Creating jobs & growing the economy

The position of Territory Coordinator is being created to drive economic growth in the Northern Territory (NT) and accelerate private sector jobs and opportunities for all Territorians.

As an independent statutory role, the Territory Coordinator will:

• fast-track major investments, making it easier for investors to bring big ideas to life
• streamline approvals across government, removing roadblocks to economic progress
• boost the Territory’s competitiveness, attracting large-scale investments to fuel growth and development.

The Territory Coordinator will ensure compliance remains a priority, and work closely with regulatory agencies so that projects meet necessary requirements without unnecessary delays.

This will ensure that the NT remains competitive in attracting and securing major investments.

Draft Territory Coordinator Bill

The Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet invited Territorians to provide feedback on the draft Bill.

Feedback will be considered, before the Bill is introduced to the Legislative Assembly.

• Read the draft Bill PDF (467.7 KB).
• Read the explanatory guide to the Bill PDF (910.7 KB).

Summary of consultation activities

Consultation over two phases

Phase 1: On 11 October 2024 the consultation paper was released to government regulators, proponents, stakeholders and industry peak bodies as a basis to test key provisions and proposed powers being considered for inclusion in the draft Territory Coordinator Bill. On 24 October 2024, the consultation paper was released publicly.

Phase 2: On 14 November 2024, the draft Territory Coordinator Bill (draft Bill) and Guide to the Territory Coordinator Bill (the guide) were released to the public. Public engagement on the draft Bill closed on 17 January 2025.

Activities and engagement

Next steps

559 written submissions were received over both phases, comprising 289 unique and 270 campaign submissions. Feedback was also considered from questions and comments made at 89 stakeholder meetings, 6 Community Information Forums and on 81 feedback forms.

Feedback from submissions, stakeholder meetings and forums will be summarised in a publicly available consultation report and will inform changes to ensure the final Bill is fit for purpose prior to introduction to the Legislative Assembly.

Contact

For more information email otc.consultation@nt.gov.au

The Northern Territory Government has appointed an Approvals Fast Track Taskforce to provide expert advice on streamlining approvals and removing unnecessary and burdensome regulations.

The taskforce is comprised of industry experts from across the NT, and they will provide recommendations to government on how to reform regulatory processes to reduce approvals timeframes by 50%.

The taskforce membership consists of:

• former Property Council of Australia NT President, Mark Garraway (chair)
• M+J Builders Director, Michael Buckley
• NT Link Director, Tony Smith
• Territory Instruments Managing Director, Stuart Kenny
• Humpty Doo Barramundi CEO, Dan Richards
• Foxalicious Fruit Owner, Andrew Dalglish
• Louw Group Director, Hermanus Louw
• Stonehouse, Charlie’s of Darwin, and Darwin Distillery owner, Bec Bullen.

The taskforce will focus on reforms that will benefit the greatest number of businesses. The taskforce is established for 6 months, and will report its findings and recommendations to the Chief Minister.

Dr. Alan Dupont AO

The Northern Territory (NT) Government supports the activities of the NT Defence and National Security Advocate Dr. Alan Dupont AO to promote our capabilities and capacity.

The NT has a critical role in Australia’s national security, including: energy, resources, maritime, biosecurity, economic and trade, immigration, military and border security. Darwin is also the regional hub for Australia’s international engagement and trade.

The NT defence economy is considered to cover the impacts of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) operational and training activities, manufacturing, supply and support for those activities and the broader economic effect of Defence personnel and their families living and visiting the NT. Other aspects of Australia’s national security have similarly important, albeit lesser, impact on the NT economy.

The 2020 Australian Defence Strategic Update and ongoing focus on maximising Australian industry involvement in Defence capability projects will create new opportunities in the Northern Territory over the coming decade and beyond. The Update has a projected investment into Defence of $270 billion over the next 10 years that will take annual defence spending beyond the 2 per cent of GDP committed to in 2013. This has significant implications for the Territory as the government re-prioritises the ADF's geographical focus on the immediate region.

To ensure that the NT is at the forefront of northern Australia’s contribution to a more prosperous and secure Australia, the NT Government will have a consistent presence in Canberra, the NT Defence and National Security Advocate. The NT advocate assists the NT in gaining the attention of influence with the Australian Government, the Department of Defence and defence support industries, the Australian Government national security and foreign military forces.