The NT business community has welcomed the CLP’s crime focus as rebuild begins
The CLP government’s first budget has been well received by business despite a billion dollar cut.
Northern Territory
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The Northern Territory’s business leaders have welcomed the law and order focus of the CLP Government’s first budget.
Despite cuts to infrastructure spending in excess of $1 billion, businesses have lauded the government’s economic reset and focus on combating the law-and-order issues that have dogged the Territory over the past three years.
Chamber of Commerce acting general manager Glen Hingley applauded the government’s commitment to fixing law and order issues as conditional towards rebuilding the Territory’s lifestyle.
“We absolutely need to be reducing our crime,” he said.
“It’s having a significant effect on the Territory, on our businesses and retaining staff who work so hard and who want to be here. We’ve got to keep them here.
“We know it’s a really tough environment for business right now, owners and employers are struggling in many cases to keep the door open, to sustain momentum, let alone grow their business.
“We can see this is one and two steps leading into three around crime and lifestyle and we look forward to building the economy around those.”
Minerals Council of Australia NT executive director Cathryn Tilmouth said 25 per cent of the Territory’s gross state product in 2023-24 had its origins in the resources sector.
“The NT Government has demonstrated good fiscal management with its plan to return the budget to surplus in 2027-28, but to get there it needs to ensure the Territory has a competitive edge in attracting investment in minerals projects,” Ms Tilmouth said.
“This will create long-term sources of revenue, grow the economy, and provide the funds to be able to provide the services Territorians need.”
She welcomed the NT Government’s $2.74 billion infrastructure investment – including $57.5 million in highway upgrades in the Tennant Creek to Townsville Road corridor, $28 million to the Sandover Highway and $8.5 million to the Carpentaria Highway.
She also applauded a new industrial subdivision in Tennant Creek, $9.5 million ongoing investment in exploration through the Northern Territory Geological Survey, $120 million for training and higher education and $2 million to attract workers and students.
“These co-funding programs are vital to increasing the Territory’s attractiveness to explorers which can potentially lead to unlocking full scale operations down the line,” she said.
Australian Energy Producers NT chief executive David Slama also welcomed the budget’s gas focus.
“The budget confirms that natural gas is driving the Territory’s economy, which is forecast to grow by 7.8 per cent in 2025-26 and 5.9 per cent the following year as LNG exports from Santos’ Barossa project commence later this year,” Mr Slama said.
“More than any other state or territory in Australia, the Northern Territory runs on natural gas. Natural gas generates more than 83 per cent of the Territory’s electricity and underpins billions of dollars in annual economic activity, while supporting thousands of local jobs.”
He welcomed the budget’s focus on developing the Beetaloo Basin and the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct, while also emphasising the Barossa project’s economic significance.
Treasurer Bill Yan said cutting government debt would have required removing $1.4 billion a year out of the budget over the four-year forward estimates period, which would have meant sacking 6000 public servants.
“So we’re dealing with the legacies left behind by Labor, not just in those funding cliffs and unfunded services going forward but also in that infrastructure spend,” Mr Yan said.
“So we’ve had to continue that spend to make sure we don’t completely destroy the Territory and destroy the Territory budget.”
Originally published as The NT business community has welcomed the CLP’s crime focus as rebuild begins
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