What I have found fascinating is that Tracy has become a defining milestone in Territory history. Those who were here are changed because of it, those who were kids, such as Frank Gohier, reflect on it in an artistic way. I even met a local from Wurrumiyanga when I was at the Nguiu Club and I asked him how old he was and he responded: “I’m a cyclone baby – I was born in Darwin December 1974 when the big winds came.” It’s a turning point for thousands who left and never returned, those who came and stayed and those who have scars, both mental and physical, from one of the longest nights in memory. The positives that came from it also need to be highlighted because immediately the building standards improved, and people saw opportunity out of adversity. So here’s to 50 years and our beautiful tropical city, which stands as a monument. As I said in my last publisher’s letter, even a bitch called Tracy couldn’t beat the resilience of a Territorian and it’s time to remember what we are truly made of.

This bumper edition of Territory Q, unusually, has a swag of articles about politics, a subject we normally avoid like a cough in a supermarket. We revisit over half a century of NT politics because it’s the 50th anniversary of our first Legislative Assembly – a major political milestone that has always been overshadowed by Cyclone Tracy, which devastated Darwin only a few months after the election.

The Territory has had an extraordinary election, and a born-and-bred Territorian is in charge. Lia Finocchiaro is Chief Minister at the age of 40, the secondyoungest head of government in the Territory’s history after Paul Everingham, and is the first CLP woman to hold the position. TQ does not care about party politics, but we wish Lia and her government all the best. TQ is on the side of everybody who spruiks the Territory as a great place to live, work and invest. We champion what’s good for business and the economy.. I’m looking forward to the day I’ll be saving on payroll tax and a government that is pro-outsourcing to the private sector and not competing for our staff with inflated public sector wages and conditions. I’d also like to see business roundtable bought back and advisory groups established so people feel like they can be heard.

As well as strategies to improve public safety and bring down the cost of living, another big priority is getting the building and construction sector firing again. Shane Dignan once told me you can tell the economic prosperity of a city by the number of cranes in the air. The housing industry is excited about the new government’s firsthomebuyer grants. These need to come quickly – buyers are holding off waiting until they are released. In this edition, TQ details how DCOH is expanding the Northcrest residential estate and how that has builders and mortgage brokers buzzing. We also show how other construction companies, such as Sitzler and Sunbuild, are surging ahead with imaginative, innovative work – and, importantly, treating their subcontractors in a fair and honest way.

SunCable has obtained Federal Environment Mnister Tanya Plibersek’s approval for the first stage of what is expected to be the world’s largest integrated renewables project. It will be a game-changer in the renewable energy sector. I always believed in this project, even when it temporarily faltered in January 2023. For all the doubters out there, I want it noted that I also believe SeaFarms will announce movement on Australia’s largest prawn farm as well.

As always, we highlight the way in which resources companies, such as INPEX, Santos, MRM and Newmont, are contributing enormously to the economic and social wellbeing of the Territory. These are big players making a big impact. But TQ hasn’t forgotten the mum-and-dad businesses, which are the backbone of our economy.

These are exciting times – the shiplift, Middle Arm industrial precinct, Beetaloo onshore gas project and massive Defence spending… The outlook is for a stronger economy and greater prosperity. The first step is to start talking the place up – and then let’s get those cranes back in the sky.