1
00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:04,120
Speaker 1: Now, the COLP yesterday announced tax cuts for small businesses

2
00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,680
Speaker 1: as part of a major election pitch ahead of Territorians

3
00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:11,559
Speaker 1: heading to the polls in August. So, if elected, the

4
00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:16,079
Speaker 1: COLP is going to raise the payroll tax free threshold

5
00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,000
Speaker 1: for the first time in thirteen years, from the current

6
00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:22,640
Speaker 1: rate of one point five million dollars to two point

7
00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,959
Speaker 1: five million dollars, and apprentice and trainee wages are also

8
00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,480
Speaker 1: going to be exempt from payroll tax as part of

9
00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,240
Speaker 1: the new two point five million dollar threshold. The COLP

10
00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,120
Speaker 1: say that the changes are going to save small businesses

11
00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:39,400
Speaker 1: thousands of dollars while encouraging them to invest in the

12
00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:44,480
Speaker 1: territory and invest in apprentices and trainees. Now, the colp's

13
00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,280
Speaker 1: Shadow Minister for Business, Jobs and Training, Maurray Claire Boothby,

14
00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,600
Speaker 1: joins me in the studio. Good morning to you, Murray Claire.

15
00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:52,199
Speaker 2: Good morning Katie and to your listeners.

16
00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,320
Speaker 1: Now, can you talk me through how this payroll tax

17
00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:57,160
Speaker 1: free threshold is going to work?

18
00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,560
Speaker 2: Sure then, Katie, and it's a very starting announcement for

19
00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,160
Speaker 2: the territory. We know that our businesses in particular are

20
00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:07,759
Speaker 2: small businesses. You know, they want to grow and thrive,

21
00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,959
Speaker 2: but they have been suffering and struggling for a long time,

22
00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,160
Speaker 2: especially when you add crime and cost of living. In fact,

23
00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,399
Speaker 2: we've seen many businesses closed down. So, you know, the

24
00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,679
Speaker 2: fact that we've been able to bring forward this payroll

25
00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:23,600
Speaker 2: tax reform, which can be implemented immediately, will make a

26
00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,160
Speaker 2: huge difference to those small and medium businesses. So at

27
00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,440
Speaker 2: the moment that tax, that payroll tax free threshold is

28
00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,080
Speaker 2: one point five million dollars, meaning as soon as you

29
00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,360
Speaker 2: start to hit that, and many businesses are at that point,

30
00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:37,880
Speaker 2: whether they're fifteen to twenty sometimes twenty five stuff, depending

31
00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,560
Speaker 2: on their wages, and that it just sea's a tax slug.

32
00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,720
Speaker 2: It's a tax on jobs and growth for those businesses.

33
00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:45,920
Speaker 2: So we're going to increase that to two point five

34
00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:48,600
Speaker 2: million dollars, which gives them so much more breathing space.

35
00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,400
Speaker 2: It means that they can put on new staff, they

36
00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:56,520
Speaker 2: can use that saving to invest into equipment and plant.

37
00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,360
Speaker 2: You know, given more capacity, if they're tendering for jobs

38
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:01,240
Speaker 2: things like that, they might want to pass on those

39
00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:06,400
Speaker 2: savings to customers. And importantly, like you said, having the

40
00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:11,160
Speaker 2: apprentices and traineeships carved out of being ever included into

41
00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:16,200
Speaker 2: that threshold, it means that businesses can employ local apprentices

42
00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,880
Speaker 2: and trainees and they can start to grow our skills

43
00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:21,000
Speaker 2: here in the territory, which we know we really struggle

44
00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:21,600
Speaker 2: with as well.

45
00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,360
Speaker 1: And I'll talk more about the apprentices and trainees in

46
00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,720
Speaker 1: just a moment, But do we know how many small

47
00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,359
Speaker 1: businesses are registered in the Northern Territory that could potentially

48
00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:31,120
Speaker 1: benefit from this?

49
00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:33,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, the ABS number is about fourteen thousand businesses, but

50
00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:38,280
Speaker 2: that includes everybody like Saber Soul Trader as well.

51
00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:39,680
Speaker 1: But what our.

52
00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,160
Speaker 2: Policy focuses on is the small to medium businesses sort

53
00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:47,720
Speaker 2: of within that payroll amount, and that's thirteen hundred businesses

54
00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,680
Speaker 2: at a minimum that we know are in that range

55
00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:55,840
Speaker 2: that will immediately have that payroll tax relief if you like,

56
00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,080
Speaker 2: it's going to be gone forever for them. And like

57
00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:01,000
Speaker 2: I said, that means that they can invest back into

58
00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,799
Speaker 2: their business and that plan of action, like it goes

59
00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,880
Speaker 2: further than just being able to give those businesses that

60
00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,640
Speaker 2: leg up and being able to reinvest in people. It

61
00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,160
Speaker 2: also means that if our economy is doing well. When

62
00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,520
Speaker 2: our economy is doing well, so to small businesses. And

63
00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:17,880
Speaker 2: of course we need us milk more businesses to be

64
00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,000
Speaker 2: doing well to have a growing economy. And we know

65
00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,360
Speaker 2: that there are ninety five percent of business in the

66
00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:26,360
Speaker 2: territory which are those small and meeting and businesses. So

67
00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,320
Speaker 2: this is a huge weight of their shoulders when they're

68
00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,120
Speaker 2: doing their planning, when they're looking at their own budgets

69
00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,320
Speaker 2: and looking at those Excel spreadsheets and deciding how they're

70
00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,720
Speaker 2: going to pay the bills. Wages for most small to

71
00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,400
Speaker 2: medium businesses makes up about fifty percent of operational cost,

72
00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:43,360
Speaker 2: which is huge.

73
00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,040
Speaker 1: Well, and look, it seems as though it's a good

74
00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:46,920
Speaker 1: announcement on the face of it, we know that this

75
00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,000
Speaker 1: is only if the COLP gets elected come August. It's

76
00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,880
Speaker 1: an election pitch. But the big question, I think probably

77
00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:55,400
Speaker 1: as well that a lot of people are going to

78
00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,560
Speaker 1: want to know the answer to is how much is

79
00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,440
Speaker 1: this going to cost? Because we already know the Northern

80
00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,920
Speaker 1: Territory budget. Well, we're you know, we're well in debt.

81
00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,760
Speaker 1: So how much is this going to cost the territory taxpayer?

82
00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, we've costed this out to be forty three

83
00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:10,840
Speaker 2: million dollars.

84
00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:11,920
Speaker 1: It's a lot of money.

85
00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:13,720
Speaker 2: Look, it is a lot of money, but it's an

86
00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,800
Speaker 2: investment into the territory. If our small businesses are growing,

87
00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,440
Speaker 2: which we need them to, then that means that everybody

88
00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,159
Speaker 2: can be prosperous when our economy is growing as well.

89
00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:25,880
Speaker 2: So we will of course put forward all of those

90
00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:31,159
Speaker 2: budget commitments costings to Treasury, just like we always have

91
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:32,920
Speaker 2: to do prior to an election, and Labor will have

92
00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,400
Speaker 2: to do the same thing with all their major announcements

93
00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,720
Speaker 2: that they've been announcing as well. And this is a

94
00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,479
Speaker 2: normal transparent process that we go through. But what we

95
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,359
Speaker 2: do know is if we want to have a strong economy,

96
00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,560
Speaker 2: then we need to be investing in our businesses because

97
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:48,960
Speaker 2: that is where the biggest bang for buck can come.

98
00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,480
Speaker 2: You know, when we're talking ninety five percent of business

99
00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,880
Speaker 2: being done the territory, who obviously employ many of our territorians,

100
00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:59,080
Speaker 2: you know, anyone from young kids in a side hustle

101
00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,360
Speaker 2: after school or our parents who are nearing retirement, like

102
00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:07,279
Speaker 2: we are talking so many territorians that this will benefit

103
00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,920
Speaker 2: because those small businesses will be able to have that

104
00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:12,800
Speaker 2: leeway to be able to grow and employ more people.

105
00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,320
Speaker 1: Tell me a little bit more about these changes for

106
00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,800
Speaker 1: trainees and apprentices. What is this going to mean for

107
00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:21,040
Speaker 1: a business if they decide to take on a trainee

108
00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:22,239
Speaker 1: or an apprentice.

109
00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,440
Speaker 2: We really wanted to look at the skill shortages that

110
00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,400
Speaker 2: we have in the territory and I make it the

111
00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,400
Speaker 2: most attractive place for a business to be here as

112
00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,000
Speaker 2: a starting point in terms of the moving here from

113
00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,320
Speaker 2: somewhere else or starting out altogether. And Katy, I should

114
00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,080
Speaker 2: say this will make us the most attractive jurisdiction in

115
00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:43,240
Speaker 2: the nation. We will have the highest payroll tax three

116
00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,599
Speaker 2: tax free threshold in the nation, which is exactly where

117
00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:47,800
Speaker 2: we need to be because we need to grow our

118
00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:49,920
Speaker 2: economy and instead of being last like we have been

119
00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,400
Speaker 2: for several years. But what it means for businesses who

120
00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:56,599
Speaker 2: can put on those apprentices and traineeships is that instead

121
00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,240
Speaker 2: of having to worry about growing and having to be

122
00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,200
Speaker 2: lugged with extra taxes and it's already really tricky and

123
00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:05,400
Speaker 2: hard and challenging to run a business, they don't have

124
00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:07,880
Speaker 2: to worry about having to include them in that payment

125
00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,520
Speaker 2: and the calculation. They can literally have an open slother

126
00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:15,080
Speaker 2: to be able to be encouraged to put on apprentice apprentices,

127
00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:17,920
Speaker 2: put on trainees, and to use that to be able

128
00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:22,839
Speaker 2: to get our territorians out there working, learning skills, using

129
00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:25,280
Speaker 2: those skills to go off and do other places. I mean, Katie,

130
00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:29,039
Speaker 2: we were out at Dream Media yesterday with Chris O'Brien,

131
00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,800
Speaker 2: the owner there, and he shared with us that the

132
00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:35,560
Speaker 2: people that he employees who are locals out of the

133
00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:37,919
Speaker 2: schools here in the Northern Territory, they're the ones that

134
00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:39,840
Speaker 2: stay with him and he's had them stay for you know,

135
00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:45,760
Speaker 2: seven to ten years, loyal, incredible employees for him, really

136
00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,440
Speaker 2: adding value to his business. And then they have gone off,

137
00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,080
Speaker 2: some of them have gone off and done things like

138
00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:52,880
Speaker 2: right around the world in that space that he works in,

139
00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:55,359
Speaker 2: and I think that's just a wonderful success story for

140
00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:56,960
Speaker 2: business and the territory.

141
00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:58,279
Speaker 1: Well, look, we are going to catch up with the

142
00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,400
Speaker 1: we see Chamber of Commerce in a few minutes time

143
00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,200
Speaker 1: as well to get their take on the announcement that's

144
00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,080
Speaker 1: been made by the COLP yesterday part of an election

145
00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:09,800
Speaker 1: pitch as we head to August. I do just want

146
00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:11,680
Speaker 1: to ask you about as well. We know that the

147
00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,760
Speaker 1: federal government have just this morning released a medium and

148
00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:18,560
Speaker 1: long term strategy establishing the role that gas is going

149
00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,000
Speaker 1: to play in the transition to net zero by twenty fifty.

150
00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,880
Speaker 1: Now it means securing affordable gas for Australia as we

151
00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,000
Speaker 1: move to a more renewable grid. I think that we

152
00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,880
Speaker 1: all a lot of people of the understanding that we

153
00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,800
Speaker 1: do need to you know, we need to get to renewables.

154
00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,360
Speaker 1: But to get there, gas has got a part to play.

155
00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:40,440
Speaker 1: And Australia is committed they say, to supporting global emissions

156
00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,640
Speaker 1: reductions to reduce the impacts of climate change and we'll

157
00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:46,320
Speaker 1: reach that net zero emissions by twenty fifty. But in

158
00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,240
Speaker 1: the meantime the Federal government saying gas must remain affordable

159
00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:54,440
Speaker 1: for Australian users throughout the transition to net zero. Now

160
00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,320
Speaker 1: what that means for us here in the Northern Territory,

161
00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:01,120
Speaker 1: I think is that our gas is absolutely wide we

162
00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,160
Speaker 1: all can we all know the situation with the beatleoo

163
00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:06,120
Speaker 1: at the moment. I mean, what do you make of

164
00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:08,440
Speaker 1: this strategy and how important do you think the gas

165
00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:12,040
Speaker 1: industry is for the whole of Australia but particularly here

166
00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:12,520
Speaker 1: in the NT.

167
00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:16,320
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think the fact that the federal government is

168
00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,640
Speaker 2: now looking at this to ensure that we obviously want

169
00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,600
Speaker 2: to get to as a stage where it's it's environmentally friendly,

170
00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:26,520
Speaker 2: but also that we can keep the lights on, and

171
00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:31,440
Speaker 2: the territory does have, you know, the most incredible opportunity

172
00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:35,080
Speaker 2: in the Beaterloo to be able to deliver lower cost

173
00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,440
Speaker 2: energy for not only Territorians, but right across the nation.

174
00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,920
Speaker 2: And I think the colp is always, always, always been

175
00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,760
Speaker 2: pro gas and it's it's a huge strength of the

176
00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:48,240
Speaker 2: Northern Territory. It's a natural strength. And you know, we've

177
00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:51,360
Speaker 2: been fighting really hard for this. You know, we don't

178
00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,760
Speaker 2: listen to you know, activists from the Eastern seaboard about

179
00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:57,199
Speaker 2: our gas here in the territory because we know that

180
00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:00,439
Speaker 2: we need to be able to have that energy. So

181
00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:01,960
Speaker 2: we want to be able to deliver it to the

182
00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:03,640
Speaker 2: rest of the nation because it's a game changer for

183
00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:06,280
Speaker 2: the Northern Territory. Sadly, it has taken a very long time.

184
00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:09,480
Speaker 2: We had the moratorium, which obviously has put the territory

185
00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:13,679
Speaker 2: backwards by so much. When the opportunity cost is monumental,

186
00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:15,400
Speaker 2: you can't even put a measure on it.

187
00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:17,760
Speaker 1: I mean, part of this proposal, part of the key

188
00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,720
Speaker 1: proposal is Well in the Future strategy being released today

189
00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:25,440
Speaker 1: urges the government to consider tough use it or lose

190
00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,440
Speaker 1: its powers that would compel energy giants to more swiftly

191
00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:34,439
Speaker 1: develop gas assets or risk losing their title holdings. I mean,

192
00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:36,000
Speaker 1: do you think that that's going to mean we're going

193
00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,560
Speaker 1: to see that movement in the Beadloo faster?

194
00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,360
Speaker 2: Well, I think any kind of areas in which we

195
00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,960
Speaker 2: can move things faster is a good thing. I guess

196
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,440
Speaker 2: the challenge for the territory is at the moment, we

197
00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,480
Speaker 2: have a government that is quite slow on moving on

198
00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:54,160
Speaker 2: most things, to be honest. So you know, we want

199
00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,000
Speaker 2: to be able to get that gas out of the ground.

200
00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:58,280
Speaker 2: We want to be able to you know, obviously get

201
00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:00,960
Speaker 2: it out to the eastern seaboards that we can benefit.

202
00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:03,160
Speaker 2: And so I think, yeah, this is going to be

203
00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,360
Speaker 2: a really interesting space to see what the federal government

204
00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,280
Speaker 2: actually do now that they've started to talk about this.

205
00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,520
Speaker 2: And you know, I'm really interested to see how it's

206
00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:12,520
Speaker 2: going to go for the territory because we absolutely need

207
00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:15,880
Speaker 2: gas here and we can absolutely be you know, leading

208
00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:16,240
Speaker 2: the nation.

209
00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,840
Speaker 1: Well, Marie Claire boothbye, We always appreciate your time. Thank

210
00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:21,319
Speaker 1: you so very much for coming in and having a

211
00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,079
Speaker 1: chat with us this morning, and no doubt we'll talk

212
00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:25,360
Speaker 1: to you again very soon. Thank you, Thank you,