Yet outside of the pastoral industry — and a handful of exceptions in mining — this vision has largely
failed to materialise.

Despite substantial public spending in the north, most of it now goes to social service delivery, not economic enablers. Growth on the eastern seaboard, shifts in how governments prioritise infrastructure, and the escalating scale of social challenges in the Territory have compounded this trend.

Last year, for the first time in the Territory’s history, most jobs were classified as “non-market facing”. This signals a growing reliance on public sector and not-for-profit roles rather than a healthy, diversified private economy.

Key sectors, such as hospitality and housing, now depend heavily on cost-based government spending. Yet reducing public expenditure risks damaging those same sectors. It’s created a cycle that discourages real reform and buries opportunity under bureaucracy.

I’m meant to be talking about the cattle industry — and I will — but this broader context matters.

Quietly, the Northern Territory’s beef industry has surged. Over the past decade, pastoral land values have climbed, with more than a billion dollars in transactions recorded in five years. Cattle numbers have held steady, and per-kilo returns have grown since the pandemic. Investment in land development and better management practices have made businesses more productive, sustainable and resilient.

So why is there so little attention on this success story? Two reasons: the industry has performed strongly without asking much from government — and, critically, it doesn’t deliver royalties like mining. But the idea that it doesn’t contribute financially is simply wrong.

In 2019–20, the cattle industry alone was valued at $765 million — more than 60 percent of the Territory’s total primary industry value. Broader agriculture contributes $1.4 billion annually and supports nearly 3000 jobs.

These aren’t just numbers — they represent families, businesses, and regional economies. The industry pays payroll tax, land rates, stamp duty, GST and more — revenue that flows back to government and funds vital services.

To ignore this is not just economically naive — it’s strategically reckless. There are things government can do: improve roads, communications and regulation. But, increasingly, the industry isn’t waiting.

And here’s the truth too often left unsaid: we own and care for the land — government does not. Taxpayers do not. Across much of the Territory, it is pastoralists who live on, invest in and manage the land. More cost, more compliance, more red tape — these only pull us away from that job. Meanwhile, the government struggles to manage the land it already holds.

If we truly want to develop the north, we need more than funding — we need a mindset shift.

Governments must look beyond what boosts their balance sheet and start backing those who build and sustain regional Australia.