Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with NT Property Council Executive Director Ruth Palmer

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with NT Property Council Executive Director Ruth Palmer · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie wolf On mixed one oh four
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  Speaker 1: point nine thanks to Joyce Main Darwin. Now you may
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  Speaker 1: have heard me mention this morning in our opener that
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  Speaker 1: we're all been sort of waiting to hear exactly what
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  Speaker 1: the next steps are for the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission.
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  Speaker 1: Now we know the Turk Report was handed down at
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  Speaker 1: the end of last year and is now in the
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  Speaker 1: hands of the government. We're waiting for those departments to
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  Speaker 1: come forward with that implementation plan. We have previously asked
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  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister about this and he has said that
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  Speaker 1: you know that those departments and that those.
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  Speaker 2: Ces are working on this.
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  Speaker 1: We had asked to have Sean Drabs on the show
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  Speaker 1: for the last few weeks to try and get a
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  Speaker 1: bit further detail about this rollout, but to no avail
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  Speaker 1: at this stage. Now I know that industry is certainly well.
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  Speaker 1: They've been incredibly supportive of the work that's been undertaken
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  Speaker 1: by the Turk the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission for those
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  Speaker 1: wondering what that means, but they're also now starting to
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  Speaker 1: ask some questions about when we're going to see some movement.
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  Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio not from the ARII and
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  Speaker 1: t AS I accidentally just said before the break, but
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  Speaker 1: from the Property Council's Northern Territory Division.
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  Speaker 2: Ruth Palmer, Good morning to you, Ruth.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Ruth, I know that you guys, along with well,
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  Speaker 1: the Chamber of Commerce, everybody really the Master Builders, everybody's
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  Speaker 1: been incredibly supportive of the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission and
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  Speaker 1: really hoping to sort of see things start moving forwards.
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  Speaker 2: But we're all kind of wondering where things are at
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  Speaker 2: right now, aren't we.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right, Katie, and we supported absolutely the Commission's
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  Speaker 4: purpose and the responsibility that they had in developing this report.
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  Speaker 3: It was something that we heard of.
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  Speaker 4: Around February March last year when that report started getting underway,
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  Speaker 4: and then we waited a good eight months or nine
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  Speaker 4: months before that report was made public. So last year,
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  Speaker 4: that report came out with a whole raft of opportunity
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  Speaker 4: activity ways to be able to build the economy and
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  Speaker 4: grow the territory in a long term, stainable way. So
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  Speaker 4: really that two to ten year vision, but at the moment,
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  Speaker 4: we just need to keep the pressure on about those timeframes.
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  Speaker 4: So the milestones that were in that document. We need
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  Speaker 4: to make sure they are getting hit in the right
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  Speaker 4: times and that we don't drop.
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  Speaker 3: The ball in making it happen.
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  Speaker 1: So, Ruth, from your perspective, there was a milestone of February,
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  Speaker 1: wasn't there for us to sort of hear from those departments?
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  Speaker 3: That's right.
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  Speaker 4: So the Chief Minister did have a directive to his
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  Speaker 4: chief executives around what the departments would be doing and
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  Speaker 4: their recommendations around how they were going to be implementing
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  Speaker 4: parts of this report. So all the departments were given
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  Speaker 4: that directive from the Chief Minister around how their departments
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  Speaker 4: were going to be looking at this, how they were
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  Speaker 4: going to be implementing it. But we're just still waiting
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  Speaker 4: to hear from the outcomes of that.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and it's now March, you know, it's the eleventh
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  Speaker 1: of March, so I would hope that we're going to
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  Speaker 1: hear some of the outcomes pretty soon. You know, why
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  Speaker 1: is this important do you think for industry to actually
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  Speaker 1: hear from those departments? And here's some of those different
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  Speaker 1: you know, different sort of milestones or different KPIs that
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  Speaker 1: they're going to really hold themselves to.
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  Speaker 3: Well, that's right. This is the first step.
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  Speaker 4: I mean, this process looks at the accountability. So if
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  Speaker 4: we can't hit these timeframes, what does that really say
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  Speaker 4: about what the departments are doing. So this is the
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  Speaker 4: first one. We need to make sure that our departments
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  Speaker 4: are on board with this, that they're all equipped, that
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  Speaker 4: they're resourcing is right, that the capabilities are right, and
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  Speaker 4: that the milestones are hit. So you know, this is
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  Speaker 4: something that we can't afford to drop the ball on.
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  Speaker 4: We need to make sure that the timeframes are met,
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  Speaker 4: otherwise we will lose opportunities to other states and territories
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  Speaker 4: around Australia that can put their hand up quickly and
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  Speaker 4: then that can get projects off the ground.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, this is one of the really big things.
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  Speaker 1: It's one of the things that we spoke about, certainly
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  Speaker 1: when the two had handed down those recommendations, is that
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  Speaker 1: we are competing with other states in Australia, you know,
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  Speaker 1: the likes of Western Australia for example. We've heard before
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  Speaker 1: about their mining timeframes, that type of thing. But it's
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  Speaker 1: also I think you know, from what I can see
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  Speaker 1: from what the Property Council has sent out over the
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  Speaker 1: last couple of days, is that you wanted to see
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  Speaker 1: that accountability, knowing who's responsible for what, knowing what entity
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  Speaker 1: is going to be responsible for completing all of these
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  Speaker 1: recommendations and if those departments are going to have KPIs
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  Speaker 1: those key performance indicators, really to make sure that those
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  Speaker 1: recommendations are implemented.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right, Katie.
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  Speaker 4: In every business in the territory would know if they
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  Speaker 4: don't meet their KPIs, or if they don't meet key
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  Speaker 4: milestones within their business, they can effectively lose customers. So
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  Speaker 4: we need to make sure that the government looks at
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  Speaker 4: this in the same way that those milestones have to
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  Speaker 4: be met, that there's got to be.
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  Speaker 3: Some accountability around the tasks and.
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  Speaker 4: Responsibilities that the departments have or the people in the
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  Speaker 4: departments that are looking after specific parts of this report.
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  Speaker 4: So we need to make sure that there is key
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  Speaker 4: performance indicators around this.
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  Speaker 3: We need to make sure that all those a.
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  Speaker 4: Part of this process are held accountable and that what
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  Speaker 4: happens if those milestones aren't met. Is there going to
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  Speaker 4: be conversation around well, if you can't meet them, now
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  Speaker 4: what happens then? So again, like in a private business,
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  Speaker 4: if those milestones aren't hit, then then there are some
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  Speaker 4: there's some conversations that need to be had, Ruth, do
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  Speaker 4: you think that with you know, with the milestones, with
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  Speaker 4: those KPIs that and with that reporting and disclosure that
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  Speaker 4: realistically it needs to be made very public ie that
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  Speaker 4: you know, it needs to be up on their website
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  Speaker 4: so that people can actually see, particularly industry, can actually
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  Speaker 4: see whether those milestones are being messed and can see
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  Speaker 4: exactly where things are at when it comes to the
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  Speaker 4: to the Turk. Sure, and that comes back to transparency
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  Speaker 4: and being open and honest with.
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  Speaker 3: The people of the territory.
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  Speaker 4: So we know we've got a government who did come
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  Speaker 4: into a second term and a first term stating that
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  Speaker 4: they would be transparent, that they will hold their selves
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  Speaker 4: to account, and that they will be open and honest
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  Speaker 4: with territorians. So we need to make sure that that
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  Speaker 4: is still followed through and that we do see what's
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  Speaker 4: happening on the ground so we can make investment decisions.
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  Speaker 4: We need people to know that they can invest here
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  Speaker 4: and have the certainty around wanting to come to the territory,
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  Speaker 4: wanting to put their money here, but they need to
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  Speaker 4: see that there is action happening and that we can
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  Speaker 4: make these these opportunities become.
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  Speaker 1: A reality ruths from your perspective, and I mean from
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  Speaker 1: your industry's perspective really, because you are you know, you
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  Speaker 1: are obviously speaking on behalf of the people that you
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  Speaker 1: represent as part of the Property Council. From your perspective,
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  Speaker 1: Are they you know, are they meeting so far?
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  Speaker 2: Are they off to a good start.
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  Speaker 4: Well, so we've sort of had these conversations with our
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  Speaker 4: members and hearing around the grounds and we sort of
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  Speaker 4: think that we're not even at that ten percent of
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  Speaker 4: the report being looked at at the moment.
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  Speaker 3: So it's it's a two to ten year time frame.
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  Speaker 4: There is a lot of projects that do need to
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  Speaker 4: be ticked off within that first two years. We're currently
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  Speaker 4: putting together, which we've done now, a report card that
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  Speaker 4: highlights all the key recommendations in that report that affect
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  Speaker 4: our industry and we're scoring against that. So whether those
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  Speaker 4: milestones have been have been reached within that zero to
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  Speaker 4: two years, but then also that zero to five and
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  Speaker 4: the zero to ten, because there are a lot of
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  Speaker 4: key recommendations that do need to be ticked within those
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  Speaker 4: areas and we are a little concerned.
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  Speaker 3: That we might see the ball dropped.
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  Speaker 4: But what we need to do as industry and everyone
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  Speaker 4: else out there as well.
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  Speaker 3: We need to just stay on it.
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  Speaker 4: We need to stay the task, keep focused, but also
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  Speaker 4: hold people to account on their responsibilities on getting this
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  Speaker 4: report up and running, because we don't want to see
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  Speaker 4: just another report sitting on the shelf that a lot
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  Speaker 4: of effort, time and resources has had gone into. We
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  Speaker 4: can't afford to see that happen again with this one.
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  Speaker 4: This is the last chance, I think.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I've got to say that's been the biggest concern
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  Speaker 1: that's been raised with me since the work was completed,
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  Speaker 1: or since the work was actually undertaken by the Territory
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  Speaker 1: Economic Reconstruction Commission. You know, most people were saying, Look,
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  Speaker 1: I don't think we're ever going to be in a
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  Speaker 1: situation again where we've got people like Andrew Liveris and
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  Speaker 1: everybody else that was on that board. You know, I
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  Speaker 1: don't think we're going to be in a situation again
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  Speaker 1: where you've got you such sort of great background being
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  Speaker 1: able to look at what we can do differently. But
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  Speaker 1: the really key part is going to be having all
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  Speaker 1: of those recommendations implemented.
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  Speaker 2: You know, It's one thing for them to do all of.
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  Speaker 1: That great work, but if we don't actually see it implemented,
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  Speaker 1: it really doesn't mean much.
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  Speaker 4: Absolutely, and what a range of talented people we had
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  Speaker 4: on that commission, and they did volunteer their time and
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  Speaker 4: their effort to be a part of that to make
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  Speaker 4: the territory the comeback capital, so to speak. So these
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  Speaker 4: are people from all over Australia who are experts in
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  Speaker 4: their field and for them to have given up that
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  Speaker 4: time really shows that they can see potential in the
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  Speaker 4: Northern Territory and how we can grow. But the thing
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  Speaker 4: is now is that we need to honor the work
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  Speaker 4: that they've done, realize that their expertise has put forward
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  Speaker 4: a great document that can really lead some economic activity
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  Speaker 4: for the territory. But now it's just about how that
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  Speaker 4: gets rolled out effectively, but also in a way that
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  Speaker 4: we can see that investment or opportunity will start happening.
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  Speaker 4: We just can't go another year, another two years without
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  Speaker 4: some major projects coming in, but also just a blueprint,
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  Speaker 4: a really solid blueprint to drive the territory into the future.
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  Speaker 1: Well. Ruth Palmer from the Property Council of Australia's Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory Division, also number seventeen on the Northern Territory News
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  Speaker 1: Most Powerful Women List. Ruth, thanks so much for your
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  Speaker 1: time this morning.
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  Speaker 3: Cheers, thank you.