Business bulletin: 16 November 2023

Round 2 of the Northern Territory Recycling Modernisation Fund (NTRMF) has seen a further $1.24 million invested into four major recycling projects in the Territory.

The NTRMF is a co-investment of the Australian and Northern Territory Governments and is designed to support recycling infrastructure projects that grow the Territory’s economy.

The NTRMF investment is expected to divert 5,700 tonnes per annum of waste from Northern Territory landfill, support more than 12 ongoing jobs and create 14 construction jobs.

The new and upgraded facilities will process waste plastics, tyres, paper and cardboard, and glass, and turn them into valuable new commodities such as polyethylene irrigation pipe and rigid plastic produce bins. The 4 successful projects are:

• Elsam Pipe Systems Pty Ltd will receive $266,709 for a pelletising line and conveyor system. The pelletising line will process waste HDPE plastics and the conveyor system will convey output from the pelletising line to then be reused as poly pipe.
• Central Desert Regional Council will receive $130,614 to construct recycling bays at waste management facilities in the remote communities of Lajamanu, Laramba and Engawala.
• King’s Group Pty Ltd will receive $750,000 to recycle agricultural plastics (plastic mulch and bins) generated from its own farming business as well as from other agricultural businesses operating in Katherine and nearby regions.

• City of Darwin will receive $90,000 to install a stationary compactor unit with a capacity of holding 35 cubic meters of cardboard. This will replace the current system to collect and recycle cardboard using front lift bins and divert 410 tonnes of waste cardboard from going to landfill each year.

The Australian Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund is accelerating Australia’s circular economy so that when a product is no longer useful or required for its initial purpose, it is either reused, recycled or remanufactured.

Projects already announced under the Recycling Modernisation Fund will add an extra 1 million tonnes of processing capacity every year. When combined with co-investment from all states and industry, the Recycling Modernisation Fund will give a $1 billion boost to Australian recycling.

Territory businesses and organisations can now apply for a Circular Economy NT (CENT) Grant for projects that create or improve recycling, reuse or remanufacturing of waste currently going to landfill. The grant program, which is funded by the Northern Territory Government supports projects that create opportunities to grow the Territory’s economy by turning waste into a valuable commodity.

Applications close 5 January 2024. To learn more and apply go to the nt.gov.au/CENT website.

The NTRMF and CENT are ways in which the Northern Territory Government is establishing the waste industry as a contributor to the Territory’s $40 billion by 2030 vision, a key priority of the Northern Territory Circular Economy Strategy 2022-2027, for more information  go to the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website.

the Darwin Trailer Boat club has used the NT DAMA to find workers they need and fill skill shortages.

The Australian and Northern Territory Governments have extended and updated the NT Designated Area Migration Agreement II (NT DAMA) to make the program more accessible to local businesses experiencing critical skill shortages.

The NT DAMA makes it possible for local businesses to gain skilled and semi‑skilled workers from overseas where they haven’t been able to fill vacancies locally.

Our first priority is jobs for Territorians, therefore employers need to demonstrate they are unable to employ a suitably skilled and experienced Territorian or Australian to fill the position.

The one year extension to the NT DAMA will:

• deliver simpler and more streamlined pathway to permanent residency
• improved concessions to the salary threshold (now $55,000) to better align the salary provisions for overseas workers with their Australian counterparts
• add 11 new critical occupations, providing Territory employers access to 135 occupations in shortage
• provide up to 625 temporary skilled visas for new workers

The NT DAMA continues to provide concessions to standard English language and age concessions for eligible occupations.

Migration programs like the NT DAMA are important to the Territory’s economic growth. They help fill critical skill shortages, support business growth, drive investment and grow a sustainable population.

Since the implementation of the NT DAMA II in 2019, 541 applications from NT businesses have been endorsed to fill 2,816 positions with overseas workers.

For more information on NT DAMA.

Businesses wanting to know more about the DAMA can call the MigrationNT team on 08 8999 5264 or email migration@nt.gov.au

Territory businesses looking to grow their business overseas can become export ready with the help of Austrade’s online Go Global Toolkit.

The Go Global Toolkit is designed to help Australian businesses at every stage of their export journey.

The toolkit helps businesses learn about export basics, find the right markets and understand market requirements. It includes export guides for Australian businesses, laws and regulations in your target markets and tools to help you find export markets and check your readiness to export

A keen user of the Go Global Toolkit is the Northern Australia Aboriginal Kakadu Plum Alliance (NAAKPA). NAAKPA empowers Aboriginal communities to commercialise the Kakadu Plum, a traditional food grown in Northern Australia for thousands of years.

NAAKPA CEO, Paul Saeki “We’ve had success in the Australian market, but Australia is only so big. Kakadu plum sales have plateaued, so export has become of great interest to all our growers.”

NAAKPA is looking to expand its horizons and start selling into overseas markets. Paul has been using the tools and information on the Go Global Toolkit to do research and make some export plans.

“The Go Global Toolkit has been such a reliable resource at our fingertips. It meant we can do more of the work ourselves, and save our consultant dollars for the tricky parts,” Paul said.

“Having a trusted source of information about potential markets that I can point them towards has been empowering for everyone involved.”

Local businesses that would like to know more about the Go Global Toolkit can get in touch with the Northern Territory based TradeStart advisor, Iain Forrest.

TradeStart is an extension of Austrade and brings the Northern Territory into a network of experienced advisors across Australia who provide practical export advice to enterprises to grow their international business.

You can get in touch with Iain by email at iain.forrest@nt.gov.au

To access the Go Global Toolkit, go to Export business website.

A remote Territory school has taken out the top prize at a major national space themed STEM competition for developing a sonar system that detects the best times to traverse Cahills Crossing - a notorious stretch of water home to saltwater crocodiles.

Earlier this year around 10,000 students’ from 70 schools took part in the Kids in Space program which is run by the Australian Space Agency, the Andy Thomas Space Foundation and Makers Empire.

Kids in Space is a pioneering space education program designed to challenge students from across Australia to use technologies to identify and solve problems in space, or on earth. All participating schools were provided with a 3D printer and resources to build their prototypes.

Gunbalanya School, located 320km east of Darwin was chosen by judges to represent Team Northern Territory at the national showcase in Adelaide in October.

The student’s project was centred on one of the biggest challenges facing their community, the notorious Cahills Crossing.

The students designed and 3D printed a measuring device and sonar system that uses satellite technology to increase the safety of Cahills crossing.

The system could be used to identify potential hazards, monitor the tides, determine flood risks and provide intelligence to support hunting and gathering.

The project demonstrates how Indigenous knowledge of astronomy can complement emerging technologies to develop innovative solutions in the community.

Gunbalanya School were named joint winners with Team Victoria, Our Lady of Good Counsel School.

The competition aims to inspire and encourage more Australian schools students to get involved in STEM.

Expressions of interest are now open for the 2024 Kids in Space Education program, for more information, go to the Makers Empire website.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, in collaboration with industry partners, has commenced an apprentice and trainee attraction campaign for the Northern Territory.

The department is looking to inspire potential apprentices/trainees and engage them in the training and apprenticeship system, by sharing the stories of how other young people took their first steps to ‘build, create, grow’ their own careers.

The Northern Territory has lots of options to take on an apprenticeship or traineeship and discover exciting employment possibilities across a variety of industry sectors.

Attracting more apprentices and trainees is integral to ensuring the Territory maintains a skilled workforce that meets the current and future needs of Territory employers across all sectors.

A skilled population is a critical enabler of economic growth and will support the Territory achieve a $40 billion economy by 2030.

As of August 2023, there are 3,951 apprentices and trainees across the Northern Territory. 1,372 are female, an 8% increase in comparison to August 2022. These opportunities are made possible thanks to the 1,204 Territory employers with one or more apprentices or trainees.

Trainees and apprentices are not only building a future career, they are getting paid to learn industry recognised and transferable skills.  Plus, it can help open a world of opportunities and diversify career pathways.

Hear what these local apprentices and trainees had to say about their experience.

Whether you’re a business who would like to know more about taking on an apprentice or trainee, a family member who knows someone who is not sure about their future or you’re looking to ‘build, create, grow’ your own career, go to the nt.gov.au/yourfuture website and start an apprentice or traineeship in the Northern Territory.

NT Health is introducing a new simplified Request for Quotation (RFQ) process for low value procurement to enable greater transparency and consistency for suppliers.

From 30 November 2023 NT Health will start using VendorPanel to send out RFQ opportunities worth up to $100,000 to suppliers.
VendorPanel is designed to foster stronger collaborations and communications between the Department of Health and suppliers. This will also enhance the overall supplier experience.

VendorPanel is a user-friendly, web-based procurement portal that will serve as the primary platform for NT Health managing RFQs. It allows registered local and regional business, to be invited to provide quotes for goods, services and work for upcoming jobs.

The benefits for suppliers include:

• Streamlined RFQ Process: VendorPanel simplifies the bidding process, making it easier and more efficient for you.
• Real-time Updates: Receive instant notifications on new opportunities and RFQ progress.
• Increased Transparency: VendorPanel enhances transparency, ensuring a level playing field for all suppliers.
• Supplier Collaboration: Engage with us more effectively through the platform for inquiries, clarifications, and feedback.

You must register on VendorPanel to enable us to request quotes from you as a supplier through the platform. To register follow these steps:

1. Identify your business’s primary contact and choose an appropriate email address (e.g. admin@company.com.au).
2. Go to the VendorPanel Marketplace wesite.
3. Search and select the best category for your business
4. Click on the link you receive to complete your profile
5. Invite additional users as ‘colleagues.

Only upon completing your registration, will you be visible to NT Health searching in your category and region of service.
Further information on how to set up your account can be accessed, go to the VendorPanel website.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the registration process, please contact VendorPanel support team at support@vendorpanel.com.