The Business Council of Australia has made a submission to the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia, which is considering policies for developing the parts of Australia that lie north of the Tropic of Capricorn, spanning Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

The government’s vision for developing northern Australia is an exciting nation-building opportunity that, if managed well, can help provide all Australians with a more prosperous and secure future.

Currently home to 6 per cent of Australians but making up 39 per cent of our land mass, the Business Council of Australia supports the vision to develop the northern Australian region and make best use of its economic and strategic advantages.

Developing northern Australia and providing a high quality of living for people living in the region will require effective collaboration between the federal government, the governments of Queensland, Western Australia and Northern Territory, and business and local communities, including Indigenous Australian communities.

The strategy should be based on sound policymaking principles that:

• connect regional growth to its underlying economic and strategic strengths
• ensure that taxpayers’ money is well spent
• preserve and promote consistency in national economic and regulatory policies.

Investment in the region’s development should be led by the private sector and embrace participation by local communities.

Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia