BRIAN O’GALLAGHER: Territory consumers are capable of deciding how they purchase alcohol

EARLY this week, NT Airports briefed the Board of the Chamber of Commerce NT about its proposed $40m development in Darwin – which has been stymied by the NT Government’s flawed decision to prevent the development’s anchor customer (Dan Murphy’s) from building a store similar to those elsewhere around Australia.

We call upon the NT Government to immediately show leadership by rescinding this decision and allow the project to proceed this dry season – thereby creating an estimated 100 desperately needed local construction jobs.

In his recent address to the NT business community, the Chief Minister highlighted job creation and attracting private sector investment as key prior- ities for 2017 and beyond. The NT Airports project would make both priorities a reality: jobs will be created almost immediately with not one cent of Territory taxpayers’ money required to make it happen.

The Board believes the NT Government’s rejection of Dan Murphy’s is based on flawed logic. Average Territory consumers, including many hard working parents, are quite capable of deciding for themselves where and how they responsibly purchase alcohol. They do not require a government to act as their nanny.

Government would be better off enforcing existing laws to reduce anti-social behaviour rather than treating the 99 per cent of responsible Territorians as mugs. We want the same choices as those available in other major Australian cities.

As Ben Smee of the Sunday Territorian has previously noted, there is no credible evidence to link the size of a store to alcohol abuse.

However, other factors including density of licences may have an impact on levels of alcohol abuse. Of course, the NT Government is right to consider such factors.

We do accept that the Government may have initially be- lieved it was doing the right thing. However, our concern is that the Government is being swayed by vested interests to protect the status quo – possibly even producing ‘alternative facts’ to support a flawed decision.

We urge the NT Government to instead focus on its job creation and private sector investment priorities – and allow this genuine economic development to proceed now.

We are pleased that the Chief Minister has at least started to talk to Dan Murphy’s and NT Airports about this development. If he wants to take something constructive before the negotiating table, he should ask NT Airports to publicly commit to using local builders and suppliers for this development. The wider community would support him.

As with the recent reintroduction of a bigger and better Home improvement Scheme (commonly known as the Tradies Voucher Scheme), Territorians would welcome a government that has the courage and leadership to reverse a flawed decision that has blocked jobs and investment. We need action now.

Brian O’Gallagher is the acting CEO of the NT Chamber of Commerce.