Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce says a new initiative aims to recruit 100 bar tenders, chefs and wait staff from the UK to come and work in the Territory

Transcript

Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce says a new initiative aims to recruit 100 bar tenders, chefs and wait staff from the UK to come and work in the Territory · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So we know that the Northern Territory Government and Hospitality
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: NT have come up with a plan to source workers
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: for the industry from overseas. Now. It's something that we've
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: spoken about a lot on the show in recent months
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: and I know that it's been a really big concern
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: that's been bubbling along for hospitality and a lot of
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: other industries, and that is the workforce shortage. Now the
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: aim is to find one hundred skilled bartenders, chefs and
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: wight staff in the UK. Joining me on the line
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: to tell us more about the plan, it is Alex Bruce,
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  Speaker 1: the CEO of Hospitality here in the Northern Territory. Good
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: morning to you, Alex, Good morning Katie Alex. What exactly
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: is the plan? How is this partnership going to work?
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we were approached by a collaboration of our businesses,
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  Speaker 2: predominantly in Darwin in the first instance, just trying to
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: think outside the box. Minister Kirby had launched a three
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: million dollar fund a while ago and encouraged all businesses,
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: all industry sectors to think how we could put our
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: that's best foot forward in recruiting workers. Are they local
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: into state international? And the proposal was put forward with
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: a bit of a story behind it, where about a
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: decade ago there were regular delegations led by Migration MT
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: over into the UK and Ireland. We had businesses involved
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: in those at the time, and they went over there
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: and literally with conversations and handshakes across the bar, signed
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: people up that came over and they're still living and
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: working here ten years later. They're great territori ins. They
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  Speaker 2: some of them have launched their own businesses and they
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: have successfully recruited from where they've come from as well.
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  Speaker 2: You know, this is not new or unique to the UK.
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  Speaker 2: There's these threads into the Nepalese community, the Filipino community.
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  Speaker 2: We're looking at a project in Estonia of all places,
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  Speaker 2: because we've got some great Estonian origin territories and how
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  Speaker 2: we can grow those. So the UK has always been
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  Speaker 2: quite a strong backpack of market for Australia. We've always
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: seen and relied on them and we've had great success
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  Speaker 2: in the past on converting them into long term territorians
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: and valuable members of our industry and the community. So
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  Speaker 2: how do we get over there again and crank call
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: that back up?
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  Speaker 1: And I mean it's exactly what we want right, Like,
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  Speaker 1: if people do move here, you want them here long term.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: And that example that you've given of people being here
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  Speaker 1: sort of ten years later, I would think that that's
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  Speaker 1: exactly what you're sort of aiming for with this program.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. Ian Sloan at Berry Springs Tavern, Steve Dugan which
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: works with Justin Coleman, so Breeders and Landmark, the gentlemen
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  Speaker 2: down at Winnellie Sellers. They were all recruited through these
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: initiatives a decade ago and here they are growing businesses
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  Speaker 2: and families locally. It's fantastic, how awesome.
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  Speaker 1: Well tell me as well, what exactly are you going
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  Speaker 1: to do, Like what are those that are involved going
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  Speaker 1: to do when they're in the UK to try and
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  Speaker 1: sort of drum up that interest.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: We're targeting Liverpool, Newcastle, London, in Glasgow and Dublin. We
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: are hearing a lot from our networks of you know,
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  Speaker 2: family and friends over there, from workers and business owners
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  Speaker 2: in our sector. Cost of living is bad in Australia.
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  Speaker 2: Everyone knows that it's really bad over there at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: You know, all of the impacts of that Ukraine Russia
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: malarkey going on. It's just seen the cost of living
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  Speaker 2: spike for workers average workers, but they in hospitality, retail
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  Speaker 2: or anywhere else. So we're going over there. There's some
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: expos and seminars that we're looking to join and collaborate in.
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  Speaker 2: We were talking with the Australia UK Chamber of Commerce
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  Speaker 2: at some of ungodly hour last night that suited their
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: agenda over there, and we're looking at doing an event
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  Speaker 2: in Australia House to really showcase and promote the territory.
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  Speaker 2: The comment was made by that Australia UK Chamber of
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  Speaker 2: Commerce based over there they see a lot more activity
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: from the other large estates. You know, it probably makes sense.
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  Speaker 2: So it isn't common for the NT to be front
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  Speaker 2: of mind when the working holiday makers are thinking about
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: where they want to go, and so we really do
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  Speaker 2: just want to get over there, get in front of them,
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  Speaker 2: take some great people with us. We've got Hayley, she
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  Speaker 2: works at Charlie's of Darwin. She might tell you her
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  Speaker 2: story tomorrow, but you know was one of those people
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  Speaker 2: that came over as a backpack of six years ago
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  Speaker 2: after living and working for five years in the territory,
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  Speaker 2: which she was sponsored by the Sailing Club here now
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  Speaker 2: she's a manager over there, so we want to take
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  Speaker 2: her over there, and you know she can showcase and
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  Speaker 2: promote that story and grow the pipeline.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we'll try and catch up with her tomorrow. Hey,
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  Speaker 1: tell us as well, what are some of the timelines
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  Speaker 1: here for recruiting staff, because it does seem as though
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  Speaker 1: we need this to happen sort of sooner rather than later.
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: Look, we do our surveys tell us that the peak
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: recruitment in our industry, as seasonal as it is, is
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  Speaker 2: that February March window. People would love to have the
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: skilled workers in their businesses right now, but so long
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  Speaker 2: as we can get them by February March, you know,
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: then we can really gear up to the next peak
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: dry season. We've just updated our survey data and again
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: it's showing, you know, pleasingly seventy percent of our venues
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: looking to increase the number of workers they currently have
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: into next year, so they have that confidence to recruit locally,
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: into state and abroad. And we look at that and
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: we think it's about a thousand full time workers four
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  Speaker 2: thousand casuals. So we've got our work cut out for us,
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  Speaker 2: no doubt about it. And one of the particular focuses
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  Speaker 2: of this trip won't just be you know, the barman
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  Speaker 2: pouring beers. It's how do we get those supervisory managerial skills,
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  Speaker 2: how do we get the right skills in our kitchens,
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  Speaker 2: bring them over so that they can complement our businesses,
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  Speaker 2: but ultimately over time mentor and upskill our existing workforce
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  Speaker 2: as well. There's been workforce disruptions across every industry. This
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  Speaker 2: wouldn't be new to your listeners. So apart from just
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: warm bodies, it's actually the skills that we have. Our
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: sector at the moment we really need to try and
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  Speaker 2: rebuild and the UK is a proven market for that
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  Speaker 2: for us.
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  Speaker 1: And so Alex, just how many staff do you want
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  Speaker 1: to recruit from the UK?
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  Speaker 2: I look as many as we can, but we this
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: is this is not this is not a trip to Disneyland.
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  Speaker 2: This is not a trip to go over there and
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  Speaker 2: just have a skinful and enjoy yourself, and will be
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  Speaker 2: quite targeted in who we do take on this journey
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  Speaker 2: with us, and our expectation is that everyone that's come
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  Speaker 2: comes back with with people they've signed up. Initially those backpackers,
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  Speaker 2: they're working holiday makers, but then you know, pathways into
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  Speaker 2: sponsorship and skilled migration. And again, you know this isn't
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  Speaker 2: a preference to the UK over any other country, or
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  Speaker 2: why aren't we looking at Southeast Age or somewhere close it.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: We're looking everywhere. We had some of the most favorable
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: reciprocal rights with the UK, particularly last year. You'll remember
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  Speaker 2: I'm sorry for Paul and the NT farmers, but they
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: no longer need to go do their eighty eight days
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: picking fruit to get their second year backpack of visa.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: They can do it in our bars. So we need
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: to be out there promoting that to them and preferably
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: say don't head to Sydney or Melbourne, come here first,
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: work with us and we can passway you into our
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: migration ultimately if that's what you.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: Want to do, Hey, before I let you go, you
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: know how much is the government spending on this? Because
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: I know that some people listening will be thinking, is
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: this money well spent?
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  Speaker 2: Up to two hundred thousand and it's a co contribution,
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: So the final numbers will depend on how many people
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  Speaker 2: we take and what it looks like. But yeah, the
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: businesses have skin in the game. We have skin in
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: the game. The government is supporting it all which helps
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: you know, a lot of our larger players in our industry,
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: like others, they've got quite a strong recruitment pathway globally.
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  Speaker 2: So this is to help the smaller and medium guys
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  Speaker 2: in our industry, the cafes, the restaurants, the little operators
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: like Charlie. How do we get over there and get
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: the key people that we need into our businesses ahead
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: of the next peak.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: Alex, do you think that that, you know, the recruiting
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: of staff to the Northern Territory and the recruiting of
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  Speaker 1: workers to the territory is impacted in any way by
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: the issues that we're experiencing at the moment with crime.
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: Oh, no doubt about it. And hearing Daniel and others
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  Speaker 2: on your show this morning, you know, we feel we've
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: got operators down there. They are all unfortunately saying the
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: same things. We had a horrible story a while ago
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: now within the peak. You know, one of our venues
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: down there had managed to recruit into state a key worker,
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: but a horrible, horrible antisocial behavior thing happened with young
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: people throwing Roxities branded car of the venue and all
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  Speaker 2: the rest of it. Within three days, he packed up
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: and left town again, So you know, it is a
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: constant battle, and we know the government is looking at it,
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: and we are all keeping focus on that topic as appropriate,
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: because yeah, something's got to give.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: Down there, Yeah, it really does. It's bloody sad, and
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: you know, I think we're all just totally over it,
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: to be honest, we're honestly, I'm at the point where
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: I'd love to not be talking about it anymore, but
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: you know, but we've got to make sure that there's
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: some change. Yeah, Yeah, Alex Bruce, always good to catch up.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time this morning. Thank you,
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: you two