Leader of the Opposition, Lia Finocchiaro, says the CLP is leading the way by introducing the
Territory Coordinator Bill 2020, to offset Labor’s economic incompetence.
The Territory Coordinator is an independent facilitator between business and government which can slash red tape and fast-track approvals to get projects off the ground.
“We haven’t seen a single major project completed in the last four and a half years under the Gunner Government. Let’s not sugar-coat it: the major project system in the Territory is broken.
“The Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission (TERC) and Langoulant Plan for Budget Repair both recommended an immediate overhaul of the major projects process and highlight the need for a “single point of coordination”.
“Three months after being handed the final TERC report and the Chief Minister hasn’t even held a ‘Team Territory’ meeting. The consistent failures and inaction from the Chief Minister means the Opposition is compelled to do the heavy lifting on the Territory’s economic recovery.
“The Territory Coordinator would have broad powers to designate ‘significant projects’, work with businesses to navigate the approvals process and direct government agencies to comply with streamlined decision-making timelines.
“We currently have 12 private sector-initiated proposals on the Territory’s major projects list, which has the potential to create thousands of jobs and pump billions of dollars into the local economy.
“The Opposition has drafted the law, introduced it to parliament and hope to debate the legislative framework in the March sittings. All the Gunner Government needs to do now is support this Bill, or explain to Territorians why they’re voting against key recommendations from their own budget repair and economic reconstruction reports.
“It’s time to change the way the Territory does business and send a strong signal to the rest of the world that we are serious about attracting investment to become a major energy and industrial hub in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Ms Finocchiaro.