JobKeeper end to cost Territory economy millions, Solomon MP Luke Gosling warns

MILLIONS will be lost fortnightly from the Northern Territory economy when the money tap from JobKeeper dries up, Solomon MP Luke Gosling warns

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ABOUT $2.3m will be lost fortnightly from the Northern Territory economy when the money tap from JobKeeper dries up, Solomon MP Luke Gosling warns.

JobKeeper is set to finish at the end of the month despite hundreds of NT businesses, especially those in the tourism industry, continuing to struggle with low visitor numbers.

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Mr Gosling said about 750 businesses and 2300 workers in Darwin and Palmerston still relied on the wage subsidy scheme.

He warned that transitioning businesses off JobKeeper should be based on “what’s really going on in the local economy, not just an arbitrary deadline set for the end of March”.

Crocodylus Park has managed to hold onto 90 per cent of their workers with JobKeeper, Zoo Keeper Shoni Atkinson with the Common Marmoset. Picture Katrina Bridgeford.

Crocodylus Park, which has held on to 90 per cent of its staff with JobKeeper, now faces cutting back hours and even staffers depending on the upcoming peak season.

“We’re just like farmers in a drought waiting for rain; we don’t know what visitor numbers we’ll see until they’re here,” owner Grahame Webb said.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said he knew there were still some Territory businesses out there “hurting”.

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“Tourism and hospitality have been hit particularly hard, and we have been working closely with local businesses and peaks like Hospitality NT to make sure we’ve got money where it’s needed to save jobs,” he said.

It comes after a new Commonwealth Bank report warned more than 110,000 jobs are likely to be shed once the JobKeeper ends on March 31. Experts say workers in industries like tourism, accommodation, transport, arts and recreation are most at risk of being sacked.

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