GRAND PLAN

Darwin helps careers

Gunner Government forks out hundreds of thousands of dollars for AFL Grand Final ad spruiking the new Boundless Possible masterbrand

TERRITORIANS are fighting back against the stereotypes southerners are labelling them with.

In focus group research for the new Territory masterbrand, southerners had very few positive things to say about the NT, claiming they wouldn’t be able to progress in their jobs and that Darwin wasn’t multicultural enough for them.

However, Territory barrister and 2017 Australian Law Awards Young Gun of the Year, Matthew Littlejohn said he had found the Territory to be an incredible place to advance his career.

“I actually moved here for the career opportunities,” Mr Littlejohn said.

“I had the chance to be the leader of an office in a national firm which was unheard of at my age. But that’s the nature of the Territory.”

Mr Littlejohn said he had done more impressive work here in the last 18 months than he would have done elsewhere.

“The work I did in the first 12 to 18 months saw me receive the title of Best Young Lawyer which I wouldn’t have been able to achieve anywhere else.”

At the start of this year, he left his firm to become the youngest barrister in the NT.

“Not only is the perception of the NT having no career growth prospects incorrect, it’s the opposite,” he said.

“The Territory has the best career opportunities around, particularly for young professionals. There’s so much experience to be had, and the level of responsibility you can get to is higher than anywhere else.”

Work by market research company McGregor Tan identified 2.8 million “committed opportunists” who were open to living, working, studying or investing in the NT.

However, those people felt the Territory didn’t hold long-term prospects for them and would not be a good place to live.

When describing the Territory as a person, most people thought of fishing, swimming, someone who hadn’t shaved in days and someone with dust on their boots. The image was predominantly male.

Mr Littlejohn said he had thought this too.

“To be honest, I probably pictured Paul Hogan when I thought about the Territory, before I moved here,” he said.

“I had a thought it would be a more laid back Queensland.

“But it’s nothing like it. It really is its own place.”

Southerners also believed there were few good lifestyle things to keep them here.

One suggested there were no markets and another blamed a lack of sport.

The Territory had few cafes and little night-life, according to one, and it was a place where you couldn’t see many shows.

Mr Littlejohn said these ideas were both true and false.

“The options are more limited here than the larger cities, partly because we’ve got a much smaller population,” he said. “But when more people are here, with a larger population, there’ll be more places.”

Despite fewer options, Mr Littlejohn said the NT had many hidden secrets.

“The Territory doesn’t give up its secrets easily but if you put in a little effort, it’s all there,” he said.

“You just have to be proactive but you’ll find everything you’re looking for.”

One respondent said he wouldn’t move to the Territory because he felt it was a racist place, stuck in old-world ideas with no sense of multiculturalism. “That’s the opposite of what it is,” Mr Littlejohn said.

“To me, Darwin feels like the most culturally diverse place I’ve ever lived. And I think it does the best job of integrating it all.

“It’s the meltiest of melting pots there is.”

“To be honest, I probably pictured Paul Hogan when I thought about the Territory, before I moved here. But it’s nothing like it. It really is its own place” NEW TERRITORIAN MATTHEW LITTLEJOHN