Business Minded Government
Australia’s Northern Territory Government encourages and supports business and industry. The government implements industry strategies, policy, support plans and services to meet the operational requirements of high-tech industries and add value to the more traditional industries.
Support includes:
- streamlined processes to reduce ‘red tape’
- assistance to establish, develop and grow businesses
- access to government and industry experts across the business spectrum.
Political Stability
Australia was ranked third in the world for politically stability in the IMD World Competitive Yearbook 2010 which surveyed fifty eight countries.
Australia, and in particular the Northern Territory, offers businesses one of the world’s most stable political environments.
Risk of Political Instability, 2010
| Country | Rating |
|---|---|
| Australia | 9.24 |
| Singapore | 8.78 |
| New Zealand | 8.76 |
| Germany | 8.49 |
| France | 8.46 |
| United States | 8.16 |
| Hong Kong | 7.49 |
| United Kingdom | 7.41 |
| China | 7.12 |
| India | 7.08 |
| Malaysia | 6.90 |
| Taiwan | 6.42 |
| Korea | 5.72 |
| Japan | 5.40 |
| Indonesia | 4.94 |
| Philippines | 3.50 |
| Thailand | 1.75 |
0 = very high risk of political instability, 10 = very low risk of political instability
Source: The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2010, Switzerland,
www.imd.ch/wcy
Intellectual Property Protection
Australia has uniform national intellectual property (IP) laws that respect and protect IP rights and reflect international best practice.
According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2009–10, Australia's intellectual property (IP) protection has been rated just outside the world’s top 10 and behind only Singapore and New Zealand in the Asia Pacific region.
The Northern Territory Government works with IP Australia, AusIndustry and the NT-based trademark and patent attorney to stage World IP Day Forums in April/May each year. These forums provide NT-based researchers and innovators with information on how to further develop their innovative ideas, products and services (through innovation grants) and protect their IP. The Northern Territory Government also provides advice on how to access other support for IP development and protection.
Intellectual Property Protection Enforcement
Intellectual Property Protection, 2009-10
| Country | Score |
|---|---|
| Singapore | 6.2 |
| New Zealand | 6.0 |
| France | 5.8 |
| Australia | 5.8 |
| Germany | 5.7 |
| United States | 5.4 |
| Japan | 5.4 |
| United Kingdom | 5.3 |
| Hong Kong | 5.3 |
| Taiwan | 5.0 |
| Malaysia | 4.5 |
| Korea | 4.2 |
| China | 4.0 |
| India | 3.6 |
| Indonesia | 3.5 |
| Thailand | 3.3 |
| Philippines | 2.9 |
1 = weak and not enforced IP Protection, 7 = strong and enforced IP Protection
Note: Rankings for each country are based on average scores, which have been rounded to one decimal place.
Source: Global Competitiveness Report 2009-10
Government Transparency, Accountability and Fairness
The Northern Territory Government continues to lead economic policy development which is transparent, accountable and open to public comment.
The Northern Territory Government has enacted four key legislative instruments that underpin the management of financial resources and accountability requirements. These are the:
- Financial Management Act
- Information Act
- Public Interest Disclosure Bill
- Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act.
The Financial Management Act provides governing principles for the financial management of the Territory. The Information Act governs the collection, use and storage of government and personal information and brings together the related issues of freedom of information privacy and record and archive management.
The Public Interest Disclosure Bill promotes and encourages the disclosure of information, criminal misconduct or mismanagement in the public sector. Under the legislation, anyone who believes a public body or public officer has engaged in improper or criminal conduct can raise their concerns without fear of reprisals or identification.
Northern Territory Government financials are now available for public scrutiny under the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act, which requires the reporting of all budgetary and forward estimates on the basis of established external reporting standards.
All four legislative instruments reinforce the Northern Territory Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and fairness in both the private and public sectors.
Content current at 14 January 2011
