Ms ANDERSON - 2008-06-10
I understand that you recently released an economic profile of Alice Springs that brings together a range of information, including the results of a survey conducted in November 2007. How will this information be used, and what implications are there for future economic development in Alice Springs?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her important question. It also gives me the opportunity to respond to some of the comments made by a certain group of people in Alice Springs about their town. This group is determined to drive Alice Springs down. That group of people have actually cost millions of dollars to Alice Springs. The only thing we hear from these people in Alice Springs is how bad Alice Springs is, how nothing is happening in Alice Springs, how the government in Darwin does not support Alice Springs. It is not true.
Our government is determined, and is always committed to help business throughout the Territory and, in particular, in Alice Springs. That is the reason why my department, together with the Alice Springs Economic Development Committee, researched 600 businesses in Alice Springs, and the results speak for themselves: 79% of businesses in Alice Springs were confident of business prospects over the next 12 months; 74% expect an increase in value of sales; 69% expected profitability to increase; 8% of businesses sourced their goods and services from Alice Springs; and 97% of their customer base is in Alice Springs.
Business in Alice Springs is doing very well, thank you very much. That flies in the face of those people who complained about nothing happening in Alice Springs and that Alice Springs is a dump.
This is a very important profile, which I was very pleased to launch two weeks ago in Alice Springs. I have visited Alice Springs five times this year. I was very pleased to speak with many business people who expressed to me how confident they are about business prospects in Alice Springs. We had many claims of this in the past but this is the first time we have concrete evidence in our hands about what is happening in Alice Springs. Certainly, this will not be the only survey. It will happen in other towns like Katherine, Nhulunbuy and everywhere else.
We will use this information, because we want to have comprehensive economic baseline data for future discussion in order to further develop business in Alice Springs and give them the opportunities to grow and develop. It will also give us the opportunity for those who fail to understand the unique features in Alice Springs. We want to engage the community for future planning, and that will help us drive regional economic development. It is very important for us.
Madam Speaker, I challenge any of the people in Alice Springs who complain about the town to respond to that because this is not government spin; this is what business in Alice Springs is telling us about their own company.
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her important question. It also gives me the opportunity to respond to some of the comments made by a certain group of people in Alice Springs about their town. This group is determined to drive Alice Springs down. That group of people have actually cost millions of dollars to Alice Springs. The only thing we hear from these people in Alice Springs is how bad Alice Springs is, how nothing is happening in Alice Springs, how the government in Darwin does not support Alice Springs. It is not true.
Our government is determined, and is always committed to help business throughout the Territory and, in particular, in Alice Springs. That is the reason why my department, together with the Alice Springs Economic Development Committee, researched 600 businesses in Alice Springs, and the results speak for themselves: 79% of businesses in Alice Springs were confident of business prospects over the next 12 months; 74% expect an increase in value of sales; 69% expected profitability to increase; 8% of businesses sourced their goods and services from Alice Springs; and 97% of their customer base is in Alice Springs.
Business in Alice Springs is doing very well, thank you very much. That flies in the face of those people who complained about nothing happening in Alice Springs and that Alice Springs is a dump.
This is a very important profile, which I was very pleased to launch two weeks ago in Alice Springs. I have visited Alice Springs five times this year. I was very pleased to speak with many business people who expressed to me how confident they are about business prospects in Alice Springs. We had many claims of this in the past but this is the first time we have concrete evidence in our hands about what is happening in Alice Springs. Certainly, this will not be the only survey. It will happen in other towns like Katherine, Nhulunbuy and everywhere else.
We will use this information, because we want to have comprehensive economic baseline data for future discussion in order to further develop business in Alice Springs and give them the opportunities to grow and develop. It will also give us the opportunity for those who fail to understand the unique features in Alice Springs. We want to engage the community for future planning, and that will help us drive regional economic development. It is very important for us.
Madam Speaker, I challenge any of the people in Alice Springs who complain about the town to respond to that because this is not government spin; this is what business in Alice Springs is telling us about their own company.
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016