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Katie Woolf spoke with Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Ireland · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We did just hear from the Chief Minister Michael Gunner
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: that some changes are going to come into play in
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: an effort to really cut that red tape and allow
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory to be the best place to do business.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the Chamber of
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Commerce CEO Greg Island. Good morning to you, Greg, Katie.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: How are you today?
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah? Not too bad Greg. Obviously, these changes, if they
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: do come into play, let's hope that they really work
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: the way that is intended, and that is to try
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: to streamline approvals processes for businesses. The goal is to
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: improve and upgrade the systems and staff and slash business
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: licensing and approvals to a maximum of thirty days. How
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: positive would this move be for business in the territory.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Ok, It's certainly good to see a real focus
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: on this matter. It's been on the Chamber's wish list
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: for some time to really load a fire and the
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: business approvals and get things happening in project wise. So
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: I really am looking forward to seeing the results of
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: this newfound activity. It's certainly time to roll out the
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: red carpet, not the red tape.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I couldn't agree more and I think that this
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: is something you and I have spoken about on numerous occasions.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: I've spoken to the Chief Minister about it on numerous occasions,
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: and I did ask him, you know, is the situation
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: with the likes of Dan Murphy's an example of how
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: not to do the approvals process?
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: Well, it's certainly one that's been on everyone's lips, hasn't
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: it Not from a red Wine point of view, but
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: certainly on the approval process. So it's one that sort
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: of polarizes the community somewhat, but the majority of people
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: supporting free enterprise deciding who opens and who's trading.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: I mean, the government still yet to really roll out
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: all the nitty gritty, and we did again, we did
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: ask the Chief Minister about the cornerstone of the Commission's recommendations.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's obviously to attract private investment to the
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: territory by making it the easiest place to do business,
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: and it would include a review, a sweeping review of
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory legislation being carried out and that red tape
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: reduction bill written up. Are there certain things that you
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: really think need to be included in this change?
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think between ourselves and Master builders we've been
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: talking about. I guess the position of a coordinated general
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: somebody who's got the capability and the power to walk
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: these major projects through a process. We certainly don't want
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: to see any shortcuts made from a regulatory perspective, but
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: just somebody who can can take carriage of these processes
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: through the government and make sure that they're not sitting
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: in a too hard basket somewhere. I also think that
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: around the environmental approval aspects of things, that's some harmonizing
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: of the legislation around the country wouldn't go astray, so
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: that we're not dealing with different requirements of different jurisdictions
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: either side of the border.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Do you think that this position of a concierge, as
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: he had mentioned earlier on the show, goes far enough.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: I think that's the area that we'd like to see
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: improved up to somebody that's got a little bit more
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: grunt behind them than a concierge. But coordinator general is
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: that type of level that we've been talking about. It's
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: a model that's worked well in Queensland. We perhaps so
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: need to go all that far, but certainly a little
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: bit more grunt than a concierge would be a great result.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, And I guess the other concern is, obviously, you know,
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: we want to make it easy for business to enter
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory, but with some of those major projects
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: as well, I wonder whether some changes need to come
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: into play, or when you talk about big business and
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: industry coming into the territory, whether some changes need to
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: come into play for them as well, to try to
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: diversify and make sure that we do have jobs for territorians.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the bilocal component of these projects is the critical factor.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: And whilst it's easy for government to regulate its own
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: performance in that space, and we certainly know that Dennis
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Steman is very active as the bylocal advocate, it's a
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: bit harder in the private sector. And I'd like to
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: see us work towards getting very strong participation from the
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: larger projects that are going to be happening. We're seeing
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: that now in the defense space with some really good
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: results there. We just need to continue to work very
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: hard at ensuring the local business is skilled and prepared
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: to participate in those projects.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and obviously a couple of announcements we are anticipating
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: in our starting the details starting to flow through ahead
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: of Tuesday's federal budget. I do not on the front
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: page of the paper the hospitality hopefuls and you know,
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: talking about really growing our own through VET training and
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: obviously those kind of avenues. What are you hoping for
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: in this federal budget on Tuesday, Greg.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly, we're very supportive of the way substitutes are apprentices.
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: It's a very big tick from the federal to allow
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: that to occur and will encourage business to invest in
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: growing our own talent, which is absolutely what we need
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: to be doing. Be concerned about CDU and the changes
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: being made there, but again that will open opportunities for
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: other training organizations and potentially other service providers to fill
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: that void. So I really am hoping that the federal
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: budget has some positive news of the territory. I'd certainly
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: like to see a lot of investment around roads and
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: access into more remote communities to really kickstart the economic
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: activity in those places, particularly around tourism and gaining access
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: to new markets.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Now, another thing I do want to just quickly ask
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: you about, and we've had quite a few people from
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs get in contact with us and tell us
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: that they're having real issues at the moment when it
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: comes to crime. From your perspective, from the Chambers perspective,
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: how are things going for business in Alice Springs when
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: you talk about the issue of crime.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Quite topical, Katie. I was down there a week or
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: so ago and spoke to a number of businesses about
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: this issue, and it's very much top of the list
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: for them all. They are really struggling with the amount
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: of activity that's occurring in the middle of the night
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: and the damage it's being done. I myself drove to
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: Tan Creek early in the morning and experienced firsthand the
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: people wandering the streets and upturning bins and all sorts
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: of behavior that wouldn't be considered acceptable by anybody. So
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: the Chamber will certainly be talking to the government about
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: those issues and how they can be mitigated. But it
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: certainly needs a lot more effort than it seems to
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: be happening at the moment.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Well, Chamber of Commerce CEO, Greg Island, we always appreciate
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: your time, mate. We'll talk to you again soon.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: You're welcome, Katie.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: Thank you. You are listening to Mix one O four
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  Speaker 1: point nine's three sixty