Ministers announced in new Northern Territory Government as tourism gets standalone office

Newly elected Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has announced the Cabinet for her administration, with Marie-Clare Boothby and Jinson Charls taking on key leisure portfolios.

Ministerial appointments related to leisure are:

Marie-Clare Boothby
Minister for Tourism and Hospitality
Minister for Major Events
Minister for Parks and Wildlife
Minister for Racing

Jinson Charls
Minister for People, Sport and Culture
Minister for Disability
Minister for Arts
Minister for Youth, Seniors and Equality
Minister for Multicultural Affairs

The new Northern Territory ministry does not include major portfolios such as climate change and remote housing and instead has new positions aimed at boosting the economy. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has also scrapped the climate change portfolio altogether, with the environment portfolion now sitting with lands and planning under Minister Joshua Burgoyne

Further changes have seen the scrapping of ministerial portfolios for parks and rangers, and for women.

New Department of Tourism and Hospitality 
Chief Minister Finocchiaro has also announced the creation of a new Department of Tourism and Hospitality appointing Suzana Bishop, former Chief Executive of Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC), to head the new department, with Trevor Cox stepping in as acting Chief Executive of NTMEC.

Hospitality NT welcomed the move, with Chief Executive Alex Bruce saying it meant the sectors now had a “clear structure and reporting lines”.

Bruce told NT News “aligning tourism, hospitality, events, racing, licensing and parks all with the one minister means as an industry we can get on with increasing our economic contribution and growing jobs for Territorians.”

Images: Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro's Cabinet after being sworn in at Parliament House (credit: NT Government/Jayden O’Neill) and Suzana Bishop, who will head the NT’s new Department of Tourism and Hospitality (below).