1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Now look, the Property Council here in the Northern Territory. 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: They're warning that the territory needs twelve five hundred new 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 1: homes by the end of the decade. But they say 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: that right now we're facing the lowest building approval rates 5 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: in the country. So just four hundred and fifty new 6 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: dwellings were built in the year to November twenty twenty three, 7 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: missing the National Housing Accords target of two than two 8 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: hundred and eighty five. Now joining me on the line 9 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: is the Property Council of the Northern Territory's Executive director, 10 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: Ruth Palmer. Good morning to you, Ruth. 11 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Thanks so much. 12 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: For your time. Ruth. Can you tell me why did 13 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: the Property Council commission this report? 14 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 2: Thanks Katie. So, one of the things we were going 15 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 2: through last year was a Construction Development of report that 16 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 2: was done. So that was done back in twenty fifteen, 17 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 2: and as we know, when we have a change in 18 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 2: government sometimes those reports sort of get lost or they 19 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 2: get they get sort of put to the side. New 20 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 2: government has priorities. So one of the things we wanted 21 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 2: to do is sort of see what was done out 22 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 2: of that report, which was around building housing opportunities, but 23 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 2: also cutting red tape. So there was boarding recommendations in 24 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 2: that report to build that construction activity, but our assessment 25 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 2: that we've done along with Deloitte shows that only nine 26 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 2: of those were completed, with five of those not even started. 27 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 2: So we wanted to make sure we had that as 28 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 2: our benchmark before we could create our thirty page report 29 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 2: that we have nowt put to the government that includes 30 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 2: an additional thirty recommendation, So what are some. 31 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: Of the key findings, so the key recommendations in this report. 32 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 2: So one of the things that we're looking at is 33 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 2: obviously completing the rest of those recommendations that were in 34 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 2: that Construction and Development Report, so that was done by 35 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 2: the Advisory Council, So getting that done first would be 36 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 2: definitely one of the things we want to see as 37 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 2: a high priority. But some of the other things as 38 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 2: well is looking at actually having an affordable minister the 39 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 2: ministry or to the Cabinet, So we will be going 40 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 2: to both parties to get commitments out of them before 41 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 2: the August election that we will see the appointment of 42 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 2: an affordable minister. So down in South Australia, Peter Malanowskas 43 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 2: has now just done that. So we do have an 44 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 2: affordable Minister in South Australia Housing Minister, so we need 45 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 2: to see that here in the territory as well. So 46 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 2: what we've done is with our report we want to 47 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 2: make sure that we go to both parties get commitments 48 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 2: that all those thirteen recommendations is put forward will be done, 49 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 2: but also the additional five from that previous report. So 50 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 2: we want to have that commitment so we're not stuck 51 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 2: where we are at the moment where things just aren't 52 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 2: getting done purely because we see a change in government, 53 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: because all that does is create uncertainty in the sector. 54 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 2: But also you know, you can lose people, so we're 55 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 2: dropping the ball with population but also with our workers 56 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 2: as well. So people will go into state to look 57 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 2: for construction work, so we want to keep people here 58 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 2: and to do that to make sure that reports like 59 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 2: we've done get actions and that the recommendations get followed. 60 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: Roath, We've got an email that's come through from Sam. 61 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: It says with regards to last week. Sorry, with reports 62 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: last week showing a declining population in the Northern Territory 63 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: in Darwin, why does the Property Council think we need 64 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: to build more poor quality cheap housing. Is it to 65 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: keep builders and developers in a job or is there 66 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: an actual need? 67 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 2: So it's not just about poor quality housing. I don't 68 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 2: think that's the right way to look at us. So 69 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 2: what we've been looking at is not just always looking 70 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 2: at brand new land releases. We need to be building 71 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 2: up our urban areas. So across Darwin, across the inner suburbs, 72 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 2: there are pockets of space that can be built up, 73 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 2: so that's what we call urban infill. We have a 74 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 2: number of students expected to come to the territory, so 75 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 2: looking at student accommodation to be built up in areas. 76 00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 2: I mean, like a month or so ago, we took 77 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 2: Minister around to show him vacant areas within the CBD 78 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 2: and sort of on the outskirts that we can really 79 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 2: look at that sort of dual occupancy opportunity. But also 80 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 2: last week as well, we took Property Council members out 81 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 2: to Palmerston where Venture Housing has just created and Zest 82 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 2: have just turned a commercial building into residential housing. And 83 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 2: this is for key workers. So these people are working, 84 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 2: they're key workers. They could be nurses, teachers, anyone who 85 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,240 Speaker 2: knows the key high priority job in the DAMA Report. 86 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 2: So these are all opportunities that we need to be 87 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,360 Speaker 2: looking at. So it's not just about the unlocking brand 88 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 2: new land. It's looking at other opportunities. And you remember, Katie, 89 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 2: last year we had the Housing Alliance established. That was 90 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 2: a property Council initiative and that was basically designed to 91 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 2: go and look at those opportunities. So what we've done 92 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 2: here is we've got our thirteen recommendations. That's very easily 93 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 2: laid out. It's all actionable, it's all implementable, and it 94 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 2: can be done to make sure that we're not in 95 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 2: a situation where we've got people wanting to come or 96 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 2: we've got workers that need to come to the territory 97 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 2: or students but there's nowhere for them. We need to 98 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 2: remain affordable, but we also need to make sure that 99 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 2: our values stay good as well without with our houses, 100 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 2: otherwise people who lose out. 101 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 1: How are we tracking along in terms of that student 102 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: accommodation because there is a real push as well to 103 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: you know, to try to bring international students and students 104 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: to the Northern Territory. I mean, have we got some 105 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,040 Speaker 1: more places for them to actually live. 106 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 2: Well that's right, Katie. We've been talking about it since 107 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 2: twenty seventeen. So there isn't any purpose built student accommodation 108 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 2: apart from the complex that's out at Casarina. So we 109 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:51,239 Speaker 2: need to be making sure that there are appropriate, safe, 110 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 2: affordable homes for students, but we need to make sure 111 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 2: that it stacks up for developers to build. So this 112 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:02,160 Speaker 2: is where that incentivization comes, and that's obviously something that's 113 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 2: also in our report. We need to be looking at 114 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 2: the barriers where it's reducing that red tape, but no 115 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,480 Speaker 2: one wants to see. Also, vacant buildings across the VD 116 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 2: there's multiple vacant buildings in the city. Got fifty eight 117 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 2: thousand square meters of vacant space from commercial buildings, looking 118 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 2: at repurposing those into appropriate housing units if it's the 119 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 2: key workers or even for students. But you know, we've 120 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 2: got some major projects coming up. Where are those people 121 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 2: going to live? So we need to make sure that 122 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 2: we have the housing there. But it's not just about 123 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 2: having people here. There's a whole element around liveability that 124 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,919 Speaker 2: needs to be looked at, whether it's crime and in 125 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 2: unacceptable behavior. So these are things that needs to be 126 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 2: addressed and needs the commitments we need to get from 127 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,600 Speaker 2: both parties before the August ellit well and. 128 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: Just on that. You know, we've spoken quite a bit 129 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 1: over the last welth. We always seem to be talking 130 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: about the issues of crime and anti social behavior, but 131 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: this week and then of course a little bit earlier 132 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: this morning, we were talking to the Lord Mayor convat 133 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: Scarlets about some of the issues that we're experiencing in 134 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: our CBD. I mean, Ruth, from your perspective, how are 135 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: things tracking in our CBD? And we know that crime 136 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: and anti social behavior is an issue right across the board, 137 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: but our CBD is a location where our tourists go. 138 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: It's somewhere that you know, when those cruise ships arrive 139 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: people jump off, the CBD is the first thing that 140 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: they see. How are things tracking from your perspective, and 141 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: what do you make of this rgbargie that we've got 142 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: in relation to security. 143 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 2: Look, Katie, you know you and I have spoken about 144 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 2: crime for a very long time. We know that it's 145 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 2: still going to be occurring, so we need to see 146 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 2: those changes through legislation. But also, as you and I 147 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 2: have spoken about before, the changes to the twenty nineteen 148 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 2: the Liquor Act, which puts drunken sort of any social 149 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 2: behavior as a health issue rather than a criminal issues. Yeah, 150 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 2: police the powers to be able to arrest people or 151 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 2: have people taken if they are being drunken disorderly. This 152 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 2: is right across the board. We're seeing it everywhere, but 153 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 2: also around youth crime. You know, we've we've written a 154 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 2: report into the youth crime into our springs and presented 155 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 2: that to the ministers with all these recommendations that they 156 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 2: should look at. So these are things that need to happen, 157 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 2: but it seems that there's a ways of that block 158 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 2: in it. So we need to be able to make 159 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 2: sure BBDs or anywhere in the territory is a safe 160 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 2: and welcoming environment. But you know, we know businesses opposing 161 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 2: outcause it is it isn't safe. And you know down 162 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 2: in our springs you're not seeing anchor tenants going into 163 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 2: the shopping centers because it's unsafe or they're spending so 164 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 2: much or insurance or repairs, and yeah, it's one of 165 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 2: those things that need to be fixed.