GUNNER AND HIGGINS GO HEAD TO HEAD

THE Territory’s top politicians have gone head to head, arguing over what would help increase the NT’s population.

It comes only a day after the NT News revealed the NT Government was launching a new campaign to draw people to the Territory.

In the campaign, advertising will be used in southern states to draw people to the NT, through use of case studies and brand specialists.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the Territory had a bad reputation which needed to be changed.

“At the moment we know we’ve got some reputational issues around the Territory,” he said. “We have to tackle the Territory’s reputation, and we need to work on our livability issues. It’s about being very targeted in what we do and how we sell the Northern Territory.” He said the only way to do this was to entice industry to the NT.

“People follow jobs. We’ve got to create jobs and we’re doing that through our Developing the North agenda.

“A big part of our focus is about also convincing industries that this is the place to do business. We believe that the north is where the next great wave or next great boom for Australia will occur.”

However, Opposition Leader Gary Higgins said the government was spending too much money, and creating too much debt for people, and businesses, to have confidence

“We’ve got some reputational issues around the Territory” MICHAEL GUNNER

in the Northern Territory.

“Debt is still rocketing to $5.4 billion, and Territorians’ pockets will be the ones hurting as a result,” he says in an exclusive column for the Sunday Territorian today.

“We should be encouraging more tourists, and welcoming new residents to a fair cost of living, attractive job opportunities, safe communities in which to live, a fantastic lifestyle and great education and health care.

“It beggars belief that the Labor government would not rule out scrapping its proposal to potentially introduce bank, payroll or land taxes when I asked this week in parliament about the proposed revenue plans.”

The Northern Territory makes up one per cent of the national population and has a population growth rate of 0.3 per cent.

The campaign, called “Our Life Out Here” will feature digital, social, website, newspaper and billboard ads.

Read columns by both leaders on P12-13