Northern Territory finalists announced for 2019 Telstra Business Awards

Media Release, 18 July 2019

Sixteen leading businesses from around Territory have been recognised as finalists in the 2019 Telstra Northern Territory Business Awards, part of a fiercely contested national program which this year attracted a record 21,000 nominations.

Among them is Sea Darwin, a marine-based tourism company providing tours and cruises of Darwin Harbour and Bare Sand Island, and includes visits to the nesting grounds of the flatback sea turtles. Supporting ecologically sustainable tourism, the family business fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation.

Another finalist is Curtin Springs, which provides visitors with a unique appreciation for the deeply layered mosaic of the Central Australian landscape, culture and environment. Curtin Springs interweaves its pastoral property with a range of innovative tourism experiences and products, including guided walks and handmade artisan jewellery, handcrafted from their own native grasses.

A social change maker, ECB Training Services is also a finalist this year. The Indigenous-owned company provides training services for Indigenous candidates to meet the emerging training and labourhire needs of the Territory’s civil construction, oil, gas and mining sectors. 

Now in its 27th year, the Telstra Business Awards recognises remarkable businesses across four categories: Emerging & Energised, Small & Succeeding, Medium & Making Waves, and Social Change Maker. 
 
Telstra Group Executive, Consumer & Small Business, Michael Ackland, said the judges were impressed by the calibre of the 2019 finalists. 
 
“The record number of nominations we’ve received for the program this year alone shows how dynamic the small and medium business industry is in Australia – and how supported they are by their community,” he said.
 
“Getting to this stage of the program is an achievement in itself, whether they win or not. In particular, we found that three quarters of last year’s state finalists saw a spike in activity or business awareness just from taking part in the program.”
 
“We’re incredibly proud to continue to support these organisations year on year. They continue to inspire us with their resilience, courage, incredible commitment, and their ability to find new solutions and ways of working, and this year’s finalists are no exception.” 
 
The finalists have been through a rigorous judging process to find the most deserving Australian businesses.  They were judged across a broad range of criteria, including: strategy and vision, customers and marketing, operations, people and culture, innovation and technology, social responsibility and financial acumen. 
 

The 16 finalists of the 2019 Telstra Northern Territory Business Awards are:

  • Advanced Air
  • AFA Insurance Brokers
  • Babbarra Women’s Centre
  • Berry Springs Tavern
  • Bush Medijina
  • Curtin Springs
  • Dermo Direct 
  • Earth Sanctuary World Nature Centre
  • ECB Training Services
  • HD Earthworks
  • Northern Trade Solutions
  • Sea Darwin
  • Solve My Claim 
  • Top End Race
  • Universal Site Monitoring
  • Winnellie Hydraulics

Winners of the 2019 Telstra Northern Territory Business Awards will be announced on Thursday 17 October at the Darwin Convention Centre. State and Territory winners will be invited to Melbourne for the National Series, including networking events, masterclass, national judging and a national dinner celebration on Thursday 21 November.
 
 

EDITOR’S NOTE

Images of the NT finalists can be sourced here: National 2019 TBA finalist images

  • If you seeking contact details or additional information about any finalist, please contact
  • Chris Marks on 0475 963 824 and we will supply them to you. 

-ends-
 
Media contact: Chris Marks, Telstra Media Manager NT
M: 0475 963 824
E: media@team.telstra.com    
Reference number: 075/2019