When government contracts are awarded interstate despite capable local businesses being ready and able to deliver, the impact reaches far beyond one missed tender. It means wages that are not paid here, apprenticeships that are not created here, suppliers that miss out here and money that no longer circulates through our local economy.

For many Territory small and medium businesses, this is not a theoretical policy debate. It is a real and growing viability issue.

Local operators are doing the hard yards. They employ Territorians, train apprentices, invest in equipment, lease commercial premises, support community organisations and back the Territory through good times and bad. But loyalty alone does not pay wages. Goodwill does not keep the doors open when the pipeline of work is uncertain and public contracts are going elsewhere.

This is not about asking government to pay any price, nor is it about shutting out competition. It is about recognising that the cheapest price on paper is not always the best value for the Territory.

The true value of a contract must include local jobs, local supply chains, training, capability, response times, whole-of-life costs and the economic return that comes when public money stays in the Territory.

When a local business loses out to an interstate competitor, especially where local capability exists, industry deserves to understand why. Was the local economic benefit properly assessed? Were freight costs and supply-chain risks considered? Were local subcontractors, apprenticeships and long-term capability given real weight?

These questions matter because the cost of not buying local is real.

It is the manufacturer who closes their doors. It is the apprentice who is never hired. It is the skilled worker who leaves for work down south. It is the subcontractor who can no longer keep staff employed. It is the local supplier who loses regular orders and the family business that eventually decides the numbers no longer stack up.

Once that capability is lost, it cannot simply be switched back on when the next major project comes along.

The Territory has already experienced the pressure of global disruption, fuel price increases, freight challenges and supply-chain uncertainty. Our distance from major markets means we feel those shocks sharply. The more we can make, supply, maintain and service here, the stronger and more resilient we become.

Government procurement is one of the most powerful economic levers available. Used well, it can strengthen local manufacturing, support construction supply chains, grow apprenticeships, give SMEs confidence to invest and keep more money moving through the Territory economy.

But that requires clear reporting, transparent decisions and a forward pipeline that local businesses can plan around. It also means breaking larger projects into packages that Territory SMEs can realistically bid for.

Territory businesses are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for a fair chance.

Because Territory businesses build the Territory. TQ