List of Recommendations

Recommendation 1

11.5

The committee recommends that the Australian Government refresh the Northern Australia agenda, in light of the new challenges and opportunities posed by COVID-19, with the goals of:

broadening the agenda to:

take advantage of a wider range of economic opportunities arising from value adding in traditional industries and from expanding new and emerging industries; and

address the social and environmental challenges and opportunities facing Northern Australia;

committing to:

improve social and environmental outcomes in Northern Australia;

address the extensive and severe nature of First Nations Australians' socioeconomic disadvantage;

focus on the facilitation of First Nations Australians' participation in the Northern Australian economy;

a stronger emphasis on value adding to the north's traditional industries and capture new opportunities in emerging industries;

undertaking a serious examination of, and response to, the risks posed by climate change to the region; and

greater engagement with local communities, especially First Nations communities;

incorporating other recommendations made in this report.

Recommendation 2

11.13

The committee recommends that the Australian Government prioritise the implementation of the recommendations arising from this inquiry’s interim report and also the Statutory Review of the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility.

Recommendation 3

11.15

The committee recommends that the Australian Government facilitate strategic planning between all levels of government and other stakeholders, with a view to derisking the investment environment in Northern Australia.

Recommendation 4

11.16

The committee recommends that the Australian Government empower the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to open information sharing dialogues with commercial financiers, to improve investor confidence by allowing for region specific knowledge, experiences and learnings to be used to improve their understanding of investment risk and potential mitigants in Northern Australia.

Recommendation 5

11.20

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with the state and territory governments, develop and publish a timetable for the construction and maintenance of identified key freight routes.

Recommendation 6

11.22

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in partnership with the state and territory governments, outline a long-term strategy of road and rail funding for Northern Australia, with a view to creating a comprehensive and fit-for-purpose road and rail network.

Recommendation 7

11.25

The committee recommends that the Australian Government work cooperatively with the states to expedite the completion of all announced road projects, including those in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 Federal Budgets.

Recommendation 8

11.27

The committee recommends that a portion of the funding from the next round of the Road Safety Program be committed to supporting projects that improve road safety in Northern Australia.

Recommendation 9

11.34

The committee recommends that the Australian Government increase the research capacity of the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund and other water management agencies to improve decision-making regarding water policy.

Recommendation 10

11.35

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments, consider expanding the remit of the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund beyond economic priority areas related to agriculture, including to areas including water security in towns, support of First Nations cultural heritage and a wider array of industries.

Recommendation 11

11.36

The committee recommends that the Australian Government update the Statement of Expectations for the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility to ensure a renewed focus on investment in new water infrastructure.

Recommendation 12

11.37

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in partnership with state and territory governments, seriously consider water supply options in Northern Australia that avoid adverse environmental, social and cultural heritage consequences and ensures that any new water harvesting that occurs in Northern Australia pays appropriate regard to those potential consequences.

Recommendation 13

11.38

The committee recommends that the Australian Government consider decreasing the review threshold for water infrastructure projects from $250 million to $100 million.

Recommendation 14

11.39

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in partnership with state and territory governments, ensure the inclusion of First Nations' interests in water in jurisdictional planning and the management of water.

Recommendation 15

11.40

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in partnership with state and territory governments, improve transparency of decision making when it comes to water infrastructure projects and publicly release assessments of projects against all National Water Initiative criteria.

Recommendation 16

11.46

The committee recommends that the Australian, State and Territory Governments increase investment in social housing in Northern Australia, in recognition of the lack of housing affordability in the region, its impact on social disadvantage and its effect on the recruitment and retention of skilled workers in the region.

Recommendation 17

11.47

The committee recommends that the Australian Government re-establish a National Partnership Agreement focused on remote First Nations housing and work with the jurisdictions to fund remote First Nations housing as a critical foundation for economic and social development in the North.

Recommendation 18

11.52

The committee recommends that the Australian Government implement the recommendations of the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, which include:

rural recruitment of rurally-based health professionals to assist with the retention of the local health workforce, particularly in medical "generalist" (and other health professional) roles.

investment in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce to continue development strategies, including in innovative community roles and in leadership positions.

eHealth and telehealth training to ensure that health professionals in rural and remote areas can work to their full scope of practice in team-based models using tele-health.

strengthening of comprehensive primary health care to improve health outcomes and contain health care costs.

cross jurisdictional planning to establish a permanent cross-jurisdictional health service delivery and workforce network will enable shared strategic planning and implementation of new initiatives across the northern region and appropriately fund cross-jurisdictional systems.

continuing to expand Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service models of community governance.

determining need and mechanisms to finance appropriate health service delivery models for rural and remote health service delivery.1

Recommendation 19

11.54

The committee recommends that the Australian Government consider, with a view to implementing, the recommendations of the National Rural Health Commissioner's 2020 Final Report and recommendations from the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce's 2020 Final Report as soon as practicable, with particular focus on recommendations relating to telehealth, preventative health care, and healthcare workforce development.

Recommendation 20

11.57

The committee recommends that the Australian Government develop a dedicated plan for improving digital connectivity and mobile 'black spots' in Northern Australia.

Recommendation 21

11.67

The committee recommends that the Australian Government allocate a proportion of Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility funds specifically for First Nations controlled projects.

Recommendation 22

11.68

The committee recommends that the Australian Government explore and develop business strategies for supporting and facilitating investment opportunities for First Nations projects, with a view to optimising First Nations economic development across Northern Australia, by:

establishing and funding an independent Indigenous Business Incubator;

ensuring that there is adequate provision of mentoring, business development and feasibility studies to support emerging First Nations businesses; and

reviewing the carbon industry model to ensure that benefits from the industry remain in Northern Australia and accrue to First Nations people where their land is providing carbon sequestration and emission abatement services.

Recommendation 23

11.69

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and Indigenous Business Australia, expand its investment in on-country work opportunities for First Nations communities, including on-country ranger programs, media, arts, and cultural tourism.

Recommendation 24

11.70

The committee recommends that the Australian Government elevate addressing the extensive and severe nature of Northern Australia’s First Nations people’s socioeconomic disadvantage through the facilitation of participation in the Northern Australian economy as a priority of the Northern Australia agenda.

Recommendation 25

11.79

The committee recommends that the Australian Government take urgent steps to meet the education and skills needs of Northern Australia, including by:

addressing the severe shortage of early childhood, primary and secondary education and care places in Northern Australia;

addressing the severe shortage of teachers and other educators in Northern Australia by working with state and territory governments to recruit locals and better encourage these workers to move to the region; and

providing additional support for apprenticeships, traineeships, vocational education and training, and tertiary institutions operating in Northern Australia to help them recover from the impact of COVID-19 and provide greater opportunities to study and train in regional communities.

Recommendation 26

11.80

The committee recommends that the Australian Government urgently prepare a post-COVID workforce strategy for Northern Australia that identifies mechanisms to access essential overseas labour, including from Pacific nations, on a sustainable basis, with proper protection from exploitation and wage theft, that preserves the integrity of Australia’s migration system.

Recommendation 27

11.94

The committee recommends that the Australian Government prioritise its response and consideration of the recommendations contained in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's December 2020 inquiry into insurance in Northern Australia.

Recommendation 28

11.95

The committee recommends that the Australian Government consider broadening the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility's mandate criteria to allow for the funding of mitigation projects and schemes in Northern Australia.

Recommendation 29

11.96

The committee recommends that the Australian Government increase investment in disaster mitigation in Northern Australia, and research to improve mitigation options. This may include delivering funding committed through the Emergency Response Fund, and greater investment in household resilience programs.

1

See Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, Submission 15, Attachment 2, p. 36.

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List of Recommendations

Past Public Hearings