The NT Government’s handling of land releases comes under critical review in the latest edition of the NT Darwin Chamber of Commerce and Industry journal,The Voice. In his message ,the chamber’s chief executive officer, Chris Young , outlines the struggle to get the government to release more land.
In May 2006 the then Treasurer, Sid Stirling , had said the government " did not want to disrupt the market place" by releasing land at a rate above the current level which at that time was a “mere trickle”. Young had advised Stirling that a major impediment to business development in the Territory was the lack of available land and affordable housing.
Over the years , Young had taken every possible opportunity to "hammer the issue of land availability," only to again be told the government did not want to upset the market place. “This was in spite of evidence to the contrary that additional land release was likely to stimulate , rather than suppress, the market. ”
Chamber budget submissions for 2007/2008 and 2008/ 2009 regarding land release and affordable housing were ignored by the government, he wrote . The “double mantra ” made you wonder where these government people lived. At the 2008 budget lunch the response to land release remained the same and power of the market seemed to hold sway yet again.
Then in September 2008, the government invited organizations to a meeting and said it had “discovered ” that there was a shortage of land in the Territory and the cost of housing was proving to be a deterrent to first and new home buyers. The solution was to fast track the release of land into the market place . At that meeting the government said about 1700 blocks of land were needed to be released annually to keep up with demand , and that it would be better to release more , rather than less. By the end of the 2009 financial year , 750 blocks had been fast tracked, well short of the 1700 required . Young states that current indications are that it will not meet the target for the current financial year. His comment : “ WHY IN A TERRITORY WHICH HAS,1,346,200 SQUARE KILOMETRES OF LAND AND A POPULATION APPROACHING 250,000 DO LAND BUYERS HAVE TO ENTER A BALLOT TO PURCHASE A BLOCK OF LAND ?
In May 2006 the then Treasurer, Sid Stirling , had said the government " did not want to disrupt the market place" by releasing land at a rate above the current level which at that time was a “mere trickle”. Young had advised Stirling that a major impediment to business development in the Territory was the lack of available land and affordable housing.
Over the years , Young had taken every possible opportunity to "hammer the issue of land availability," only to again be told the government did not want to upset the market place. “This was in spite of evidence to the contrary that additional land release was likely to stimulate , rather than suppress, the market. ”
Chamber budget submissions for 2007/2008 and 2008/ 2009 regarding land release and affordable housing were ignored by the government, he wrote . The “double mantra ” made you wonder where these government people lived. At the 2008 budget lunch the response to land release remained the same and power of the market seemed to hold sway yet again.
Then in September 2008, the government invited organizations to a meeting and said it had “discovered ” that there was a shortage of land in the Territory and the cost of housing was proving to be a deterrent to first and new home buyers. The solution was to fast track the release of land into the market place . At that meeting the government said about 1700 blocks of land were needed to be released annually to keep up with demand , and that it would be better to release more , rather than less. By the end of the 2009 financial year , 750 blocks had been fast tracked, well short of the 1700 required . Young states that current indications are that it will not meet the target for the current financial year. His comment : “ WHY IN A TERRITORY WHICH HAS,1,346,200 SQUARE KILOMETRES OF LAND AND A POPULATION APPROACHING 250,000 DO LAND BUYERS HAVE TO ENTER A BALLOT TO PURCHASE A BLOCK OF LAND ?
