Treasurer Nicole Manison is "incredibly positive" about the future of the NT and especially Katherine, with the budget now on a sustainable track back to balance.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"We have gone through the hard stuff and we are entering a phase of growth," she said.
At the 2019 Budget Lunch in Katherine for invited guests today, the Treasurer went as far as saying the budget could be returned to surplus sooner than the predicted 2027-28.
The NT Government released a Plan to Fix the Territory Budget, earlier this year, to address the $876 million deficit and $500 million annual GST cuts.
"Budget 2019 is all about putting Territorians first," she said, to a packed room at the Katherine club.
"We have made sure we have focused our investments on creating local jobs."
Ms Manison painted a picture of the economy post Inpex, which continues to be a driver of the NT's economic crisis.
"Inpex has now finished construction. It was a $37 billion project here in the NT," she said.
"It had a huge impact on the Territory's economy.
"Inpex has now gone from about 10,000 workers at peak construction to its operating phase... with only about 500 employees out there.
"We have felt the full transition of that in the economy. And it has been a tough few years."
The NT Government released its budget earlier this year in May outlining severe spending cuts, including cuts to teacher rental subsidies, here in Katherine.
While there was no mention of the cuts to the much needed teacher incentives, Ms Manison emphasised investment in education, health and early childhood development to drive generational change.
"We know here in the Northern Territory, and you see it each and every day in a place like Katherine, what happens when you have people living in disadvantage and poverty and the social problems that result and end up becoming a real drag on the economy," Ms Manison said.
"We have a strong focus on generational change because it is not just the right thing to do, its the smart thing to do.
"We have huge pressures on our frontline service agencies such as police and health. If we get people onto a better pathway, we can save money for the Northern Territory."
Ms Manison honed in on the government's "sensible" approach to balancing the budget by creating local jobs, through infrastructure and tourism.
While no new infrastructure investments were announced, she did highlight the range of projects to upgrade Kakadu to support the township of Jabiru from a mining town to a tourism hub as well as attracting mining companies "because we know that directly contributes to jobs".
For a comprehensive breakdown of what Katherine is to receive from the budget, read: NT Budget - what's in it for Katherine
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.
