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Katie Woolf spoke with Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce Main Darwin
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Homes on Stuart Highway, Beerro.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Matt joining us live on the line Hospitality and too
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: CEO Alex Bruce, Good morning, Alex, good.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: A Katie, Happy Friday.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Happy Friday, mate. How are you guys feeling about well?
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: The confirmation yesterday that we are going to be getting
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: these half priced flights to Darwin and hopefully boosting our
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: tourism numbers, but makes hopefully also I'm giving our hospitality
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: industry a boost.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, very good. The day started with good news yesterday
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: for Central Australia and due to yours and other advocacy,
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: it was good news for Darwin by the end of it.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: So we've got our three largest airports now all in
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: the scheme. We think that's appropriate, you know, especially when
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Cans and Broom we were included. The advocacy now shifts
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: for US and Plant Tourism top Ends, who led the
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: charge yesterday to making sure that the southern ports Sydney, Melbourne,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Brisbane are included for people to come come to Darwin
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: from yep, because you know, we want people to be
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: escaping that miserable winter down there. Absolutely don't Yeah, we
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: don't just want discussion about links with Townsville which are
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: very much similar to us, which things to be vanding about.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: And then you know, we are seeing that there's pressure
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: being applied across the country now for more locations to
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: be added. So thirteen became fifteen, and it becomes thirty,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: then the feeds will have to stump up some more money.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think you've hit the nail on the
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: head there. You know, we can't just have it a
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: situation where you're able to fly from other regional parts
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: of Australia, i e. Townsville to Darwin or obviously Ala
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: Springs or LaRue for a visit. I think we want
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: to actually make this a situation where you can fly
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: from the likes of Sydney, from the likes of you know, Melbourne, Brisbane,
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: Adelaide here to the Northern territory because we really need
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: to make sure that our tourism sector and our hospitality
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: sector benefit.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: That's it. And pleasingly in the info that did come
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: out yesterday morning, there are those good strong links for
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: a Laroo and Alice Springs, but all we know so
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: far is Darlin's been thrown on the list like Adelaide.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Now it's about okay, which cities are we linking with?
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think you've got the right word there,
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: thrown on the list. I tell you what though, I
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: like you mentioned before Glenn Henley from Tourism Top End,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: A big shout out to him because he right from
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: yesterday morning, you know, he was pushing so hard for
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: the tourism sector up here in the top end to
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: try and make sure that we're included. And what a
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: roller coaster it was yesterday. That's it.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: You know, we've got job keeper ending and there are
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: hospitality businesses that are affected, but unfortunately for Glenn and
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: the tourism sector, a lot more businesses in each side
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: of the coin that were geared towards international visitors that
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: are still off the table right now. So he's been
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: quite a strong advocate and we're in absolute lockstep with him,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: and thus in Central Australia, Daniel down in the Red
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Center as well. You know, we all just are pushing
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: in the same direction scene that we can make this
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: program as good as it can be for the territory.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: Hey, Alex, do you reckon that we're going to You
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: know that we're going to struggle with our workforce if
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: we do get an influx of tourists or do you
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: think it's just going to be a similar situation for
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: us up here in the top end as what it
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: would be if we were open to regular international flights.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: No, so we have workforce shortages and they're heading towards
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: acute wow across the territory. I was down in the
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Red Center over the week at Peter Severn from Curtain
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: Springs funeral that are iconic legend and that we stopped
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: at all the roadhouses on the way up, and this
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: was before the aviation announcement. But they're gearing up for
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: what will be a good drive market. There's a lot
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: of optimism about that, and now hopefully we'll have a
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: good fly drive market or fly into Darwin and stay
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: around Darlin market, but we are lacking the workforce to
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: really take advantage of that. Cafes, pubs, clubs, our accommodation guys.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: We always have quite a high number of backpackers in
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: our industry'd be no surprise. But we also have a
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: lot of skilled migrants from other parts of the world
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: that come and join us, and both of those employment
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: streams are just unavailable, So we want as many locals
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: as possible, but there is a short form.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, how do you reckon we're going to going to
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: manage or what can we do?
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: So a lot of businesses are ramping up their efforts
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: to try and get Southerners to come up and work
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: in their businesses. I mean they want as many locals
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: as possible, but they'll need them plus plus we're doing
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: some campaigning social media and the light down as well,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: trying to complement the positive messaging that tourism and tee
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: is putting out. You know, not not not not just
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: holiday here this year, but how about we work here
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: this year as well to do both. And you know,
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: after all the COVID lockdowns in miserable Melbourne, we're hoping
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: that it will be attractive. But more than that, you know,
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: some of it is the visa stuff that we would
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: like to see some flexibility. So if we get skilled
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: visa workers or or or a holiday holiday visa workers
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: in our sector, if they come from the Americans and
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: some of the Asian countries, we can get them for
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: an additional year or two. But if they come from
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: the UK and Ireland, it's all quite complex. But we can't.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: We can't have them for as long or at all,
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: and that's all tied up with, you know, our relationship
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: with other countries in the normal, normal world. But that's
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: fine that we're saying for COVID for Northern Australia. That
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: doesn't cut it. We want access to workers, especially if
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: before we got them in our businesses. Why do we
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: need to be saying goodbye to them right now?
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so it sounds like it's a very real issue here,
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: you know, that workforce shortage potentially, and particularly if we
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: have a very busy dry season like we're all hoping for.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Across the country. We hit some acute workforce shortages in April,
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: and again that might not be as much of an
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: issue for a Miserable Melbourne venue, but up here, you know,
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: we're hoping to gear up to a cracking dry season
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: and we already know some businesses will be throttling their
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: activities as a result of lack of workforce.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: Mate, is that going to be part of the campaign,
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: don't go to miserable Melbourne, come to the tropical top end.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: Well, my sister in a beautiful family live in Melbourne.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: I I hope you haven't you're not syndicated down there
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: like you are now. I like it.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: I like the line. I think it's a good one.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: On a positive note, we did here earlier in the
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: week Diagio and their search for the world's best bar.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Did they release their top one hundred best bartenders in
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: Australia and there was nine Territorians on that list?
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Did that's it? And credit to Robbo, Analisa and some
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: of those other locals. The Darwin Bartenders Group. They're quite
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: active on social media, they have different events. At the
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: height of lockdowns, I was a mystery judge at one
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: of the venues where they were zooming and competing nationally
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: for different titles. So they're quite an active core of
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: absolute great Territorians to be honest, working in our industry.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: So the fact that nine of them got on that
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: list shows that we do have such a vibrant and
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: growing expertise in cocktail making and different drinks. You know,
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: we had the Manga couple last year and we think
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: that'll only increase and go from strength to strength.
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I reckon, it's so good, you know, well done
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: to those Territorians. I love it when there's people in
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: our community who are so passionate about what they do.
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: And caught up with Alex Baba Johnson earlier in the
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: week and he sounded like he certainly was, which I
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: always enjoy hearing.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so he's one best Barman of the Year from
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: US a few years ago and an Alisi I'm getting
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: getting my linkages right. I took the title off in
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: the next year, so there is a strong rivalry there.
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: It's a great network to.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Grow one hundred percent. Well, Alex Bruce, it's always great
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: to catch up with your mate. Thanks so much for
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: your time this morning. He's Katie all the thank you,
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: that's Alex Bruce there. Hospitality nt CEO