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Speaker 1: Now you did just hear us catching up with the

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Speaker 1: CEO of the Palmerston Superclinic, Robin carl and talking further

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Speaker 1: about the vaccination rates and the need I guess for

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Speaker 1: that consistency, but also for the transparency and we'd heard

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Speaker 1: that yesterday from John Patterson from amsand those figures do

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Speaker 1: need to be a little bit more transparent so everybody

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Speaker 1: can see exactly where we're at when it comes to

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Speaker 1: the vaccine roll out. But joining us in the studio

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Speaker 1: to talk further about this really from a business perspective

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Speaker 1: is Greg Ireland, who is the CEO of the Chamber

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Speaker 1: of Commerce here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Greg, Good morning Katie. It's great

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Speaker 2: to be in the studio for your first time.

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Speaker 1: Good to see you and COVID's obviously prevented a lot

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Speaker 1: of things, but it's also prevented you coming into to

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Speaker 1: see us in person, for.

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Speaker 2: It certainly has Looking forward to the next few.

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Speaker 1: Minutes, yeah, we know that realistically, this discussion about the

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Speaker 1: vaccine rates and needing to get to eighty percent, it

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Speaker 1: is certainly the way that the Australian government is looking

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Speaker 1: at take things at this point in time the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory government has agreed that, you know, that that is

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Speaker 1: the path forward. But what this all hinders on is

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Speaker 1: making sure that we do have everybody in the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory or at least eighty percent vaccinated. How is the

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Speaker 1: business community feeling about this plan.

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Speaker 2: Katie, there's certainly a growing level of concern amongst the

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Speaker 2: business community about the uncertainty of future lockdowns. We understand

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Speaker 2: and we certainly agree with the government's position on the

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Speaker 2: vaccination levels and achieving those levels, but we are building

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Speaker 2: I guess a feeling that might have some interruptions.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that there's probably quite a few people

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Speaker 1: feeling that way, saying, you know, it seems like a

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Speaker 1: fair enough plan for all of Australia to get to

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Speaker 1: that point. But we're also now seeing across the nation.

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Speaker 1: You know, in the likes of Western Australia, Mark McGowan,

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Speaker 1: the Premier there pushing back, are the Queensland Premier and

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Speaker 1: a Stagia Palichet pushing back and saying about what about

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Speaker 1: those under the age of twelve? Even for us here

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Speaker 1: in the ten directorally, the Chief Minister saying well, we

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Speaker 1: need to make sure that it also is in our

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Speaker 1: indigenous communities now more regional locations, But that seems to

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Speaker 1: be where we're missing the mark right now in some places.

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Speaker 2: Look, it certainly does, Katie. We know the devastating impacts

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Speaker 2: that closures have had on the territory economy, whether it's

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Speaker 2: our direct lockdowns or whether lockdowns imposed in other regions

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Speaker 2: that prevent that travel and that interaction with our economy.

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Speaker 2: So the concern for that to occur post our reaching

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Speaker 2: that vaccination threshold is very concerning for business. If other

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Speaker 2: states are opened up and able to visit US, but

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Speaker 2: we won't allow them to come, he's going to have

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Speaker 2: that same impact on the economy. So if the remote

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Speaker 2: indigenous location vaccination rates are the key to getting that done,

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Speaker 2: I think now is the time to get that really

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Speaker 2: positive messaging out there and making sure everyone out in

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Speaker 2: those regions is getting the information to make a fully

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Speaker 2: informed decision.

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Speaker 1: Greg Were you surprised when some of those came out

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Speaker 1: throughout the week with the vaccination rates and how well

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Speaker 1: we're doing in some locations like in a Darwin, but

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Speaker 1: then how we're seemingly really struggling in other parts of

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Speaker 1: the territory.

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Speaker 2: Probably not so surprised, Katie. I've been across the fact

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Speaker 2: that these had been an issue for a little while

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Speaker 2: and we've been talking to government about this particular concern.

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Speaker 2: We certainly encourage all of the Indigenous organizations that are

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Speaker 2: involved in getting that messaging out there, and I know

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Speaker 2: that there's a lot of really positive efforts happening in

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Speaker 2: both Central Australia and the top end to make sure

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Speaker 2: that people are aware. We're just not seeing the uptake

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Speaker 2: that is needed to happen, and what we were calling

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Speaker 2: for was some transparency around those numbers so that we

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Speaker 2: can see them. We're not necessarily trying to single anyone

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Speaker 2: out in terms of identifying a community, but if we

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Speaker 2: can understand in whatever region where they're at, I think

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Speaker 2: that can just help us reinforce the messaging to government.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's something that we've heard pretty loudly and clearly

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Speaker 1: actually over the last couple of days. Is that real

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Speaker 1: transparency knowing where we need to make sure that our

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Speaker 1: efforts are focused, if there is a community that's really struggling,

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Speaker 1: or if there is a location that's finding it more difficult,

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Speaker 1: and you know, I'm sure that there is probably some

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Speaker 1: of that work happening behind the scenes. But then I

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Speaker 1: suppose on the other side of things, our business people,

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Speaker 1: our businesses, some of our mum and dad business owners,

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Speaker 1: right from the small businesses up to the large ones

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Speaker 1: in the territory, have had such a tough time over

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Speaker 1: the last eighteen months, and so then when we sort

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Speaker 1: of realize that we're not going to be opening up

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Speaker 1: until we get to that eighty percent rate, it could

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Speaker 1: be quite demoralizing when you hear how low some of

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Speaker 1: those numbers are in some locations and the work that

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Speaker 1: needs to happen.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, Katie. You know, we've had some I guess

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Speaker 2: confusion aroun our statistical information at the moment. But the

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Speaker 2: reality is that in the populated areas those numbers can

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Speaker 2: be influenced by visitors and so forth. That's one case,

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Speaker 2: But in the regional areas, I don't get too many

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Speaker 2: tourists coming in and out, So I think we're going

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Speaker 2: to have a pretty good idea those vaccination rates are

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Speaker 2: business needs confidence. It's always the case, not only to

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Speaker 2: continue to trade and provide the really fantastic services that

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Speaker 2: we need to support our visit or economy, they just

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Speaker 2: have to continue to have that confidence before they'll invest.

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Speaker 1: What are people saying to you? What are a lot

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Speaker 1: of your businesses around the territory saying to you at

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Speaker 1: the moment. You know, I'm assuming that it is probably

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Speaker 1: quite varied. There'd be some that are doing okay, but

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Speaker 1: there would be others that have really felt the impacts

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Speaker 1: of not having the interstate travelers that they're used to.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we've been saying for some time how badly impacted

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Speaker 2: the tourism and hospitality sector has been. You know, there's

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Speaker 2: clear evidence that they are under continuous pressure and other

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Speaker 2: first ones impacted by any lockdown. Other businesses is ra

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Speaker 2: acting in various ways, but overall, the confidence level is

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Speaker 2: still quite high, and everyone's still looking forward to the

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Speaker 2: next decade or so. We've just got to get this

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Speaker 2: particular hic up behind us and get on with doing

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Speaker 2: those projects and delivering those outcomes that the business owns

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Speaker 2: that they can do, and that's a good thing. Our

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Speaker 2: biggest issue right now is workforce, and that's highly impacted

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Speaker 2: by COVID restrictions on skilled work and migration.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, do you reckon We're getting to the point, like,

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Speaker 1: is the country getting to the point where lockdowns are

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Speaker 1: more detrimental than the spread of COVID in some ways.

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Speaker 1: I mean, when you talk about the mental health of

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Speaker 1: some business operators, and when you talk about, you know,

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Speaker 1: the way in which the lockdown then impacts the community,

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Speaker 1: especially in places like New South Wales and Victoria. You know,

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Speaker 1: is the impact of those lockdowns in some ways even

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Speaker 1: greater than what the impact of COVID is.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a great question, Katie. I heard some information

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Speaker 2: recently that indicated that the cost of the lockdown, both

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Speaker 2: mentally and physically on businesses substantial, But the expectation of

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Speaker 2: the cost of the pandemic escalating is probably still higher

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Speaker 2: than that. So that balance at tipping point probably hasn't

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Speaker 2: been reached yet. As we get further down that vaccination pathway,

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Speaker 2: that's certainly going to be the conversation. And at some

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Speaker 2: point we're going to have to be saying people have

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Speaker 2: had a chance to make an informed decision on their outcomes,

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Speaker 2: and we've got to move in a certain direction to

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Speaker 2: ensure continuity for everybody else.

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Speaker 1: And so do you think that the reality of it

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Speaker 1: is that the country is going to have to do

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Speaker 1: just that, We're going to have to go Okay, Well,

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Speaker 1: November or by Christmas or whatever date they decide in

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Speaker 1: that national cabinet. But whatever date, then we really do

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Speaker 1: need to just look to that date, work to it

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Speaker 1: and make sure that we're opening at that stage.

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Speaker 2: I think that's certainly got to be the topic of conversation.

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Speaker 2: Digital vaccine, passports and all those sorts of things. I mean,

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Speaker 2: we can have digital apet cards to get into another country,

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Speaker 2: but we don't have a digital version of a vaccination

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Speaker 2: that can be proven to be reliable. So all those

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Speaker 2: things have to come into the messaging moving forward and

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Speaker 2: getting that consensus has proven difficult so far, and I

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Speaker 2: think it's going to prove difficult in the future. But

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Speaker 2: I really think we we will have to collaborate on

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Speaker 2: getting that outcome. And you know, the territories are small

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Speaker 2: jurisdiction in those compared to those other bigger players, but

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Speaker 2: we've got to get to that outcome so that we

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Speaker 2: can wreck the rewards of the opening of the travel Now.

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Speaker 1: I know that the Northern Territory, well, we've apparently, according

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Speaker 1: to a report in the paper today, recorded the biggest

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Speaker 1: jump in economic activity in the nation, with growth more

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Speaker 1: than double that of any other state or territory in

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Speaker 1: the June quarter, So the territory's state final demand, which

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Speaker 1: obviously measures the total value of goods and services that

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Speaker 1: are sold, increased by five point three percent to six

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Speaker 1: point five billion dollars. It obviously followed a decline in

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Speaker 1: previous quarters. So these is according to the new vaccine,

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Speaker 1: the new figures, i should say, which were released by

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Speaker 1: the Australian Bureau of Statistics. What's it attributed to.

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Speaker 2: It's certainly a great result for the territory and one

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Speaker 2: of our best results for some time. However, we are

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Speaker 2: still that small jurisdiction and we do get impacted by

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Speaker 2: seasonal events, so that quarter is close wet season. And

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Speaker 2: we've also seen a lot more intent through flexibility around

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Speaker 2: COVID for particularly minerals exploration, so a lot of those

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Speaker 2: numbers of coming in what they're calling the IP of

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Speaker 2: that exploration and the efforts that are going into finding

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Speaker 2: gas in the bedlou and so forth. We've also seen

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Speaker 2: a ramp up of particularly minerals activity, so around the

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Speaker 2: minds and that type of thing. They've always been probably

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Speaker 2: the territory's biggest contributor to our state final demand, and

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Speaker 2: that's been the case in this quarter. What we are

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Speaker 2: looking forward to is that being continued on over an

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Speaker 2: extended period of time now, so a lot more activity.

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Speaker 2: We've certainly welcomed the federal or the territory governments if

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Speaker 2: it's to approve those minds and get actions actually happening,

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Speaker 2: and it's translating into numbers, and that's going to help

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Speaker 2: us pay off some of that significant depth that we've

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Speaker 2: building up in the back.

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Speaker 1: I was going to say, we do have quite a

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Speaker 1: bit of it, don't we greg In terms of the

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Speaker 1: other numbers that come through with the Australian Bureau of

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Speaker 1: Statistics data, Is there anything else that sort of showed

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Speaker 1: promising signs or how are we looking when it comes

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Speaker 1: to the economy from this side of things.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly. Probably the key indicator there, I think was

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Speaker 2: a slight reduction in government spending, which means that it's

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Speaker 2: been private investment that's driven those numbers. That's a very

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Speaker 2: very good thing. There's been investment in machinery, there's been

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Speaker 2: investment in building assets, so that's encouraging. As I said,

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Speaker 2: most of that's coming out of the mining and mineral

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Speaker 2: sector at this point in time, but we expect to

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Speaker 2: see that flow through to construction as we're able to

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Speaker 2: open up and find more and more workers to get

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Speaker 2: these jobs done.

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Speaker 1: Well. Last time you and I spoke, we did actually

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Speaker 1: talk about that population growth as well, or the decline

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Speaker 1: I suppose, and how the population's looking. Has there been

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Speaker 1: much movement in that space from your perspective.

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Speaker 2: No, there hasn't, Katie. It's a particularly challenging area. Australia

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Speaker 2: is a highly competitive working environment at the moment with

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Speaker 2: all the infrastructure builds that are occurring around the com

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Speaker 2: so attracting labor from down south is difficult. The Chamber

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Speaker 2: is really focused on building our own workforce, so the

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Speaker 2: more training and upskilling we can do, and particularly focused

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Speaker 2: on vet in schools programs. The Chamber has been involved

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Speaker 2: with a number of other institutions in developing the Aviation

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Speaker 2: Skill Center, which is going to be launched later this year.

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Speaker 2: That means a couple of hundred apprentices and trainees going

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Speaker 2: through that particular facility that hopefully stay here in the

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Speaker 2: territory and build on that particular sector. But as I

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Speaker 2: touched on before, skilled migration has always been a significant

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Speaker 2: part of the territory workforce. We saw a planeload of

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Speaker 2: guys and girls from Fannuwa to a couple of days

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Speaker 2: ago to help with the picking. I would like to

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Speaker 2: see us be tapping into some of those markets for

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Speaker 2: some skilled labor so that we can build on our workforce.

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Speaker 2: We need people out there doing those jobs.

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Speaker 1: Well. Greg, it's always good to catch up with you.

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Speaker 1: I really appreciate you coming into the studio this morning.

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Speaker 1: No doubt we'll talk to you again in the very

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Speaker 1: near future. Thanks Katie, Thank you. Greg Island there the

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Speaker 1: CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and UH and plenty

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Speaker 1: of discussion this morning about the vaccine rates and well,

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Speaker 1: and about the economy and our workforce.