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Speaker 1: We did just hear from the Chief Minister Michael Gunner

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Speaker 1: that some changes are going to come into play in

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Speaker 1: an effort to really cut that red tape and allow

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory to be the best place to do business.

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Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the Chamber of

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Speaker 1: Commerce CEO Greg Island. Good morning to you, Greg, Katie.

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Speaker 2: How are you today?

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Speaker 1: Yeah? Not too bad Greg. Obviously, these changes, if they

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Speaker 1: do come into play, let's hope that they really work

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Speaker 1: the way that is intended, and that is to try

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Speaker 1: to streamline approvals processes for businesses. The goal is to

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Speaker 1: improve and upgrade the systems and staff and slash business

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Speaker 1: licensing and approvals to a maximum of thirty days. How

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Speaker 1: positive would this move be for business in the territory.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Ok, It's certainly good to see a real focus

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Speaker 2: on this matter. It's been on the Chamber's wish list

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Speaker 2: for some time to really load a fire and the

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Speaker 2: business approvals and get things happening in project wise. So

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Speaker 2: I really am looking forward to seeing the results of

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Speaker 2: this newfound activity. It's certainly time to roll out the

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Speaker 2: red carpet, not the red tape.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. I couldn't agree more and I think that this

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Speaker 1: is something you and I have spoken about on numerous occasions.

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Speaker 1: I've spoken to the Chief Minister about it on numerous occasions,

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Speaker 1: and I did ask him, you know, is the situation

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Speaker 1: with the likes of Dan Murphy's an example of how

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Speaker 1: not to do the approvals process?

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Speaker 2: Well, it's certainly one that's been on everyone's lips, hasn't

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Speaker 2: it Not from a red Wine point of view, but

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Speaker 2: certainly on the approval process. So it's one that sort

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Speaker 2: of polarizes the community somewhat, but the majority of people

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Speaker 2: supporting free enterprise deciding who opens and who's trading.

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Speaker 1: I mean, the government still yet to really roll out

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Speaker 1: all the nitty gritty, and we did again, we did

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Speaker 1: ask the Chief Minister about the cornerstone of the Commission's recommendations.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's obviously to attract private investment to the

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Speaker 1: territory by making it the easiest place to do business,

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Speaker 1: and it would include a review, a sweeping review of

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory legislation being carried out and that red tape

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Speaker 1: reduction bill written up. Are there certain things that you

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Speaker 1: really think need to be included in this change?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think between ourselves and Master builders we've been

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Speaker 2: talking about. I guess the position of a coordinated general

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Speaker 2: somebody who's got the capability and the power to walk

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Speaker 2: these major projects through a process. We certainly don't want

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Speaker 2: to see any shortcuts made from a regulatory perspective, but

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Speaker 2: just somebody who can can take carriage of these processes

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Speaker 2: through the government and make sure that they're not sitting

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Speaker 2: in a too hard basket somewhere. I also think that

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Speaker 2: around the environmental approval aspects of things, that's some harmonizing

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Speaker 2: of the legislation around the country wouldn't go astray, so

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Speaker 2: that we're not dealing with different requirements of different jurisdictions

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Speaker 2: either side of the border.

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Speaker 1: Do you think that this position of a concierge, as

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Speaker 1: he had mentioned earlier on the show, goes far enough.

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Speaker 2: I think that's the area that we'd like to see

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Speaker 2: improved up to somebody that's got a little bit more

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Speaker 2: grunt behind them than a concierge. But coordinator general is

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Speaker 2: that type of level that we've been talking about. It's

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Speaker 2: a model that's worked well in Queensland. We perhaps so

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Speaker 2: need to go all that far, but certainly a little

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Speaker 2: bit more grunt than a concierge would be a great result.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, And I guess the other concern is, obviously, you know,

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Speaker 1: we want to make it easy for business to enter

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory, but with some of those major projects

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Speaker 1: as well, I wonder whether some changes need to come

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Speaker 1: into play, or when you talk about big business and

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Speaker 1: industry coming into the territory, whether some changes need to

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Speaker 1: come into play for them as well, to try to

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Speaker 1: diversify and make sure that we do have jobs for territorians.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the bilocal component of these projects is the critical factor.

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Speaker 2: And whilst it's easy for government to regulate its own

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Speaker 2: performance in that space, and we certainly know that Dennis

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Speaker 2: Steman is very active as the bylocal advocate, it's a

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Speaker 2: bit harder in the private sector. And I'd like to

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Speaker 2: see us work towards getting very strong participation from the

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Speaker 2: larger projects that are going to be happening. We're seeing

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Speaker 2: that now in the defense space with some really good

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Speaker 2: results there. We just need to continue to work very

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Speaker 2: hard at ensuring the local business is skilled and prepared

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Speaker 2: to participate in those projects.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and obviously a couple of announcements we are anticipating

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Speaker 1: in our starting the details starting to flow through ahead

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Speaker 1: of Tuesday's federal budget. I do not on the front

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Speaker 1: page of the paper the hospitality hopefuls and you know,

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Speaker 1: talking about really growing our own through VET training and

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Speaker 1: obviously those kind of avenues. What are you hoping for

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Speaker 1: in this federal budget on Tuesday, Greg.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly, we're very supportive of the way substitutes are apprentices.

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Speaker 2: It's a very big tick from the federal to allow

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Speaker 2: that to occur and will encourage business to invest in

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Speaker 2: growing our own talent, which is absolutely what we need

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Speaker 2: to be doing. Be concerned about CDU and the changes

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Speaker 2: being made there, but again that will open opportunities for

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Speaker 2: other training organizations and potentially other service providers to fill

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Speaker 2: that void. So I really am hoping that the federal

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Speaker 2: budget has some positive news of the territory. I'd certainly

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Speaker 2: like to see a lot of investment around roads and

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Speaker 2: access into more remote communities to really kickstart the economic

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Speaker 2: activity in those places, particularly around tourism and gaining access

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Speaker 2: to new markets.

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Speaker 1: Now, another thing I do want to just quickly ask

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Speaker 1: you about, and we've had quite a few people from

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Speaker 1: Alice Springs get in contact with us and tell us

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Speaker 1: that they're having real issues at the moment when it

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Speaker 1: comes to crime. From your perspective, from the Chambers perspective,

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Speaker 1: how are things going for business in Alice Springs when

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Speaker 1: you talk about the issue of crime.

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Speaker 2: Quite topical, Katie. I was down there a week or

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Speaker 2: so ago and spoke to a number of businesses about

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Speaker 2: this issue, and it's very much top of the list

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Speaker 2: for them all. They are really struggling with the amount

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Speaker 2: of activity that's occurring in the middle of the night

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Speaker 2: and the damage it's being done. I myself drove to

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Speaker 2: Tan Creek early in the morning and experienced firsthand the

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Speaker 2: people wandering the streets and upturning bins and all sorts

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Speaker 2: of behavior that wouldn't be considered acceptable by anybody. So

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Speaker 2: the Chamber will certainly be talking to the government about

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Speaker 2: those issues and how they can be mitigated. But it

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Speaker 2: certainly needs a lot more effort than it seems to

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Speaker 2: be happening at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Well, Chamber of Commerce CEO, Greg Island, we always appreciate

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Speaker 1: your time, mate. We'll talk to you again soon.

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Speaker 2: You're welcome, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Thank you. You are listening to Mix one O four

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Speaker 1: point nine's three sixty