Madam Speaker, I rise today to report on the innovative work being carried out by my department in Tennant Creek with regard to the Tennant Creek Foundation.

The Tennant Creek Foundation has been established to provide an overarching commercial vehicle to lease the facilities at Battery Hill Mining Centre and Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre. The idea behind the Foundation is that by managing both centres together efficiencies and cost savings can be achieved alongwith the development of new products and improved commercial outcomes.

Early in 2007 both Battery Hill Mining Centre and Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre approached the Northern Territory Government with suggested improvements for their business activities. Both centres acknowledged their struggle to achieve sustainable commercial outcomes and their need to make significant changes in order to move forward.

Both centres have an important part to play in the Tennant Creek township and region.

Battery Hill Mining Centre is a well established facility which runs an extremely impressive mine tour and houses the McLaughlin Minerial collection and a social history museum celebrating Tennant Creek's 1930's gold rush days. The centre is also the home of the Tennant Creek Visitor Information Centre and the site of many corporate and community functions. With the arrival of bus loads of tourists in the dry season, the centre also hosts night-time dinners and entertainment.

Opened in July 2003 the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre is owned by Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation and is the home of a sacred site for the Wurumungu people. The centre is a world class modern art gallery that houses important collections which celebrate local Indigenous history and culture. The centre provides a meeting place for Indigenous people in the region to come together for dance and music festivals. The sacred site of the Nyinkka (or spiky-tailed goanna) is in the heart of the centre and is surrounded by a bush tucker walk. We are delighted that the café at the centre has been leased and the new proponent is serving up great Thai meals and awesome capaccinco's.

Both centres have so much potential for development and are integral to the township of Tennant Creek. These centres provide tourists with good reasons to stop the night in Tennant Creek, thus supporting local hotels, restaurants, clubs and other businesses. In recognition of the contribution that these centres make to the region, this Government committed to a new single management model, the Tennant Creek Foundation.

My department worked with Battery Hill Mining Centre Association board and Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation to broker a fresh approach to the businesses conducted at the centres. To their credit both boards have embraced this new concept and worked exceptionally well together to establish the Foundation. I would especially like to acknowledge the leadership and hard work of Pat Brahim from Julalikari Council and Derek McPadden from Battery Hill. Without their dedication and commitment the Foundation would not have been possible.

On 13 March I was privileged to be a part of the community celebrations to mark the establishment of the Foundation in Tennant Creek. I was so impressed with the amount of work that has been done to bring together these two centres under the umbrella of the Foundation and the level of co-operation between the boards of both organisations. It truly is a testimony to the strength and determination of regional businesses to make things work in their towns for their towns.

I'd like to take a moment to outline the important aspects of the Foundation and to provide a picture of what the future may look like for these centres.

As previously mentioned the Foundation has been established with a commercial focus and aims to achieve the maximum sustainable business outcomes possible. The Territory Government has committed $258,000 per annum for the first two years of operation and Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation has also committed their ongoing support.

The objectives of the Foundation are to manage the business operations at Battery Hill Mining Centre and Nyinnka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre and to encourage learning, understanding and scholarship in relation to the Tennant Creek region and it's history, culture and languages. The Foundation is to provide a vehicle for economic development in the Tennant Creek region and most importantly to provide employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.

The Foundation is administered by a board of Directors who are commercially focused with experience in business. The inaugural chairman is well known Territorian and well respected businessman Mr Bruce Fadelli. Mr Fadelli is himself a former Tennant Creek resident who commenced his very successful trucking business "Fadelli Transport" there. He since sold that business but has maintained a strong connection and genuine interest in the success of Tennant Creek. I'm confident that under Mr Fadelli's stewardship that the Foundation will met it's objectives.

Mr Elliot McAdam commenced with the Foundation as Chief Executive Officer in September 2008. Mr McAdam is a strong advocate for Tennant Creek and has a proud history of representing the region, including here in this Parliament as the Member for Barkly. Mr McAdam has the necessary skills to bring these two centres together under the Foundation banner and to forge a bright future for these businesses. Since starting with the Foundation Mr McAdam has prepared both centres for the commencement of the upcoming tourist season, initiated product development, leased the café at Nyinkka Nyunyu and worked with the staff and accountants to achieve operational efficiencies and cost savings.

There is much more to do. The future looks bright for the Foundation and for Tennant Creek. The board of Directors are currently focusing on establishment issues such as the potential for heritage listing for Battery Hill Mining Centre and improvements to the Visitor Information Centre. The potential for product development at each centre is exciting and negotiations are taking place for new tours, increased cultural activities and greater use of the attractions at both facilities.

In closing I'd like to acknowledge the work of my department in bringing this idea to fruition. This is an ambitious pilot project and the successes so far demonstrates what can be achieved by thinking outside the square. Trying something new is what we do in the Territory and the Tennant Creek Foundation is a bold example of that.

I move that the Assembly take note of this report.