NT Remote Stores Program

The Northern Territory Government is developing the NT Remote Stores Program (the Program).

The Program achieved the required legislative support with the gazettal of the Northern Territory Food Amendment Bill 2023 in October 2023.

There are more than 90 remote community stores across the NT. The NT Remote Stores Program is designed to improve the availability and variety of healthy food and drinks in remote areas; and to make sure the NT Government gives the right support to community stores.

NT Remote Stores Program

The Department of the Chief Minister & Cabinet has a remote stores program, with officers working in Darwin and Alice Springs, as well as visiting remote communities.

The Remote Stores Program is supported by a small operational program and policy development team.

Authorised officers within the Remote Stores Program will ensure that businesses comply with legislative requirements associated with remote community stores and food security covered under part 7A of the Food Act 2004 (the Act). The Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet has responsibility for this part of the Act. The Department of Health is responsible for the other parts of the Act.

For more information about the other parts of the Food Act 2004 and the role of environmental health, go to Environmental health - Public Health | NT Health.

Next steps

Remote community stores included in the Program will be declared by the Chief Health Officer. These stores will be contacted when this happens.

As part of the Program, a set of standards will be declared by the NT Chief Minister; and a set of best practice guidelines will be formally declared by the NT Chief Health Officer.

The Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet is currently seeking feedback on the draft NT Remote Stores Program Standards for declared community stores. If you live in a remote community, own or manage a store, or supply community stores, we would like to hear from you about what you think of the proposed NT Remote Stores Program Standards for remote community stores. For more information, visit the Northern Territory Haveyoursay website

The best practice guidelines are still under development and consultation will be occurring over the coming months.

Authorised officers will start to visit community stores and assess food security in the second half of 2024. Community stores will be contacted by the NT Remote Stores Program before this happens.

The NT Government recognises how important remote community stores are and will continue to provide support and information as the Program develops.

More Information

You can contact a member of the NT Remote Stores Program Unit on email CMC.RegionalDevelopment@nt.gov.au or call on 08 8999 8401.

More information is also available in the NT Food Act 2004.

All NT Food Businesses must be registered pursuant to the Northern Territory Food Act 2004. For more information, go to the NT.GOV.AU website.