Builders and tradespeople say they’ve seen a significant shift in their workload, since the announcement of the $69 million stimulus package from the NT Government in February this year.
The initiative aimed to give an immediate economic boost to the building and construction industry, within this financial year, while stimulating local employment opportunities.
“We’ve been flat strap since it happened, so it’s good for us,” Denis Lyon from Dice Australia said.
Nick Castell of Power Projects in Katherine agreed.
“We’ve had an increase in work recently, from the last few months to the last month,” he said.
It’s a similar story in Tennant Creek.
George Konedaris of GK Building Contractors said he signed up to the stimulus program as soon as it was announced.
“After being here for 55 years, doing government work constantly, all the time, I think it was in my interest to look into it, and try to support my town,” he said.
“It means to me that I can look forward to the future, to have continued work in Tennant Creek, supporting the amount of people I employ.
It is definitely appreciated – any money the government is spending in this area, we definitely need – from a work point of view, as well as housing. We’ve always been short of housing in Tennant Creek,” Mr Konedaris said.
More recently, GK Building Contractors has been returning vacant property to housing stock and Mr Konedaris is proud of the work his company is doing.
“By the end of the work we’re doing here, I trust that anyone going through here will say, yes, that’s a new house,” he said.
