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Katie Woolf spoke with the newly appointed Chair of NAIF Tracey Hayes · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Hello, Katie Wolfan three point sixty online at Mix one
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  Speaker 1: O four nine dot com. The Minister for Resources, Water
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  Speaker 1: and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, announced over the weekend the
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  Speaker 1: appointment of a new chair and board members for the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. Actually it was towards the end
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  Speaker 1: of last week and businesswoman and corporate leader Tracy Hayes,
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  Speaker 1: as we know from the Northern Territory, has been appointed
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  Speaker 1: the chair of the NAFE Board for a three year
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  Speaker 1: term and she joins me on the line this morning.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Tracy.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Good to have you on the show. And congratulations on
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  Speaker 1: the appointment of the chair of the KNAFE board.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks Kay. It's a really exciting time for Northern
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  Speaker 2: Australia and I'm really pleased to be a part of it.
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  Speaker 2: It's an important role and I'll certainly be giving it
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  Speaker 2: all I have.
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  Speaker 1: Tracy, Is this the first time that there's been a
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  Speaker 1: territory and appointed to that chair.
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  Speaker 2: Role as far as I know, it is, Yes, now, I.
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  Speaker 1: Mean it's it's going to be a big job, there's
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  Speaker 1: no doubt about it. But there's I guess there's been
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  Speaker 1: some criticism over the years with the KNAFE that it
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  Speaker 1: maybe hasn't done as much in the territory as what
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  Speaker 1: we'd hope for. Do you think that by having a
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  Speaker 1: territory in yourself in that role that will maybe see
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  Speaker 1: more of a focus on the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, Katie, one thing I know for sure is
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  Speaker 2: the NAPE focuses right across in all Australia, of course,
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  Speaker 2: including the territory. I think an important thing for listeners
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  Speaker 2: to understand is there's been recently a Statute Tory review
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  Speaker 2: of the NAPE and into the efficacy of the investments
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  Speaker 2: in the process in the past. So there have been
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  Speaker 2: some significant reform. So we're looking to the next sort
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  Speaker 2: of five year window for the NAPE to I guess
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  Speaker 2: create a greater impact, particularly in the jurisdictions that I mentioned.
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  Speaker 2: And as a old of those reforms, I think we
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  Speaker 2: can see a more agile NAPE with a greater risk appetite,
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  Speaker 2: more flexible and able to provide smaller loan So I
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  Speaker 2: think that's going to bode well for the territory.
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  Speaker 1: Do you reckon that's something that's sort of been missing
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  Speaker 1: at this point, that smaller loan component that you know,
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  Speaker 1: to begin with, maybe it was sort of too difficult
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  Speaker 1: for people to be able to access loans through the knife.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I think, so we recognize those part of the
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  Speaker 2: reform process that you know, really the engine room of
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  Speaker 2: world in Australia is often small to medium size enterprises
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  Speaker 2: and so we're really looking to create a greater impact
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  Speaker 2: in the sectors that the NATE facility focuses on, and
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  Speaker 2: of course they're all incredibly important sectors to the territory transport, social, infrastructure, resources,
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  Speaker 2: agriculture and water. And in all of those sectors is
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  Speaker 2: a significant folks on indigenous engagement and a social benefit.
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  Speaker 2: So that that's one of the key differentiators. I guess
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  Speaker 2: of the name is it's focus on public benefits.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Tracy, when do you actually start that tenure and
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  Speaker 1: what would you say? You're going to be your biggest
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  Speaker 1: priorities when you get in there.
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  Speaker 2: So I've already started and so significant onboarding exercises underway now.
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  Speaker 2: So a comprehensive briefing that's commenced today and I'll be
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  Speaker 2: seeking to understand at a granular level the investment mandate
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  Speaker 2: and of course the strategies and policies of the KNAFE
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  Speaker 2: and the important details of the act, and then I'm
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  Speaker 2: really keen to get out on the ground and engage
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  Speaker 2: with the stakeholders. The important I guess decision makes future
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  Speaker 2: clients of the NAFE sure aspirants of projects that are
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  Speaker 2: in the pipeline. So I'm really looking forward to engaging
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  Speaker 2: with stakeholders across the Northern Australian area.
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  Speaker 1: And are there sort of specific I mean, you know,
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  Speaker 1: not specific projects, but are there certain kinds of industries
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  Speaker 1: and things that you'd really like to see get going
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  Speaker 1: and get moving in the territory if they're not already.
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  Speaker 2: Well, what I'd really like to see, Katie, is when
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  Speaker 2: we reach the twenty twenty sixth dates, that we're able
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  Speaker 2: to really clearly be able to say that the NAP
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  Speaker 2: has had a great impact on Northern Australia. So it's
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  Speaker 2: where but you know, the clock is ticking. So my
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  Speaker 2: focus will be on all of the sectors that the
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  Speaker 2: NAPE covers, and of course the geographical footprint print, which
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  Speaker 2: is very dear to my heart. It's in my DNA.
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  Speaker 2: So I'll be ensuring that we'll be doing everything we
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  Speaker 2: can to be focusing on getting the funding out onto
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  Speaker 2: the ground and into projects that's really going to provide
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  Speaker 2: an impact and benefit and jobs for people in Northern Australia.
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  Speaker 1: And Tracy, I know that you know people like you
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  Speaker 1: and I you know, we're used to criticism from different
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  Speaker 1: areas when, particularly for you, when you do get appointed
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  Speaker 1: to something which is so high profile. But Federal Labor
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  Speaker 1: Spokesman for Northern Australia, Senator Murray What has attacked your
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  Speaker 1: appointment as the Chair of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Chair,
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  Speaker 1: obviously accusing the Morrison government of appointing another mate. What
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  Speaker 1: would you say, you know? Upon responding to Murray What
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  Speaker 1: on that.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Katie, I think I leave the politics up to others,
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  Speaker 2: so let my track record speak for itself. I certainly
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  Speaker 2: look forward to working with Senator What and anyone in
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  Speaker 2: the in the shadow portfolios that are relevant to the
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  Speaker 2: names but of course all stakeholders, So no problem from
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  Speaker 2: my end.
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  Speaker 1: And I know that you are going to need to
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  Speaker 1: be working with the Northern Territory government as well, fairly closely.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously you were a competitor of the Chief Minister in
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  Speaker 1: the last election. Is that going to be a concern
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  Speaker 1: in any.
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  Speaker 2: Way, Look, no concern at all. I'm looking forward to
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  Speaker 2: catching up with the Chief Minister and hearing of his
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  Speaker 2: infrastructure priorities for the territory going forward. The name is
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  Speaker 2: newly partnered with the Northern Territory Government in the nt
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  Speaker 2: Jobs fun and of course it's also played an important
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  Speaker 2: role in a number of projects to date or almost
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  Speaker 2: eight hundred million dollars worth which are supporting three thousand
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  Speaker 2: odd jobs in the territory. So the NAF is an
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  Speaker 2: important part of the mix and the territory an important
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  Speaker 2: partner of the Northern Territory Government, and of course I'll
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  Speaker 2: be looking forward to working with the NTG in the
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  Speaker 2: coming years.
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  Speaker 1: Are you due for a catch up with the Chief
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  Speaker 1: Minister in your new role sometime soon?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to catch
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  Speaker 2: up with him and some of the commissioners that he's appointed,
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  Speaker 2: well of the soon to be appointed. I understand in
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  Speaker 2: some of the key roles that we focused on infrastructure
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  Speaker 2: and advancing the territory's interest, So a range of stakeholders
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  Speaker 2: and of course the chiefs on my list.
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  Speaker 1: Well, newly appointed chair of the KNAFE Tracy Hayes. Always
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  Speaker 1: good to speak with you and no doubt we'll talk
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  Speaker 1: to you again, probably much more regularly again now that
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  Speaker 1: you're in this role.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks very much, Katie, I really.
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  Speaker 1: Look forward to it. Thank you Tracy Hayes there, who
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  Speaker 1: is the chair of the KNAFE, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.
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  Speaker 1: And yeah, I think, you know, for the first time
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  Speaker 1: ever to have a territori and in this role, it
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  Speaker 1: is a really good thing in my opinion, a great opinion,
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  Speaker 1: a great thing to be able to see, you know,
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  Speaker 1: a territory and someone who's very passionate about the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory in this chair role. And there has been criticism
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  Speaker 1: of the KNAFE in the past that maybe we haven't
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  Speaker 1: seen as much much action in the territory is what
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  Speaker 1: we'd like to see and uh, and so I'm really
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  Speaker 1: hoping that this you know, that that we do see
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  Speaker 1: more happening here. We like to think of ourselves as
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  Speaker 1: being the capital of Northern Australia, but I guess we
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  Speaker 1: really need to be doing more if we do want
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  Speaker 1: to be the capital of the North