November 24, 2025 • 6 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining me live on the line right now is well
Ruth Palmer. She's from the Property Council. She's the chief
executive of the Property Council here in the Northern Territory.
Good morning to you, Ruth.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Oh, good morning Katie. I didn't have a top tip
for your cubby and core rain tree.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I know well, Struth, stop tips were very effective in
many other ways, but no, you couldn't do anything to
say about I don't.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Thank you, Ruthie. How did you fare in the cyclone?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, A couple of trees down and a broken fence,
so yeah, I just got to repair that now. But yeah,
other than that, we're pretty good because we're in Palmerston,
so you know we've got the bonus of the underground power. Yeah,
I like the others in the Northern suburbs, well that's it.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
And like even for me this morning, we're still without power.
I know I'm not alone.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
There's about four nine hundred and ninety nine other people
I think without power. So those of us without power
are probably scratching our heads, going, well are we going
to look at under grounding the power?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I guess the problem is we've got no bloody money.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, and So this is the thing, Katie. There's funds
out there available, there's the North Australian Infrastructure Facility. We
can urge the Northern Territory government to push the Feds
in making this an Infrastructure Australia priority. I mean, this
is critical infrastructure that needs to come in. We know
we live in an area where we are bone to
(01:25):
cyclone activity, but not only that, even through the wet
season we see these blackouts. So we really would hope
that Northern Territory government can start really talking to the
Federal government about the importance of making sure we have
that essential enabling infrastructure. If it's a couple one hundred
million for that long term benefit, but also out of
(01:46):
the back pocket of Territorians losing food in their freezers,
you know, trying to go to work, trying to get
kids to school when there's no power, I mean, the
cost of businesses and like the household just goes up
each time, the cost of the cleanup as well, and
how water going out all the time, Like surely that'll
adds up as well.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
So raise from your perspective, do you reckon that there
is you know that there's potential here that we could
actually be getting some federal funding excuse me, federal funding
to underground these power lines or at least try to
get the job started again.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, and you know there is those other funding bodies
as well, like the KNAFE and Infrastructure of Australia. Know
this whole developed the North. You know, it's all about
Northern Australia and let's develop the North. But you know
the purpose of that seems to not be relevant when
it comes to our critical infrastructure, like I don't you
know the duwn like northern suburbs absolutely needs to have
(02:41):
that underground power. And yes, it is going to be costly,
might be you know, in the hundreds of millions, but
it's something that should be a priority project because every
single time, like some people lost power before the storm
actually even really hit yea. So but the cost afterwards,
year on year or month on month, all adds up
(03:01):
to probably the same amount as it would cost for
a month off of undergrounding. So you know, it is
something that we need to really be pushing and I
would really hope that after this, like we're in the
first month of the cyclone season, we've still got like
a six months ahead, so you know, it's looking like
we probably would get more given how early this one
(03:22):
has come. So you know, we're really going to start
those conversations, and we have to get an authern territory
government to be talking to the federal government around the
importance of the nt our economic opportunities, you know, this
whole resilience piece, but also you know, support cost of
living crisis, supporting the people who put food in their
freezers and their fridges and have had to throw it
(03:44):
all out, like so, you know, this is it's hurting everybody,
and you know businesses have suffered as well.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yeah, well, I wonder as well.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Obviously they announced those those payments that some people will
be eligible that six hundred dollars. I wonder how many
people sort of put that toward, like what they'll put
that awards, you know, on a personal, personal sort of basis,
and whether it will be able to help them to
recover some of the goods that they may indeed have lost.
I guess that's a whole separate conversation, but you would
think that that costs a heck of a lot of
(04:13):
money for everybody to actually receive those emergency payments too.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah, absolutely, And you know I would encourage every territory
and who has been affected to go out and get
truckling because it is something then you can now fill
your fridge and freezers back up. But again, you know
we sort of go, well, when's the next one. People
might be a little bit hesitant to be filling their
freezers up now, so you go, you know, it's just
(04:38):
one of those things that you've got to look at
what the benefit is for the long term. But also
you know the realistic nature of it is that people
are suffering, and especially people with medical conditions or people
if they're you know, like the accessibility issues, or if
they're in units. You know, these are real people going
(05:00):
through these real scenarios and you know we really need
to get behind and support that roath.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Obviously, we've got a situation where you know where you're
calling on the Northern Territory government to speak to the
feeds about it. Is it something that you will also
be writing to the federal government about.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, so that's definitely something that I can speak with
my national team on. I mean, we've gone through and
trying to put get priority bridges through Infrastructure Australia before,
you know, we need to make sure that every industry
group is pushing for this, so it's you need to
have everyone backing it. Like if you've only got a
couple of submissions, it's probably not going to fly. So
(05:38):
we need to make sure that everybody's on board. Industry
is working with Northern Territory government, we're all putting in
the same message and then sending that really strong that
this has to be a priority. You know, our roads
and our infrastructure. You know that these are critical to
the lifeblood of how the territory needs to operate. You know,
we're not We're not just you know, this backyard little town.
(06:01):
We're the capital city and we need to be able
to demonstrate that we have that resilience to be able
to keep our economy going and you know, keeping people
in ployed, but also helping you know, it's a population
growth piece as well, you know, the retention rate keeping
people here. We need to be able to provide them
with quality services and the infrastructure to keep them safe,
(06:23):
but also to keep them connected.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Well, Ruth Palmer, it is good to speak to you
this morning. Really appreciate your time. Thanks for having a
chat with us. And I think they need to come
up with some more tips for you know, I wanted
to save Tubby.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
No power Yeah, exactly. Start writing your list out of
my own podcast exactly.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
You'll start your power breath on.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Hope you get your power back.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
On soon, Katie, so do I.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Ruthie, thank you, thanks so much, thank you,
Joining me live on the line right now is well
Ruth Palmer. She's from the Property Council. She's the chief
executive of the Property Council here in the Northern Territory.
Good morning to you, Ruth.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Oh, good morning Katie. I didn't have a top tip
for your cubby and core rain tree.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I know well, Struth, stop tips were very effective in
many other ways, but no, you couldn't do anything to
say about I don't.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Thank you, Ruthie. How did you fare in the cyclone?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, A couple of trees down and a broken fence,
so yeah, I just got to repair that now. But yeah,
other than that, we're pretty good because we're in Palmerston,
so you know we've got the bonus of the underground power. Yeah,
I like the others in the Northern suburbs, well that's it.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
And like even for me this morning, we're still without power.
I know I'm not alone.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
There's about four nine hundred and ninety nine other people
I think without power. So those of us without power
are probably scratching our heads, going, well are we going
to look at under grounding the power?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I guess the problem is we've got no bloody money.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, and So this is the thing, Katie. There's funds
out there available, there's the North Australian Infrastructure Facility. We
can urge the Northern Territory government to push the Feds
in making this an Infrastructure Australia priority. I mean, this
is critical infrastructure that needs to come in. We know
we live in an area where we are bone to
(01:25):
cyclone activity, but not only that, even through the wet
season we see these blackouts. So we really would hope
that Northern Territory government can start really talking to the
Federal government about the importance of making sure we have
that essential enabling infrastructure. If it's a couple one hundred
million for that long term benefit, but also out of
(01:46):
the back pocket of Territorians losing food in their freezers,
you know, trying to go to work, trying to get
kids to school when there's no power, I mean, the
cost of businesses and like the household just goes up
each time, the cost of the cleanup as well, and
how water going out all the time, Like surely that'll
adds up as well.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
So raise from your perspective, do you reckon that there
is you know that there's potential here that we could
actually be getting some federal funding excuse me, federal funding
to underground these power lines or at least try to
get the job started again.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, and you know there is those other funding bodies
as well, like the KNAFE and Infrastructure of Australia. Know
this whole developed the North. You know, it's all about
Northern Australia and let's develop the North. But you know
the purpose of that seems to not be relevant when
it comes to our critical infrastructure, like I don't you
know the duwn like northern suburbs absolutely needs to have
(02:41):
that underground power. And yes, it is going to be costly,
might be you know, in the hundreds of millions, but
it's something that should be a priority project because every
single time, like some people lost power before the storm
actually even really hit yea. So but the cost afterwards,
year on year or month on month, all adds up
(03:01):
to probably the same amount as it would cost for
a month off of undergrounding. So you know, it is
something that we need to really be pushing and I
would really hope that after this, like we're in the
first month of the cyclone season, we've still got like
a six months ahead, so you know, it's looking like
we probably would get more given how early this one
(03:22):
has come. So you know, we're really going to start
those conversations, and we have to get an authern territory
government to be talking to the federal government around the
importance of the nt our economic opportunities, you know, this
whole resilience piece, but also you know, support cost of
living crisis, supporting the people who put food in their
freezers and their fridges and have had to throw it
(03:44):
all out, like so, you know, this is it's hurting everybody,
and you know businesses have suffered as well.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yeah, well, I wonder as well.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Obviously they announced those those payments that some people will
be eligible that six hundred dollars. I wonder how many
people sort of put that toward, like what they'll put
that awards, you know, on a personal, personal sort of basis,
and whether it will be able to help them to
recover some of the goods that they may indeed have lost.
I guess that's a whole separate conversation, but you would
think that that costs a heck of a lot of
(04:13):
money for everybody to actually receive those emergency payments too.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah, absolutely, And you know I would encourage every territory
and who has been affected to go out and get
truckling because it is something then you can now fill
your fridge and freezers back up. But again, you know
we sort of go, well, when's the next one. People
might be a little bit hesitant to be filling their
freezers up now, so you go, you know, it's just
(04:38):
one of those things that you've got to look at
what the benefit is for the long term. But also
you know the realistic nature of it is that people
are suffering, and especially people with medical conditions or people
if they're you know, like the accessibility issues, or if
they're in units. You know, these are real people going
(05:00):
through these real scenarios and you know we really need
to get behind and support that roath.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Obviously, we've got a situation where you know where you're
calling on the Northern Territory government to speak to the
feeds about it. Is it something that you will also
be writing to the federal government about.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, so that's definitely something that I can speak with
my national team on. I mean, we've gone through and
trying to put get priority bridges through Infrastructure Australia before,
you know, we need to make sure that every industry
group is pushing for this, so it's you need to
have everyone backing it. Like if you've only got a
couple of submissions, it's probably not going to fly. So
(05:38):
we need to make sure that everybody's on board. Industry
is working with Northern Territory government, we're all putting in
the same message and then sending that really strong that
this has to be a priority. You know, our roads
and our infrastructure. You know that these are critical to
the lifeblood of how the territory needs to operate. You know,
we're not We're not just you know, this backyard little town.
(06:01):
We're the capital city and we need to be able
to demonstrate that we have that resilience to be able
to keep our economy going and you know, keeping people
in ployed, but also helping you know, it's a population
growth piece as well, you know, the retention rate keeping
people here. We need to be able to provide them
with quality services and the infrastructure to keep them safe,
(06:23):
but also to keep them connected.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Well, Ruth Palmer, it is good to speak to you
this morning. Really appreciate your time. Thanks for having a
chat with us. And I think they need to come
up with some more tips for you know, I wanted
to save Tubby.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
No power Yeah, exactly. Start writing your list out of
my own podcast exactly.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
You'll start your power breath on.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Hope you get your power back.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
On soon, Katie, so do I.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Ruthie, thank you, thanks so much, thank you,
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