Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Infrastructure Commissioner Louise McCormick explains the NT Government's infrastructure blueprint, with eight projects on Infrastructure Australia’s priority list

Transcript

Infrastructure Commissioner Louise McCormick explains the NT Government's infrastructure blueprint, with eight projects on Infrastructure Australia’s priority list · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we know the Territory government has released a framework
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: detailing infrastructure priorities. Now Infrastructure NT is looking for stakeholder
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: and public feedback on the new NT Infrastructure Framework paper position. Now,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: what it basically does, from what I can gather, is
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: sets the vision, the purpose and also implementation pathways in
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: order to prioritize government investment in infrastructure. Now, joining us
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: on the line to tell us a little bit more
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: about what this all means and what it means to
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: everyday Territorians as well, is Louise McCormack, the Northern Territory
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Infrastructure Commissioner. Good morning to you, Louise.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: How are you really well? Thanks so much for your
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: time this morning, Louise. Why do we need this infrastructure plan?
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: So we've refocused the current strategy and plan to be
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: best practice. A lot of things have changed since twenty
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: seventeen when the original plan and strategy were developed, so
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: COVID for example, and those sorts of changes have really
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: changed the way we live and use infrastructure. So it's
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: time for a refresh and relook at adopting a fresh
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: approach to this. We're also wanting to look at how
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: we can balance the social and economic infrastructure, and that's
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: really important with government's growth agenda about growing our population
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: our economy at the same time. So to keep people here,
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: we need the social infrastructure, but we also need the
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: economic infrastructure to attract business. So it's truly about what
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: enabling things we can do to an actor. I guess
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: government's vision and so how do you.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Go through this process because I understand that you're going
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: to be auditing sort of that current infrastructure and then
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: also looking at those future needs. Is that right?
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: Absolutely? So, in addition to a strategy and a plan,
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: we're actually going to include two new parts to the work.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: One is the Infrastructure Order and one is the Infrastructure Pipeline.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: And the reason why we've included these. The Infrastructure Order
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: really is looking at what our gap is in terms
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: of what our current infrastructure is and what the gap
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: is to get us to where we need to be
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: to win investment and grow our population. So it's quite
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: an important piece in forming government investment and infrastructure. The
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: pipeline itself is really looking at what's funded infrastructure, both
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: private and public, to try and help our industry plan
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: ahead for their workforce requirements.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: And so the wise some people listening this morning will
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: be thinking, I've got no idea what that means for me,
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: you know, as an everyday territorian. So what does it
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: mean for just normal people listening this morning? Thinking why
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: do we need this plan?
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: It's absolutely essential, and I get it's quite complex, but
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: the way we'd impact it everyday territorians is we're getting
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: more bang for our buck by having a coordinated approach.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: So if somebody thinks about it as if you're applying
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: to build your house and you might want something extra
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: in your house, and you've got to make a decision
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: whether you borrow more money now or later to build
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: that into your house. To get the benefit for that,
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: it's really trying to coordinate that better and give some
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: informed decisions on how you can best invest in what
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: you're doing right.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: And so we're talking, you know, our roads, we're talking
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: some of our bigger developments and our power and things
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: like that, aren't.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: We Absolutely So a good example would be in a community,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: if we've got a health precinct instead of just one
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: health clinic or a mental health facility, you might be
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: able to actually combine that funding and get more out
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: of that funding for the get more banks for your
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: buck essentially from the government spend and.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: So in the wise, what are the next steps? I
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: know that you're after public feedback, you're also after stakeholder
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: engagement and feedback as well, So what are the next
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: steps here? If people want to have their.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: Say, I would love it if everybody jumped on to
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: have your say dot NT, dot gov, dot au. We're
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: taking all common and all submissions up until the eighteenth
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: of March. We're not starting with a blank page. We
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: have done analysis of all the Tersey submissions and feedback
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: we've had in the past. But we'd really like people's
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: feedback on the future of infrastructure in the territory.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: And so where's the best place for them to do
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: it or what can they do?
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: So on the have you Say, dot NT, dot self
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: dot au website the position papers there, there's also a
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: PowerPoint presentation. We're explaining a little more detail what it's
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: all about, and you can actually put your feedback online
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: and your submissions online. Well.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: Louise McCormack, the Northern Territories Infrastructure Commissioner, good to chat
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: with you this morning and our first interview I think
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: since you've been in this role prior to your previous one.
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes, it is really really.
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Good to have you on the show and no doubt
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: we'll talk to you again, so no worries.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: Thanks for thanks, Louise,