Blog Post – Rupert Murdoch speaks out in favour of Northern Development

In a huge show of support for ANDEV’s vision, Rupert Murdoch has come out in strong support of Northern Development.
Speaking in Darwin, where he is meeting with Chief Minister Adam Giles and staff of the NT News, he said he felt a sense of ‘great excitement’ surrounding the potential growth across the underdeveloped, underpopulated region. His statements echo what the Institute of Public Affairs and ANDEV have been saying for over two years. It is great to see such enthusiastic support come from such a pre-eminent figure in the Australian business landscape.
In an interview with Sky News yesterday, Murdoch made the key point that private investment would have to be the main driver behind growth in northern Australia, saying there is massive economic opportunity once adequate infrastructure is first put into place, which could ultimately underpin a new wave of economic growth for Australia. Murdoch also made clear that it would be essential to offer incentives to attract skilled people to move to the North, saying the imperative was now to ‘get people to come up here’, particularly in the face of low unemployment and labour shortages across the region.
To attract both investment and the movement of skilled workers to North Australia the implementation of Special Economic Zones must be considered. Special Economic Zones have been used successfully around  the world to encourage economic development and population growth by creating a business environment that attracts greater investment and, as a result, facilitates the creation of more jobs.
Australia’s future prosperity is inextricably linked with our policy in Northern Australia. Just as America’s growth was spurred by Westward expansion, so to can we ensure our future economic growth by developing our North.