Local Government Association of the Northern
Territory
Darwin NT
August 2014
Submission on the Green
Paper on Developing
Northern Australia
2
Online submission : http://northernaustralia.dpmc.gov.au
Submission on the Green Paper
on Developing Northern Australia
1. About this submission
This submission is the Local Government Association of
the Northern Territory’s (‘LGANT’) response to the Green
Paper on Developing Northern Australia (‘the Green
Paper’).
The submission comprises responses to some of the
questions raised under the heading of ‘Tell us what you
think” in Sections B, C and D of the Green Paper. The
response is confined to matters the Association considers
relevant to Northern Australia (with particular emphasis on
the Northern Territory) and that are not otherwise already
specifically covered in the Green Paper.
The Executive of LGANT approved this submission at its
meeting on 22 July 2014.
Damien Ryan
3
2. Section B – Opportunities for Northern Australia
Question 6
How can Indigenous Australians in the north more
actively participate in economic development?
The Green Paper covers many of the issues impacting on
Indigenous Australians and the Association agrees with
many of the comments made particularly in relation to
education. The Association would however, like to see
governments provide more ‘business support’ services
that can assist Indigenous Australians not only commence
small business ventures but sustain them. This includes
not only facilitation work in the establishment stages but
also in partnering with firms that can provide financial and
taxation support services to them.
Recommendation
That more government assistance be found to provide
business support services for Indigenous Australians that
are looking to establish small business ventures.
3. Section C – Barriers to Development
Question 3.
What are the infrastructure limitations across
Northern Australia?
Some of the infrastructure limitations in cities and remote
towns where Indigenous people live are the lack of
4
sufficient quantities of sealed roads and housing. This
infrastructure is so vital to the liveability in these locations
and yet there is a dearth of work that needs to be done to
bring it to acceptable Australian standards. There is a
high degree of under-development in many locations in
the Northern Territory that needs to be corrected.
Responsibility for the roads infrastructure lies with local
governments and while they do invest in it with their
available roads funds (in urban city or major town areas
they do not due to lack of land title) there is a vast backlog
to address and this is only going to happen in a
meaningful way and within a reasonable timeframe if
funds are found to supplement the works that are currently
been undertaken by councils. LGANT estimates that a
fund of $25M over five years would go a long way toward
getting all of the existing road networks sealed within
living areas for Indigenous Australians throughout the
Northern Territory.
Recommendation
That the Commonwealth Government commits to funding
of $25M over five years as supplementary funding for
councils to enable them to complete the sealing of roads
in remote townships and urban living areas.
Housing is a Northern Territory Government responsibility
and LGANT has concerns that the current level of new
housing construction investment is insufficient to keep up
5
with population growth in many Indigenous communities.
Given nearly all housing construction funds originate from
the Commonwealth government and the issue is a matter
of government policy a recommendation on housing is
dealt with in the next section.
4. Section D – Policy Directions
Question 2.
How effective are programmes and policies affecting
Northern Australia? How can they be improved?
A change in policy that the Commonwealth Government
needs to consider is to avoid short term funding fixes with
infrastructure funding.
The Northern Territory has experienced over many years
Commonwealth programs that inject funds for infrastructure
sporadically rather than consistently and with certainty. A
case in point is the funds for Indigenous housing which saw
it recently climb to over a $1B over recent financial years and
is now back to about $100M. It raises the question:
Will there have to be another injection of $1B in another
few years time because this infrastructure has not kept
up with population growth?
The same could be said of infrastructure funding for urban
Aboriginal living areas in the major towns and cities in the
Northern Territory. Over decades there have been a few
high funding investments for infrastructure in these areas
which are then followed by little or no funding. For example,
6
the living areas in Alice Springs in recent years were
allocated $150M for housing and infrastructure but other
areas throughout the Northern Territory were not considered.
The allocation for Alice Springs has now reduced
considerably without many of the living areas still needing to
be brought up to standard.
A better approach would be to have consistent and certain
funding streams so that infrastructure does not get to the
stage where extraordinary payments are required to bring
about infrastructure renewal or replacement on a wholesale
scale. The renewals/replacements have to be ongoing and
generally they are not. They have tended to occur in ‘spits
and bursts’ and generally over decades. The consequence
of this approach is that infrastructure never seems to get to a
completed stage in many of the above areas.
The first step with any spending on infrastructure is to bring it
up to standard so it equates with that which exists in other
parts of Australia. This is only going to happen if consistent
and certain funding streams are in place and are used to
supplement those that local government or the Northern
Territory Government has at its disposal. Two of the most
important infrastructure items are to do with housing and the
sealing of local roads in urban areas. LGANT’s policy on
Urban Aboriginal Living Areas is as follows:
Aboriginal Living Areas
(a) LGANT supports councils providing services and
facilities in Aboriginal Living Areas on condition that
7
councils are able to function, implement their shire
or municipal plans and formulate policies with the
same degree of autonomy as elsewhere within their
council areas and:
 the Territory and Federal governments upgrade
infrastructure (including roads, drainage and
street lighting) to acceptable standards
 if councils obtain title to land over which they
have care, control and management of
infrastructure, buildings and service delivery
 individual allotments are leased and become
rateable
 council by-laws are capable of being
administered.
(Adopted at General Meeting 23 November 2007)
Recommendation
That the Commonwealth develop consistent and certain
infrastructure funding programs specific to Northern Australia
so that, together with State and Territory governments and
local government, the work needed to address the backlog
of particular infrastructure in towns and cities (such as roads
and housing) can be brought up to the standards enjoyed
elsewhere in Australia.