THE Gunner Government has changed its “major projects” status policy, creating greater visibility and accountability.
The changes have been described as a “welcome addition” but the Minerals Council of Australia believes the real problem is the execution of the policy.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the new policy included a clearer statement of the Territory’s objectives in granting major project status and the benefits it provides.
“Major project status is awarded to projects that are significant, complex and have strategic impact for the Northern Territory,” he said.
“It is a way of providing proponents confirmation of NT Government support for the project and it helps to secure private sector investment to grow our economy and create jobs.
“For the project proponent, the benefits include whole-ofgovernment co-ordination, assistance in identifying and coordinating regulatory approvals and facilitation of engagement with the Australian Government through a central and single point of contact.
“We have enhanced the governance arrangements for major projects in this new policy, giving government CEOs greater visibility and accountability for their implementation.
“Major projects will also be restricted to private sector initiatives and the approval process to obtain major project status has been streamlined.”
Minerals Council of Australia NT executive director Drew Wagner said the issue of delays had to be addressed.
“The additions are very much welcomed,” he said.
“But we needed to see case managers and project champions to really square off any delays and make the major project status policy work.”
Under the changes when assessing an application for major project status, the Government will consider the following criteria:
- the project’s significance linked to its size-related capital expenditure — typically $100 million in Darwin — with lower thresholds applying in remote and regional areas;
- the project’s Northern Territory-related operational expenditure;
- the direct and indirect construction and operational workforce requirements;
- the proportion of capital or operational expenditure that will be sourced from within the Northern Territory or the region; and
- the proportion of the work force that will be sourced from within the specific locality.
The NT Government website currently lists six major projects.
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