Business bulletin: 14 July 2022

The Developing Northern Australia Conference will return to the Territory in 2023, with Darwin selected at the host location.

The annual conference is expected to attract approximately 400 delegates and brings together leaders, decision makers, industry representatives and community in one place. The conference enables delegates to gain insight into investment opportunities, new projects and policy initiatives to advance economic and social development of our northern regions.

Hosting the conference will provide a boost to the economy, generating almost $1.4 million in estimated delegate expenditure and ensuring the Territory remains front and centre in the northern Australia agenda. The ability to influence Northern Australia policy will be enhanced through hosting this event.

The Territory is pivotal to the northern Australia agenda. The 2022 conference showcased how the Territory is harnessing our competitive advantages in energy, renewables, gas, manufacturing, tourism, digital and space industries to attract investment and achieve a $40 billion economy by 2030.

To find out more about the conference, go to the Developing Northern Australia Conference website.

If you have an innovative solution that address workforce shortages in the Territory you can now access new government support to deliver your project.

The Flexible Workforce Solutions Fund encourages business, industry, training providers and not-for-profits to collaborate on projects to help attract and retain the skilled workforce they need.

Grants of up to $200,000 are available to consortiums on a 25:75 co-contribution basis. This means you only have to contribute 25% of the total works while the Flexible Workforce Solutions Fund covers 75% of the total. The 25% co-contribution for not-for-profit organisations can be in-kind.

Eligible projects could include seasonal workforce strategies, levering new technology or delivering direct in-country worker recruitment services.

The Flexible Workforce Solutions Fund is an initiative under the Territory Government’s $12.8 million Workforce Boost Package which was established to address critical workforce shortages in the Territory.

The fund is overseen by the Territory Workforce Advisory Group who are charged with providing advice to the government on industry needs and initiatives to address critical workforce shortages. The 7 member advisory group comprises of Territory business owners and industry leaders in the aviation, construction, hospitality, human services, agriculture and ICT sectors.

The fund will operate over 2 funding rounds. The first round is now open and closes on 15 August 2022.

For more information and to apply, go to the Northern Territory Government website.

A simplified permit application system is making it easier for tour operators to work in Territory parks and reserves thanks to the Can-do online service portal.

The streamlining of the permit procedure means 3 separate processes have been combined into one web-based form, reducing the required information for permit applications.

The standard permits will now allow for more flexibility in tour guide operations by covering all applicable parks. This removes a requirement for tour operators to specify multiple locations in their applications.

Businesses will also be able to track their applications through SMS or email updates, further delivering on open and transparent government processes.

Tourism operators should use the form when applying for a permit for any type of commercial tour activity in Territory parks and if applying for a concession. They can also access a new interactive digital map to pinpoint any proposed facility locations or off-path activities.

In line with the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission recommendations, the Can-do Territory online services portal forms part of a broader digital transformation program to slash red tape, centralise business information and offer tracking and transparency to online application processes.

Can-do Territory will continue to expand over time, integrating more online applications making it easier for Territorians and businesses to access information, lodge and track online forms, and transact digitally with the Northern Territory Government.

To find out more, go to the Can-do Territory website.

A number of new and returning grant programs are now available for tourism operators to improve on-ground visitor experience and attract visitors to the Territory.

The programs includes:

• a Tourism Accessibility Improvement grant
• a Tourism Sustainability grant
• a Domestic and International Tourism Destination grant program
• a Sustainability grant
• a Domestic and International Tourism and Destination grant program
• a 2^nd round of the Tourism Evening Experiences grants
• the Tourism Town Asset program.

The new Tourism Accessibility Improvement grants enable tourism operators to apply for grants from $5,000 up to $50,000 to improve their accessibility and inclusion offerings for visitors. The total funding pool is $250,000.

The new Sustainability for Tourism Industry grants provide tourism businesses with an opportunity to reduce their ecological footprint, benefit the community well-being and positively impact the Territory’s natural and cultural environment. Grants from $5,000 up to $50,000 are available and the total funding pool is $250,000.

Tourism operators can also apply for a Domestic Tourism Distribution grant or an International Tourism Distribution grant of between $1,000 and up to $5,000, with matched funding contribution required.

Round 2 of the Tourism Evening Experiences grants has a total funding pool of $50,000 with tourism operators able to apply for grants up to $7,000 to develop tourism evening experiences in the regions.

The 2^nd round of the Tourism Town Asset program has a total funding pool of $500,000 with local and regional councils able to apply for funding up to $100,000 to undertake projects that enhance main streets and/or town centres.

For more information including grant guidelines, grant closing and project completion dates, go to the Tourism NT website, and to apply go to GrantsNT.

The NT Training Awards celebrates the achievements of Territorians in the vocational education and training sector and recognises the outstanding contribution made by our local trainees, apprentices, employers and training providers.

Winners will be announced at the gala awards dinner on Saturday 3 September 2022. To purchase tickets view NT Training Awards.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year

• Caraline ‘Dotty’ Repu
• Grace Wunungmurra
• Jared Maymuru.

Austin Asche Apprentice of the Year

• Edward Clarke
• Mary Coulter
• Shannah Mudge.

School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year

• Bella Faull
• Stavros Kazouris
• Taylah Keane
• Victoria Brenton.

Trainee of the Year

• Brooke Sherwood
• Jessica Porter
• Sam Duke
• Sarah Pettifer.

VET in Schools Student of the Year

• Anna Stockwell
• Elaine Ncube
• Lachlan Foweraker
• Tayla Hebron.

VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year

• Brenton Dawes
• Debra Street
• Justin Burgess.

Vocational Student of the Year

• Andrew Crawford
• Kira Vanderkley
• Kyle Bambra.

Industry Collaboration Award

• Building an Indigenous Workforce - a collaboration between Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education and Northern Transportables
• Construction Industry Training - a collaboration between Housing Industry Association Department of Education and Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics
• Gas Type B - a collaboration between Territory Generation, Gastrain and Charles Darwin University .

Large Employer of the Year

• Glencore McArthur River Mining
• Hastings Deering.

Large Training Provider of the Year

• Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
• Charles Darwin University.

Small Employer of the Year

• Chartair
• Frontier Marine Services
• Northern Trade Solutions NT.

Small Training Provider of the Year

• Capacity Plus
• Karen Sheldon Training
• WANT Training Services.

Local defence-related businesses still have time to submit an expression of interest to participate in the Territory Government’s industry-led delegation to Land Forces 2022.

Land Forces 2022 is the signature defence and industry trade show in the Indo Pacific, where land defence industries promote their capabilities to key defence and industry decision makers.

Exhibition highlights this year include the Rheinmetall Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles, the Boeing AH-64 Apache Helicopters and the future Army Watercraft Fleet. In particular, the future Army Watercraft Fleet presents opportunities for industry to create and maintain sovereign capability for manufacturing and also join international supply chains.

The Northern Territory’s land defence capability will also be promoted at Land Forces 2022. There is an opportunity for local defence-related businesses to co-exhibit on the Defence NT stand, and promote their capabilities and services to key defence Australian Defence Force and industry stakeholders.

Land Forces 2022 will be held in Brisbane, Queensland from 4 to 6 October 2022.

The expression of interest needs to be returned to defencent@nt.gov.au by COB Friday 22 July 2022. The allocation of business pods is competitive and is assessed alongside a scoring criteria.

Get the expression of interest form PDF (217.1 KB).