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Katie Woolf spoke with Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce on the NT Budget · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf. Thanks to Joyce Main Dowin
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: homes On and Stuart Highway.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Beer from Hospitality NT CEO. Alex Bruce, Good morning to you.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Alex, Good morning Katie. This has a bit of good
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: speed interview. You know we've been doing that. It would
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: be workers lately.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Mate. We keep things efficient in here as efficient as
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: we can. ALEXJ. What was your reaction to yesterday's budget?
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: I look, all in all compared to the five months
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: ago when the last budget was delivered positive. Leave it
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: to others to talk about the overall state of the
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: debt and the finances. But pleasingly over the four four years,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: we're seeing consumption return, We're seeing more more positive population
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: growth numbers. You know, pre COVID, we we were in
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: a pretty bad spot on some of those metrics, and
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: it does seem that we are recovering. And you know,
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: as crazy as Carl Cox was on the weekend and
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: around town, there is a buzz that you know, Darwin
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: is on the recovery. So the overall metric quite positive,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: and then you know, we're quite happy to see some
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: of the particular initiatives that we've been working closely with
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: the government on in the budget continuing so territory tourism
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: vouches over the wet season or the low season in
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Central Australia that's twofold. We saw the benefit that households
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: got out of that getting out and about, but we
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: also think that will help iron out our seasonality and
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: our workforce problems over time and you know, hopefully more
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: permanent jobs and less casual if we're not so boom
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: and bust every year.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Yea tourism sector and that is an area that's obviously
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: been a concern those jobs before we talk more about that.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: What were some of those positives for the hospitality industry yep,
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: So along with.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Our tourism cousins, it was increase for that wet season
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: voucher for us all also importantly five million dollars for instance,
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: state tourism incentives as well, retention of a lot of
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: the successful programs like the visitor Experience upgrade, and very
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: pleasingly for us those roadhouses and wayside inns. Really look
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: forward to see the business operators down there think their
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: teeth into that and see what better options we can
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: put on the highways and the corridors for locals and
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: tourists to enjoy. So yeah, quite positive all round.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: Well, we know that there are some areas of concern
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: for you at the moment, but and they are obviously
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: filling those jobs. Seven thousand of them was the number
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: that had been touted just a little while ago. How
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: are things going in that space?
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Ah, Look, it's handfuls at a time. There are some
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: success stories. We had the opportunity the Prime ministers up
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: last week and copped it from with both barrels from
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: a bunch of operators in the theroism and hospitality space.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: We are hoping that the federal government can see their
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: way clear of some short sharp visa relief changes which
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: would really improve our situation up here for non Australians
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: that are already in the country, so you know, not
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: identifying any COVID risk with international travel or anything like that.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: We just met with Minister Robert Now he is in
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: charge the TAM's made it quite clear he's got to
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: try and drive down the unemployment rate. There are too
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: many territories on the unemployment list. We are getting calls
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: every time I raised this topic on your station. Quite rightly,
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: you know there are people that are finding it difficult
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: to be placed into work, so we've got a role
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: to play in that. We don't shy away from it.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: We do need people to be flexible about when they
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: can work and the jobs they're willing to do. Though
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: as well, I'd.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: Say, Alex, are there any areas where the budget fell
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: short for your industry yesterday?
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: No?
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: So you're happy with.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: It all we are. You know, there was no additional
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: costs on households, which impacts our consumption and demand. There
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: was no additional costs on any businesses in our industry
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: or any industry for that matter, with the exception of
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: the corporate bookies. They're paying a little bit more and
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: that's been flagged for three or four years now since
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: the langle Out Review put it on the table. So
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: I understand that that sector came to an agreement with
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: the government on it. So there was definitely no tax
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: nasties for families, households or businesses to wake up up to.
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: I do share we Greg and the Minerals Council saying
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: you know where we are right now in this time.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: We've seen an improvement, We're on the rebuild. We've got
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: a lot of work to do still, but let's just
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: crack on and do it well.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: Alex Bruce, it is always good to catch up with
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: you Hospitality mt CEO, and we might talk again in
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: the very near future and talk a little bit further
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: about where those jobs are at. And also, like you said,
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: that positivity that we saw over the weekend with that
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: Carl Cox concert. It was certainly a busy weekend, ih
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: wasn't it.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Just good seeing the town alive again. A bit more
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: clothing wouldn't go astray.
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: Though, A bit more wash clothing, clothing, Oh, clothing. You
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: sound sound a bit old fashioned there, Alex Broce, good
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: on you mate, Thank you