Darwin overlooked as public urged to have its say on Territory Coordinator Bill

No public forum will be held in Darwin for the government’s Territory Coordinator Bill, as the Chief Minister reiterates calls for the public to have its say on the contested proposal.

No public forum will be held in Darwin for the government’s Territory Coordinator Bill, as the Chief Minister reiterates calls for the public to have its say on the contested proposal.

In a letter seen by the NT News, Opposition Leader Selena Uibo wrote to Lia Finocchiaro urging her to reconsider the exclusion of Darwin from a schedule of community information forums being held in Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Nhulunbuy this month.

“The Chief Minister needs to explain why Darwin and Palmerston residents have been excluded from consultation on her proposed Territory Coordinator Bill,” Ms Uibo said.

“Running information sessions over the Christmas holiday period and dodging Darwin and Palmerston residents shows what a total sham her consultation process is.”

The opposition has called on Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro to host Territory Coordinator Bill public forums in Darwin, alongside those planned in other regional centres. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The Office of the Territory Coordinator is a signature economic reform promised by the CLP, with the aim to drive economic growth and accelerate private sector jobs.

It has drawn backlash from observers concerned a non-elected official would be empowered to bypass environmental, social and cultural regulations in the interest of economic development.

Mrs Finocchiaro has said exemption powers would merely remove duplication between territory and federal red-tape – not bypass protections and compliance requirements.

The draft Bill states exemption notices may be issued for substantial duplications, and also when deemed necessary to make a decision or move forward with a process if existing laws “do not have any reasonable application” for regulating a complex project.

Steve Margetic.

“The Territory Coordinator’s role is all about being outcome focused — maximising opportunities to streamline and co-ordinate processes,” Mrs Finocchiaro said.

Darwin Major Business Group chairman Steve Margetic said the role was “a transformative step for the Northern Territory’s economic landscape”.

“This role will not only improve the Territory’s competitiveness on the national and international stage but should also contribute directly to job creation, economic growth, and sustainable development,” he said.

More than 100 gathered to protest the proposed Territory Coordinator, calling it a power grab by the CLP. Picture: Fia Walsh.

More than a hundred protesters gathered outside Parliament House last week to rally against the Territory Coordinator in its current format, including members of the Labor caucus and crossbench.

Speaking to the crowd, Environment Centre NT director Kirsty Howey labelled the Bill “authoritarian” and “anti-democratic”.

“They show a government bending to the will of those in power – big business, big profits at the expense of communities,” Dr Howey said.

“The proposed Territory Coordinator will concentrate power in an unelected bureaucrat and the Chief Minister herself. These two will have the power to speed up environmental approvals, to undertake environmental assessments themselves, and in some cases, to exempt some of the most destructive projects in the country from environmental laws.

“No one here voted for the former head of Inpex in the Northern Territory to be Chief Minister.”

Details on the Territory Coordinator Bill, community forums, and how to have your say are available at: cmc.nt.gov.au/advancing-industry/the-territory-coordinator.

In response to questions a government spokeswoman said forums had not been planned in the Top End because the interim Territory Coordinator, Stuart Knowles, was Darwin based and “had the opportunity to attend a number of business forums and meet with Darwin-based stakeholders since his appointment”.

“This series of community information forums are to designed to extend that opportunity to Territorians in the regions,” she said.