half for businesses who need the help.

We’ve already begun our red tape reduction action plan, to help make the Territory the easiest place in Australia to do business. This includes creating a single point-of-entry for businesses seeking government approvals, and slashing approval processing times.

As well as protecting and creating jobs right now, we are also planning for the jobs of the future.

Take the massive Sun Cable project. It’s going to be the world’s biggest solar farm, and it is set to start construction in 2023, with hundreds and hundreds of new jobs for Territorians. We’ve now got Scott Morrison and his government on board with this project as well. It’s happening.

Sun Cable will deliver a lot more than jobs in renewables. With cheap and reliable energy, we can compete with our next door neighbours in Asia, and become a hub for manufacturing and data storage. That’s why my government has secured land at Middle Arm to set up manufacturing and data industries, and it’s why we are building data cables overseas.

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The Shiplift will be completed in this term, delivering more jobs for Territorians, and more opportunities across the Top End. We have multiple industries that rely on the sea and will rely on this facility, and it further shows how we are broadening what we have to offer to the region.

We’ve always known the Territory’s potential is limitless. Now, others are starting to see it too. We have the land, we have the resources, and we have the people to be Australia’s comeback capital.

Territorians have asked us to keep working away on our priorities, and we will.

We will keep building renewables to power our economy, infrastructure to strengthen the bush, and better housing for those who need it.

We will keep investing in schools and hospitals, keep recruiting police, and keep delivering the services people count on. That’s how we break cycles of disadvantage, make communities safer, and make sure kids can grow up happy and healthy.

We will keep tackling the hard, generational challenges that were shoved aside for too long.

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Our government has not been perfect. We have made mistakes, and we have learned lessons.

But I know that if we all work together, we can transform this once-in-a-century crisis into a once-in-a-century opportunity for the Northern Territory.

We can make the Northern Territory Australia’s comeback capital.

Michael Gunner is the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.