Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Property Council of Australia's NT spokesperson Ruth Palmer wants Howard Springs to be used to accommodate skilled workers moving to the NT

Transcript

Property Council of Australia's NT spokesperson Ruth Palmer wants Howard Springs to be used to accommodate skilled workers moving to the NT · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You would have heard on the show yesterday we caught
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: up with the Minister Paul Kirby and we're talking about
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: some of the initiatives to try to really lure people
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: to the Northern Territory in an effort to fill the
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: workforce shortage and specifically some of those different industries that
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: are really struggling at the moment. Now, it's something that
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: we've been talking about for a long time, even pre COVID.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: It's something that had been on the agenda, but certainly,
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: you know, as we move out of COVID, it's something
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: that we're dealing with even more and more in the
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory at the moment. Now joining us on the
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  Speaker 1: line right now is the Property Council of the Northern Territories.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Ruth Palmer. Good morning to you, Ruth.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Ruth, I know that the Property Council of Australia
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: and particularly the Northern Territory Division have been looking at,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: you know, different ways to increase the skilled worker shortage
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: here in the territory, but also have been looking at,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: you know, where they're going to live, because I think
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: that this is a really big question that we'd certainly
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: put to the Minister yesterday. It's one that a lot
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: of people are asking right now, and you have indeed
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: issued well, you've got a bit of a discussion paper,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: I guess you'd call it, including some recommendations in this space. Firstly,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: you know, talk us through how you reckon we can
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: increase this skilled worker shortage in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie. Yeah, we have been working on this for
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  Speaker 2: a little while now, just trying to sort of work
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: out how we can sort of bring people to the
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: territory but also how we can attract people here as well.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: So it's all about that liveability aspect as well, which
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: we've spoken about many of times. You know that we've
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: sort of done that Population Report and Renewal document earlier
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: this year. That's got all these key economic drivers in there,
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  Speaker 2: but you need to have a workforce behind it to
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: be able to support that. So what we have done
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: is we have put six recommendations forward to the Chief
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Minister and also to Minister Kirby that looks at how
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: we can bring those people here, but also what we
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: can do with them while they're here, because obviously they
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: do need housing. But you know, this is interstate and
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: international workers, and sort of one of the recommendations that
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: we did put as our number one was converting those
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: quarantine facilities, So the ones out at Howard Springs. We
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: know that there's three thousand, five hundred bedrooms there with
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: on sleet that could immediately be used to be able
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: to house people to then further look for permanent solutions
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: later down the track. But it will be able to
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: support them while they're here working, but also provide them
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: with a safe place to stay and also give them
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: that time then to be able to look for something
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: additional later down the track.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: So with that, you know, having somewhere saved to stay,
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: I mean, what are the options here roots, because at
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: the moment it doesn't seem like there's a you know
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: that there's a lot of places for people that they
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: can potentially leave.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's the issue Katie as well. You know,
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: a big component component, sorry of building the population by
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: building the jobs here is liveability. So we've about this
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: for a while now. You can't create a population, you
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: can't create jobs without liveability. It's a triangle. You've got
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: to make the nt and attractive place to stay. And yes,
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  Speaker 2: it's great to have global campaigns, and it's great to
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: have initiatives on trying to encourage and entice people to
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: want to come here, but they've got to be able
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: to have access to quality education, healthcare, the lifestyle, liveability, safety, security,
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: and housing. So you know, all those three things, all
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  Speaker 2: those three triangles need to all link up to be
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: able to create that population plan and a growth plan.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: So you know, we've been very focused around the liveability piece,
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: and you know that that is something that we worked
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  Speaker 2: hard with in that population plan that we put out
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: earlier this year, and obviously around that crime and unacceptable
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: behavior as well, So it is it is a big factor.
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  Speaker 2: And for us, you know, with our six point recommendations
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  Speaker 2: that we put forward, there was quite a few in there.
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  Speaker 2: This one touched on the liveability aspect, but didn't focus
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: as heavily on crime as our previous piece. This was
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  Speaker 2: more recommendations around how to attract people here, but also
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  Speaker 2: ways that the territory government can advocate the federal government
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: on bringing skilled migrants in well.
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  Speaker 1: And part of this discussion is how it springs quarantine facility.
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  Speaker 2: That's right, So we did call for this to now
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  Speaker 2: be used to how skilled migrants moving to the NT
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  Speaker 2: because at the moment it is empty. It's sixty seven
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  Speaker 2: hectares and it's three thousand, five hundred bedroom so there's
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  Speaker 2: rooms ready to go. We know it's ready to go.
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  Speaker 2: We've had people in there. There's facilities there, there's food facilities.
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: There's also the gym, there's swimming pool. They've got the access,
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: but then they can actually get in and they can
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: be working straight away, So we can have three five
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: hundred people here immediately working. Like I've been chatting to
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  Speaker 2: my members over the last couple of weeks especially, you know,
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: sort of building this piece, and the conversations I'm getting
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: is it's just so hard to find people. We're talking
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: about engineers, you know, going all construction workers. Everyone is
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: fighting for the same people across the country. So it's
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  Speaker 2: really difficult to then make the NT the place that
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  Speaker 2: they want to come to. So you know, we have
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  Speaker 2: the facility here, we have the opportunity right on our
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  Speaker 2: doorstep that's ready to go to how three thousand, five
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  Speaker 2: hundred people, So it's no brainer for us really, Like
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  Speaker 2: it's there and ready. So we may want to look
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: for some permanent work. Why aren't we using that?
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  Speaker 1: And so This is something now that the Property Council's
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: actively sort of advocating to the Northern Territory government that
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: you really do think that this Howard Springs quarantine facility
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: needs to be utilized if we're going to build the workforce,
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: this has got to be part of the discussion.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's they're ready to go. There's three thousand, five
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  Speaker 2: hundred bedrooms, sixty seven hec there. We know it's ready.
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  Speaker 2: We've just had people in there going through COVID, so
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  Speaker 2: we know it's up to scratch. We know it's ready
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  Speaker 2: to go. It can be switched on. You don't even
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: need to have the hotel facilities there. People can go
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: and get their own food or they Yeah, you know
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  Speaker 2: it's not going to be a closed up sort of
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: locked in place. It would be almost like a residential village.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: So why wouldn't we allow people to come and stay
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  Speaker 2: there while they seek out more permanent opportunities for housing,
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: or until maybe they're looking to bring their families over.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, it provides them with a space first
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  Speaker 2: to get in, get working, get accustomed to the territory,
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  Speaker 2: get used to where they want to live, get used
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  Speaker 2: to where they want to go and just get them
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  Speaker 2: in and we've got a workforce. You know, there's the
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: opportunity right there. So that's definitely number one on our
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  Speaker 2: list of recommendations that we put forward.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, now I know that there's you know, there's several
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  Speaker 1: recommendations and we probably don't have time to go through
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  Speaker 1: all of them. But one of them is actually I
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  Speaker 1: think this is a really good idea, is introducing a
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: special education migration zone. So, due to national security issues
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: and the importance of the Northern Territory to the economic
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: future of Australia, the Property Council is really advocating for
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory to be made a special education migration zone.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: What would that mean?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so what that means? So I've worked with Professor
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: Bowman on this one. We've obviously got quite a good
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: relationship with the CDU. We work very closely with them
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: as our corporate partners. And so what this would mean
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  Speaker 2: that people studying here in the NT would then be
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  Speaker 2: given a six year post study right to stay here.
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  Speaker 2: So at the moment when people come and study here,
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  Speaker 2: they're not allowed to stay afterwards, so they're out there,
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  Speaker 2: they've got to go back home. So basically this would be.
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  Speaker 1: So if they come from overseas. If they come from overseas, right.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, if this is international education, so this would give
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  Speaker 2: them an additional sixty years visa or post study rights
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  Speaker 2: to be able to stay here in the territory. So
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  Speaker 2: this means that they're given a guaranteed path into permanent
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  Speaker 2: residence if they're working in a field that they studied
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  Speaker 2: in with the backing of an employee. And I can
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  Speaker 2: tell you at the moment, like there's the employees out
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: screaming for people. So I would be very surprised if
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  Speaker 2: they weren't going to be getting a backing from someone
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  Speaker 2: to try and keep them in the territory for six years. So,
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  Speaker 2: you know, we spoke to the to Charles Dale UNI
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  Speaker 2: on this and they've done the studies that if the
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  Speaker 2: NT was with them zone. So if we did actually
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  Speaker 2: have this put in that our migration population would grow
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  Speaker 2: between ten and twelve thousand people in five years, which
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  Speaker 2: is higher than their predicted growth of international students bourcaps
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  Speaker 2: of five thousands. So you know that's quite a big
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  Speaker 2: jump just just by some pretty simple tweaks that can
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  Speaker 2: be made. But you know that allows us to then
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  Speaker 2: have people here who have qualified to have them, say
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  Speaker 2: for a further six years. And I was catching up
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: with one of my members this morning and we talked
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  Speaker 2: about this exact issue around you know, how do we
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  Speaker 2: encourage students who are doing engineering or something at CDSU
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  Speaker 2: to then stay in the territory, Like how do you
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  Speaker 2: get them into the workforce. And they sort of said
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  Speaker 2: to me that they will take them from third year
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: and then work with them through their fourth years. You know,
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: there are those opportunities with the employers that are ready
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  Speaker 2: to go. And you know, our recommendations are very they're
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: reasonable recommendations. They're not pie in the sky sort of
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  Speaker 2: visionary things. It's very very sort of simple sort of things.
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  Speaker 2: Even you know you're looking at reduction of backpack of
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: taxes or move will fringe benefit taxes. A lot of
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: people in the territory or internationally don't know that the
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction that doesn't have a
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: foreign buyer surcharge on properties in the NT. So every
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: other jurisdiction in Australia charges a tax if someone from
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: overseas wants to buy something. We're the only place that
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: doesn't why aren't we selling that message different things that
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: we should be pushing And so our paper is very simple,
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: very easy, and it was so where too?
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  Speaker 1: But where to now with this paper? It's obvious that
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: you know that you have done quite a bit of
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: work on it. The Property Council has done quite a
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: bit of work on it. So where to now with
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: this paper? I mean, is it something that you're going
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  Speaker 1: to be working with the Northern Territory Government?
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: John, So, what we've done, what our next steps will
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: be is I am off to a Skill Summit workshop
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: next week with the ICA NT so Will I've already
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: sent them this paper, so I'll be taking this paper
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: with me to that workshop and I'll go through those
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: recommendations that will then be used to go forward to
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: the National Skills Summit that the federal government is putting in.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: And I've obviously spoken to our counterparts across the country,
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: so we've got Property Council officers in every jurisdiction and
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: we're all sort of putting forward a lot of things
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: to that Skills Summit that will then make up quite
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: a larger piece of advocacy going forward. So mind specific
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: to the NC you know, WA will have to wa
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: but all in all we're singing from the same book,
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: so we've quite with you know, a stronger voice is
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: always going to be better for outcomes.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Absolutely.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: I'll be taking this piece next week to a workshop
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: I've been invited to and then from there that that
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: information will then go forward to the Skills Summit, so
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: what they build from that will go we'll go on
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: from there. So well, I have sent this to the
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: Chief Minister, and I have sent this to Minister Kirby
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: and a couple of the cees. So you know, hopefully
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: all we can do is sort of get together and
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: work together. I mean as I go from there.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it is well, Ruth Palmer, we are going to
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: have to leave it there. The Executive Director of course
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: of the Property Council here in the Northern Territory, thanks
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: very much for having a chat with us this morning.