Diversifying Cores but Stagnant Peripheries: Mining and Other Industry Employment Contributions to Development in Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory* Boyd D. Blackwell, 1 Jim A. McFarlane, 1 Andrew M. Fischer 2 and Brian E. Dollery 3 The economic structure of local government areas (LGAs) of the Northern Territory (NT) are mapped and analysed using economic base theory. Using a three-stage geospatial visualisation we find that: (i) Mining and agriculture are predominantly providing job concentration in a handful of remote LGAs. (ii) Employment growth is derived from public services, with private sector industries contributing almost equally in most LGAs. (iii) NT LGAs exhibit core-periphery characteristics including vulnerable peripheries, often along- side mature mining operations. (iv) However, mature mining is also found alongside diversified sub-cores, providing a model for more vulnerable LGAs. Keywords: employment, growth, mining, Northern Territory, specialisation. 1. Introduction In the face of the 2007–2008 global financial crisis, the mining boom was seen as a “saviour,” helping to drive Australian economic growth, a stark contrast to the dismal growth experienced in most other OECD countries (Battellino, 2010; Bishop et al., 2013). However, McLean (2004, p. 339) has observed that “the existence of abundant natural resources is not an explanation of Australian prosperity,” but rather “it is their discovery, the rate of their exploitation and the distribution of the resource rents that leads to an impact on growth.” While the distribution of resource rents is important to understanding the impact on growth, so too is the role of inputs at various spatial scales in delivering these rents. This geographical distribution of inputs into production highlights the difference between mining’s positive macroeconomic experi- ence portrayed through official statistics and its negative effects felt by local people at the microeco- nomic spatial scale. Remote regions, even within the same jurisdiction, rarely exhibit the same *This work was supported by the Australian Government Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) Program through the CRC for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP) and the University of New England; the views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the CRC-REP, Ninti One Ltd or its participants. 1 UNE Business School, University of New England Armidale, NSW, Australia. 2 Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Newnham, TAS, Australia. 3 UNE Centre for Local Government, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia. JEL classifications: R11, R12, 013, Q32, Q38, R58 Correspondence: Boyd D. Blackwell, UNE Business School, University of New England, EBL Building, Trevenna Road, Armidale, NSW 2351 Australia. Email: boydb@une.edu.au Accepted date: April 11, 2017 ECONOMIC PAPERS, VOL. , NO. , , 1–18 1 Ó 2017 The Economic Society of Australia doi: 10.1111/1759-3441.12182