1000's & 1000's of Jobs in the Northern Territory

[Jessica Berry]

There is a full page article in todays job supplement promoting the availability of 1000's and 1000's of jobs in the Northern Territory if anyone fancies a move!

 

Interestingly on the front page of the same newspaper and then continuing onto a double page spread they are discussing South Australia and the proposed 4100 public sector jobs cuts, how many young people move away from SA to further their careers and how the SA Treasurer wants to repair the relationship with businesses in the state to spark the economy!

 

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

Hi Jessica! Yep there are always plenty of jobs in the NT......the average stay of people there is less than a year although obviously some stay much longer!

 

We loved our time there!

[Diane]

Will send my husband - it's a bit closer than England!

[cliffy]

My daughter moved to Palmerston at the beginning of the year. She now works at Royal Darwin, her husband is in the Army and her son is in daycare. They love all aspects of their life there, except the snakes, and get great tax incentives to work there. Things are a little more expensive than here generally, but many of the attractions have reduced/free rates for locals and there is just so much to do outside.

I visited in April and found the continuous heat oppressive, but beyond that it was an exciting vibrant city with plenty. They love the heat and have yet to go through a complete wet season. Time will tell, their posting is for two years!!!!

[Jessica Berry]

I caught the end of this story on Lateline last night when OH was channel surfing........glad I am not trying to sell a house in Gove at the moment! Hopefully with the availability of jobs in the NT they will find other work...........

 

 

 

 

The imminent closure of Rio Tinto's aluminium refinery in the Northern Territory's Gove peninsula, will hit remote Nhulunbuy hard. Though the job losses represent one quarter of the town's population, the people of Nhulunbuy won't accept defeat.

EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: The imminent closure of an aluminium refinery in the Northern Territory's Gove peninsula will hit remote Nhulunbuy hard.

 

Hundreds of locals have already been laid off by the town's biggest employer Rio Tinto.

 

A majority of remaining refinery workers are expecting their last pay packets within weeks.

 

Now Qantas has announced its ending daily flights from Darwin adding to the community's fears but though the job losses represent one quarter of the town's population, the people of Nhulunbuy won't accept defeat.

 

Ginny Stein reports from Nhulunbuy.

 

GINNY STEIN, REPORTER: First there was the boom, now there is the bust.

 

The mining town of Nhulunbuy at the top of Australia is emptying out.

 

GARY LYNCH, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS' UNION: Another person there that's been out for 40 years.

 

GINNY STEIN: There are now empty houses aplenty.

 

GARY LYNCH: Yeah that's a housing...

 

GINNY STEIN: Gary Lynch is getting used to saying goodbye to his mates.

 

You must be seeing lots of your mates departing?

 

GARY LYNCH: Oh, they're not only your mates, they're like you family you know, they live in Gove, the community and it's just a bit hard on the liver lately because every second day is a farewell (laughs)

 

GINNY STEIN: His job at the mine will also soon end. He's hoping to buck the trend by staying on in Nhulunbuy and flying out to find work.

 

GARY LYNCH: I know I'm going to be unemployed in August and my wife's going to be unemployed in June but I think we're fortunate enough, well hopefully I've got enough experience and tickets to get a job elsewhere.

 

GINNY STEIN: About 4,000 people live in Nhulunbuy a mining town built on leased Aboriginal land. 1500 people worked at the Gove aluminium refinery with most other businesses in the area relying on mining activity. The closure is hitting hard.

 

HANNAH SEANIGER, EAST ARNHEM REALTY: Before the notice that they were going to shut down the refinery the median house price was about $500,000 we've had a recent offer and it's in the low $200,000's.

 

GINNY STEIN: Nhulunbuy is the territory's fourth largest town. The government says it's working on contingency plans for the towns future.

 

But there is growing unease within the community who feel that what little help may come will be too late.

 

HELEN MARTIN, NHULUNBUY COMMITTEE TOURISM DELEGATE: You know that whole shopfront shop end needs a freshen up.

 

GINNY STEIN: The whole community has come together to try to find its own solutions.

 

Helen Martin runs a tourism lodge promoting Aboriginal culture on an island just off Nhulunbuy's coast. Like other tourism operators and residents, she's worried about the impact of cutting back airline services.

 

HELEN MARTIN: We've got fantastic artists here that are world renowned artists, we've got beautiful beaches, the fishing is amazing and it's a place also if you want to come to island retreats to relax and just unwind. We've got no telephones, no internet, we've got eco retreats and it's very different, we're a totally different you know product, but it is something unique and yet to be discovered.

 

GINNY STEIN: For the traditional owners who live in nearby communities the impact of the closure is less direct, the refinery employed few Aboriginal people, but there are fears about the impact of cuts to services, such as schools and hospitals.

 

From the beginning Aboriginal people fought to resist the arrival of mining here in east Arnhem Land, for my Yolngu people there is relief that mining giant Rio Tinto is now cutting back its operations.

 

BARWULI MARIKA, YIRRIKALA RESIDENT AND ARTIST: Happy, sometimes (shrugs shoulders).

 

GINNY STEIN: Why?

 

BARWULI MARIKA: Because my grandfather didn't want this to happen.

 

GINNY STEIN: He didn't want the mine.

 

BARWULI MARIKA: He didn't want the mine. That's why I'm happy that its' closing and it's very sad because there's lot of people live in Nhulunbuy now.

 

GINNY STEIN: At the Yirrikala Arts Centre little has changed. Aboriginal culture remains strong and international demand for art produced from here continues to grow.

 

Ginny Stein, Lateline.

[Guest Guest14361]

That place where the refinery is , is around 1000kms from Darwin, and hundreds from elsewhere.

 

nobby

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

That place where the refinery is , is around 1000kms from Darwin, and hundreds from elsewhere.

 

nobby

 

Nobby....not sure what you point is here?.....

[Guest Guest14361]

Nobby....not sure what you point is here?.....

 

for those that live full time there, they haven't much chance of working elsewhere due to it remoteness, and if they decide to sell their house,prices have plummeted, so those thousands of jobs are not much good.

 

nobby

[Jessica Berry]

I guess it depends on the individual person and what they are prepared to do and where they are prepared to go.

 

I have worked on a large scale construction/engineering project in Adelaide and I worked with people that were there from regional SA, country Victoria, Queensland (for many of these people their option was to go and work for their company in Adelaide on this specific project or there was no work for them in their State), they also had poms that were working on a FIFO (fly in fly out) basis as well.

 

In regional SA when some of the timber mills closed, the mines employed some of the workers on a FIFO basis and some were flying on 3-4 flights one way to work.

 

Another project in Adelaide has had a large percentage of Irish working on it, they have come over here as they are struggling for work in Ireland and they move around the country from project to project. For many of them, their wives and children are still in Ireland and they are sending money back home to Ireland to support their families.

[Guest Guest14361]

I guess it depends on the individual person and what they are prepared to do and where they are prepared to go.

 

also if it's viable

 

nobby

[Jessica Berry]

also if it's viable

 

nobby

 

From my experience it is amazing how 'viable' things can become when someone is faced with the prospect of no income!

[Guest Guest14361]

That's true, but to some people theirs not much difference tween dole and $100 and a full weeks work, just the way society is today.

 

Nobby

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

That's true, but to some people theirs not much difference tween dole and $100 and a full weeks work, just the way society is today.

 

Nobby

 

Oh get off your band wagon!.... "Young people today......in my day.....walk to school in no shoes....Etc...etc.... TBH there have always been and will always be those people in society but for the majority of people work/employment is about so much more than money.

[Guest Guest14361]

Behave...abit before my time all that

 

nobby