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Katherine Town Council CEO Robert Jennings said council has been working with the Chamber of Commerce to solve the growing issue of empty stores.

“It is difficult times, you can run an internet business from home now with very little overhead, but we still need shops and their presence in town,” Mr Jennings said. 

“The Department of Infrastructure Planning and Logistic is working hard to make the streets look as attractive as possible.

“We are looking at putting banners on the shops, also developing Railway Terrace into a green space for people to enjoy and hopefully push energy into the main street. 

“We are looking at the toilets and how we can improve them, we want to improve the things we can control, we cannot control the economy, but make the things we can control as attractive and useful as we can,” he said. 

Manager and owner of LJ Hooker Katherine Wayne Nayda said there is no single reason for the decline in business.

“I think people should look at the whole of Katherine, there is a downturn of income in town,” Mr Nayda said. 

“There are a lot of underlying factors, Darwin is hurting too and we are feeling the flow on effects. 

Mr Nayda said not many people had approached his agency looking to establish a business.

“I don’t think it is just a rent problem, if people approach and ask I think landlords would lower the rent,” he said. 

“I don’t know what the answer is, owners definitely care and they want money coming in, so they would negotiate on rent I think,” he said. 

Mr Nayda said he becomes “annoyed when people sit back and whinge without coming up with a solution”.

“I haven’t heard anything from council or the local member about ideas to solve this. 

“This problem did not pop up over night, you can’t put your finger on one thing, everyone is trying to keep business flowing and hoping that Tindal will pick up its personnel, but we cannot rely on that,” he said. 

Katherine Times has contacted the Katherine Oasis Shopping Centre management and are awaiting a response.