Mrs AAGAARD - 2004-02-24
Can you please update the House on the recent measure of the level of business confidence in the Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Nightcliff, for her question. I talk about the Sensis Small Business Survey that was released yesterday. Small business has been doing it tough in the Northern Territory since around 1999. As a bit of history, we can see in 2000-01, for the first time in the Territory’s history, we had 0% growth in our economy; compounded on that was events like 11 September, Ansett, the HIH collapse, the GST, wars, terrorism, SARS – any number of events that have really battered business confidence in the Northern Territory.
I am pleased to say, and I would like to think that all members in this House are pleased to acknowledge, that things are starting to pick up out there, and that has been acknowledged in the recent survey. I welcome the business index showing Territory small and medium businesses have recorded the largest increase in business confidence in the nation - 22% in the last two months.
I would have thought members opposite …
Mr Dunham: Yes, that is up to negative 20 for you guys – up to minus 20.
Mr HENDERSON:… would be applauding that, instead of continuing their …
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Drysdale!
Mr HENDERSON: …capacity to talk confidence down. If we look at where we were 12 months ago, 37% of businesses had confidence in the next 12 months. That has increased to 62% today; a significant increase in 12 months. If you look at the details of the survey, 75% of businesses responding said that they were confident about the next 12 months.
We should be reflecting that confidence. The positive signs are there, but we must make sure that the optimism that is gradually building is delivered upon. We must do things like ensuring that the $27.5m this government has allocated to boost tourism is spent wisely. Already we are seeing the fruits of that coming home, particularly The Ghan, leading to a significant boost to confidence, particularly in our tourism sector.
The government recognises one of the key things that small business talks about is the capacity to recruit and keep skilled trades. This government has responded with our Jobs Plan, with a target of 7000 apprentices and $7000 available to small businesses who recruit people in that blue collar area - real support for small business. We must keep the capital works projects rolling out, not only the Territory government’s record capital works programs, but programs like the Robertson Barracks upgrade. We are running seminars next week to assist small business to put capability statements together with advice on tendering for Commonwealth Defence projects, joint venturing, clustering - real advice and support for small business …
Mr Dunham: How to beat southerners.
Mr HENDERSON: The opposition - and the member for Drysdale is a classic - wants to keep talking it down, and focussing on the negatives. I caution the opposition not to get too cocky because, if we look at the results of the Palmerston Regional Business Association business survey - those results were taken off the PRBA web site earlier today – it shows a low level of faith from business in politicians generally, both the government and the opposition. Only 18% of those surveyed think the opposition is effective, 65% describe the opposition as ineffective, and that is equivalent to the negative 47% rating on the opposition.
It is to politicians on all sides in the Northern Territory that our small business community is saying that we need to lift our game. We accept that. We work hard to create jobs for Territorians. We are working with big business, small business and talking up the economy and the great things that are happening in the Northern Territory - the investment potential that is there that has been ignited around the Northern Territory. I urge the opposition not to keep talking it down, because it does not reflect well on them. Both the government and the opposition have some work to do to capture the faith of small business in politicians.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Nightcliff, for her question. I talk about the Sensis Small Business Survey that was released yesterday. Small business has been doing it tough in the Northern Territory since around 1999. As a bit of history, we can see in 2000-01, for the first time in the Territory’s history, we had 0% growth in our economy; compounded on that was events like 11 September, Ansett, the HIH collapse, the GST, wars, terrorism, SARS – any number of events that have really battered business confidence in the Northern Territory.
I am pleased to say, and I would like to think that all members in this House are pleased to acknowledge, that things are starting to pick up out there, and that has been acknowledged in the recent survey. I welcome the business index showing Territory small and medium businesses have recorded the largest increase in business confidence in the nation - 22% in the last two months.
I would have thought members opposite …
Mr Dunham: Yes, that is up to negative 20 for you guys – up to minus 20.
Mr HENDERSON:… would be applauding that, instead of continuing their …
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Drysdale!
Mr HENDERSON: …capacity to talk confidence down. If we look at where we were 12 months ago, 37% of businesses had confidence in the next 12 months. That has increased to 62% today; a significant increase in 12 months. If you look at the details of the survey, 75% of businesses responding said that they were confident about the next 12 months.
We should be reflecting that confidence. The positive signs are there, but we must make sure that the optimism that is gradually building is delivered upon. We must do things like ensuring that the $27.5m this government has allocated to boost tourism is spent wisely. Already we are seeing the fruits of that coming home, particularly The Ghan, leading to a significant boost to confidence, particularly in our tourism sector.
The government recognises one of the key things that small business talks about is the capacity to recruit and keep skilled trades. This government has responded with our Jobs Plan, with a target of 7000 apprentices and $7000 available to small businesses who recruit people in that blue collar area - real support for small business. We must keep the capital works projects rolling out, not only the Territory government’s record capital works programs, but programs like the Robertson Barracks upgrade. We are running seminars next week to assist small business to put capability statements together with advice on tendering for Commonwealth Defence projects, joint venturing, clustering - real advice and support for small business …
Mr Dunham: How to beat southerners.
Mr HENDERSON: The opposition - and the member for Drysdale is a classic - wants to keep talking it down, and focussing on the negatives. I caution the opposition not to get too cocky because, if we look at the results of the Palmerston Regional Business Association business survey - those results were taken off the PRBA web site earlier today – it shows a low level of faith from business in politicians generally, both the government and the opposition. Only 18% of those surveyed think the opposition is effective, 65% describe the opposition as ineffective, and that is equivalent to the negative 47% rating on the opposition.
It is to politicians on all sides in the Northern Territory that our small business community is saying that we need to lift our game. We accept that. We work hard to create jobs for Territorians. We are working with big business, small business and talking up the economy and the great things that are happening in the Northern Territory - the investment potential that is there that has been ignited around the Northern Territory. I urge the opposition not to keep talking it down, because it does not reflect well on them. Both the government and the opposition have some work to do to capture the faith of small business in politicians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016