Government and community services


The Northern Territory's (NT) government and community services combined sector is a major contributor to the gross state product and employment. The government and community services category comprises of public administration and safety, education and training, and health care and social assistance. The outputs from these sectors are mostly supplied and/or funded by the public sector, including Commonwealth, NT and local governments. They also include output from private providers of education, health, aged care and other community services as well as contributions made by the defence industry in the NT.

Economic contribution | Contribution to employment 

Government and community services is a major contributor of the gross state product (GSP) and employment in the NT. The government and community services combined sector comprises public administration and safety, education and training, and health care and social assistance. The outputs from these sectors are predominantly supplied and or funded by the public sector, including Commonwealth, NT and local governments. This industry also includes output from private providers of education, health, aged care and other community services as well as contributions made by the defence industry, which is discussed further in the Defence webpage.

The government and community services industry is a significant contributor to the NT economy in terms of its contribution to GSP and employment. Historically, this industry contributes to at least a fifth of NT GSP and over a third of NT employment.

Economic contribution

In 2021-22:

Contribution to employment

In 2022-23: