Barnaby Joyce pledges $8.3m to Yipirinya School in Alice Springs if re-elected
A school in Alice Springs will receive on-site accommodation to make it easier for students to attend, if a Coalition government is re-elected to power.
Northern Territory
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YIPIRINYA School in Alice Springs will receive on-site accommodation to make it easier for students to attend, if a Coalition government is re-elected to power.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, flanked by the CLP’s federal candidates, made the $8.3m funding pledge on his fourth visit to the marginal seat of Lingiari since the start of the campaign.
Some students who attend Yipirinya travel between 100-280km via bus to and from school each day.
Mr Joyce said the funding, which will also go towards play equipment and sports facilities, would help increase attendance rates.
“The Coalition government strongly supports regional Australia and understands the challenges of distance in remote areas,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“This funding gives more students the opportunity to attend school for face-to-face learning.”
Mr Joyce was also accompanied by his fiance Vikki Campion during the visit.
Coalition’s rescue and emergency aeromedical services pledge
RESCUE and emergency aeromedical services in the Northern Territory will be guaranteed with a $18m investment through CareFlight, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison spruiking the budget measure in his last event of the campaign day.
Mr Morrison, in a whistle stop tour of the Territory, visited CareFlight’s hangar— alongside CLP Leader Lia Finocchiaro and the party’s Solomon candidate Tina MacFarlane.
The $18m in funding is being provided for the “purchase and modification of a rescue helicopter and an aeromedical jet to assist in the delivery of a dedicated aeromedical, rapid response capability” in the NT.
Mr Morrison opting to campaign in seats like Lingiari and Solomon— which are Labor held— signals he is on the electoral attack rather than defence, hoping to gain seats to cover losses elsewhere.
Notably, Mr Morrison has also been accompanied by his wife Jenny since at least the Coalition’s campaign launch in Brisbane.
ScoMo lands in Darwin, commits to gamba and mobile funding
MILLION-dollar gamba grass and telecommunications funding for the Northern Territory will be at the top of the agenda for Scott Morrison on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister will announce in Darwin the Coalition will invest $11m to tackle the weed across Northern Australia through the new Tackle Gamba Grass Fund.
The funding includes $8m for grants to deliver more equipment to stop the spread of the weeds, $1m for Parks Australia to identify priority measures and areas at Kakadu and Uluru national parks, and $2m for the Resilient Landscapes Hub.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has arrived in Zuccoli to spruiker the Coalition's superannuation homebuyer policy. Press conference soon @TheNTNewspic.twitter.com/BQx9aHCmf3
— Thomas Morgan (@thomasmorgan22) May 16, 2022
The Coalition will also commit to $30m into improved internet and mobile services in Indigenous communities across the country, with a significant portion expected for the NT. Mr Morrison said the funding would provide crucial connectivity to rural and remote communities.
“Mobile and internet services are not a luxury in today’s economy,” he said.
“They are essential for running a business, accessing services and staying connected to family and friends.
“We need our Indigenous communities plugged-in to the digital economy if we are to achieve our Closing the Gap targets.”
The funding would be delivered as part of the Connecting Regional Australia initiative.
Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt said the investment would support achieving target 17 of the national agreement on Closing the Gap.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly those in remote communities, are often missing out on opportunities to start businesses and grow because of the digital divide,” Mr Wyatt said.
Gamba grass: Greens promise $20m for land management
THE Greens will commit to $20m to controlling gamba and buffel grasses in the Northern Territory.
The land management plan matches Labor’s $9.8m commitment to tackling gamba grass and include scaling up the work of the Gamba Army and protecting Kakadu National Park from the grass on its fringes over the next four years.
The party also committed a one-off $5m boost in funding for rangers in Litchfield National Park to increase their capacity to tackle gamba grass, which the Greens said has infested 20 per cent of the Top End treasure.
Federal and Territory governments have spent the last decade attempting to eradicate gamba grass in both Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks.
The imported pastoral feed, now declared a weed, burns hotter and faster than native grasses and impacts traditional land management practices, including ‘cool burns’.
The Greens will commit to $9.8m on buffel in Central Australia over the same period, with funds to go towards a Waterhole Army and listing buffel grass as a Key Threatening Process and a Weed of National Significance.
Buffel grass can wreck desert ecosystems and poses a significant fire threat. The Greens Lingari candidate Blair McFarland said tackling these weeds was crucial.
“With a tiny amount of seed funding, the Gamba Army got great results in gamba reduction,” he said.
“With proper investment gamba can be beaten back, saving home and properties but also saving Kakadu and Litchfield.”
“We need to also stop buffel. It’s choking our streams and plains in the Centre and this season’s buffet fires have started already.
“Inaction on gamba and buffel is a death sentence to wildlife and biodiversity in the Northern Territory. We need to act while so much of the Territory is still free of gamba and buffel.”
The funding for the weeds would come from the party’s $24.4bn Green Australia plan for the next decade.
Coalition to inject $157m into telecommunications
TELECOMMUNICATIONS and education are the focus of several million-dollar Northern Territory announcements by Senator Bridget McKenzie, including a $157m cash splash.
Ms McKenzie is in Darwin on Tuesday for the announcements.
The $157m will be delivered under the Connecting Regional Australia initiative, which will expand mobile coverage and target black spots.
Ms McKenzie said it will also trial emerging technologies, boost Indigenous connectivity and improve digital capabilities.
Residents of Christmas Island, Douglas Daly, Alyangula, Middle Point, Angurugu, Acacia Hills, Milyakburra Island and Edith River will receive better mobile coverage following successful applications under round two of the Regional Connectivity Program.
The Coalition will invest $15.7m across the regions for macro and small cell mobile sites.
“These new Telstra macro and small cell mobile sites will provide new and improved mobile, voice and data connectivity for residents and visitors to these regions. The upgrade will also support local businesses and community facilities, enabling increased residential access to essential services such as telehealth and education,” Ms McKenzie said.
The Coalition will also provide Arnhem Land Corporation with further funding across four years funding to continue supporting students and the community.
Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation is one of 16 regional university centres that will receive a share of up to $27.9m over four years.
“The offering of a Certificate I in Business by Charles Darwin University at Galiwin’ku is a great example of the community working together to get training delivered on Country to meet a specific need,” Ms McKenzie said.
“The centre has also benefited local Year 12 students who attended a camp at the Charles Darwin University Casuarina and Waterfront campuses.”
Wuyagiba Study Hub will also receive funding.
Labor pledges to fund NAAG, CBD revitalisation, social services in Alice Springs
FEDERAL Labor has pledged to “turbo charge” Alice Springs and Central Australia with a $120m package if elected to government later this month.
Speaking in Alice Springs on Friday, federal and Territory Labor ministers announced $80m in funding for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery, $20m to revitalise Alice Springs’ CBD and a further $20m to support social services, which includes funding to redevelop the Gap Youth Centre into a purpose-built facility. Catherine King, Opposition Spokesman for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, said Central Australia “deserves its fair share of funding”. “That’s why Labor will invest in this region’s essential infrastructure, from remote communities to the Alice Springs CBD and major freight corridors,” she said.
Ms King was joined by Tanya Plibersek, Opposition Spokesman for Education and Women, Labor’s candidate for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour, Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson, and retiring Lingiari MP Warren Snowdon.
Ms Plibersek said she was proud that “Labor has a plan to help make life easier for Central Australians”.
“We know that life has only gotten harder under Scott Morrison and the Liberals.”
The funding forms part of Labor’s plan for Central Australia, which includes an $832 investment targeting key roads including sealing parts of the treacherous Tanami track, which runs from just north of Alice Springs to Halls Creek.
Labor’s NT highway pledge
LABOR has pledged $500m to seal vast stretches of the Tanami Hwy and Central Arnhem Rd, promising the upgrades will prevent roadways from being flooded during extreme rain events.
It follows parts of the Territory being isolated during the wet season after flooding across Central Australia, leading to shortages of essential supplies.
The NT News can reveal $500m will be spent in the Territory for sealing and upgrading stretches of the two key roadways. A further $400m will be spent on roads in outback Western Australia.
It’s the latest commitment made in the Territory’s vast seat of Lingiari, which is being hotly contested by both parties.
Labor’s infrastructure, transport and regional development spokeswoman Catherine King said the upgrades would help maintain freight links through the Territory.
“Earlier this year we saw empty supermarket shelves in Alice Springs and across Central Australia as flooding damaged highways and cut of communities,” Ms King said.
“In 2022, communities should not be cut off like that.”
The funding for Tanami and Central Arnhem Hwy is in addition to a $200m Strategic Roads Package unveiled by Labor previously.
Ms King said upgrading outback roads was key to “building for the future”, saying supply chains needed to be secured to build resilience for future generations.
“Unlike the Morrison Government, Labor will work closely with State and Territory Governments to deliver the projects that bring most benefit to communities around Australia,” she said.
The $900m investment is the latest made by political parties during the federal election campaign, after the CLP promised to seal a large portion of Outback Way for $678m.
Central Arnhem Rd runs from the Stuart Hwy south of Katherine to Nhulunbuy. The Tanami Rd runs between the Stuart Hwy near Alice Springs to Halls Creek in WA. Both are mainly unsealed.
‘Rural Marrara’: Council unveils $20m major sports plan
PLANS are afoot to upgrade Freds Pass Sport and Recreation Reserve into a “rural Marrara” with new netball, basketball and tennis facilities under a major sports revamp.
Litchfield Council is seeking $20m over the next four years from Federal or Territory Government to upgrade ageing sporting facilities, according to its draft municipal plan.
The council says the reserve caters for 10,000 users per week and needs “consistent government investment” of $5m annually over a four-year period to upgrade exiting facilities.
The council is also proposing to increase its annual contribution to the reserve by nearly 50 per cent next financial year to almost $1m.
It says the reserve, which was founded in 1976, is the largest multi-use sport and recreational facility in the Territory, which caters for Aussie rules, archery, athletics, cricket, paintball, rugby league, union, soccer and equestrian.
Litchfield Mayor Doug Barden said the facility was beset by “ageing infrastructure” and did not cater for a range of sports.
“Our community have to travel into Palmerston or Darwin to participate,” Mayor Barden said.
“Council will continue to advocate and apply for any relevant grant funding that will provide additional sporting facilities as well as upgrades to the recreation reserve.”
Litchfield Bears Netball Club president Lizzie Pavone said the council’s plan had been well received by members and players and it could not expand without new facilities.
“There is a desperate need for netball courts in the rural area,” Pavone said.
“We’ve advocated for it for a long time.”
The club, which has five teams, 60 members and was founded seven years ago, trained once a week on two courts at Bees Creek Primary School and played its games at Marrara.
“It could be an opportunity for a local school to use as well, it's not just about us as senior netballers, it’s creating opportunities for the kids,” she said.
The Coalition has already promised $10m for the area if it is returned to power at the May 21 election.
A Labor spokesman told the NT News it planned to announce a financial commitment to Freds Pass in coming days.
When asked if the Territory Government would commit any funding to the plan, Sports Minister Kate Worden said it was working on a sports infrastructure plan which would have a “whole Territory approach”.
“Litchfield Council have been part of our consultations and their priorities are considered against other sporting needs across the Territory,” Minister Worden said.
Major funding for youth hub in Darwin
EXCLUSIVE: FEDERAL Labor will put $6m toward a new youth hub in Darwin’s northern suburbs if it wins government.
The new facility will be the first youth hub in the area since the local Shak Youth Centre closed down.
It would include new indoor and outdoor spaces and would incorporate services from NT government agencies and non-government organisations.
Labor’s infrastructure, transport and regional development spokeswoman Catherine King said the new facility would cater to kids aged 10 to 17.
“Labor’s social infrastructure investments are about building a better future for local communities and building equity into regions across Australia,” Ms King said.
“That is exactly what this investment will do, partnering with the Northern Territory government to deliver better facilities and more opportunities for young people in Darwin’s northern suburbs.”
Labor’s Solomon MP Luke Gosling said the new facility would “keep kids off the streets”.
“It will give young people somewhere great and engaging to go, diverting them from any destructive or anti-social behaviours,” Mr Gosling said.
“I always listen to the Top End community, and the community is clear: they have had enough of youth crime, and want solutions.”
The location of the new facility is yet to be determined.
Coalition pledge $11m to upgrade Freds Pass, Alice netball courts
DEPUTY Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has promised a $10m upgrade to sporting facilities at Freds Pass, in the rural area.
Mr Joyce has also committed a further $1m to renovate the Alice Springs Netball Facilities.
The commitments are the latest from the Country Liberals, who are gunning to take Lingiari off Labor at the May 21 poll.
Mr Joyce said sporting facilities like Freds Pass were vital to improving the standard of living in Darwin.
“We’re getting these outcomes, whether it’s little athletics here in Litchfield or whether it’s Beetaloo,” he said.
“It’s a great announcement, it underpins our vision, it shows people choice.”
CLP Senate candidate Jacinta Price said the rural area needed an upgrade to the facility.
“Given the ageing infrastructure here, this is going to be absolutely wonderful for the Litchfield community,” she said. Freds Pass was established in the 1970s and is the largest sporting and market facility for residents on Darwin’s outskirts.
The grounds also host the annual rural show.
Barnaby in $10m Darwin Airport pledge
DEPUTY Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has flown into the Top End to pledge $10m for manufacturing at Darwin Airport.
The Coalition will chip in the funding towards research and construction of the Albatross amphibian aircraft.
It follows the NT government’s recent announcement that it would be supporting the project, with the Darwin Airport also expected to commit a significant amount toward the project.
Mr Joyce arrived in Darwin on Friday afternoon and is expected to campaign with the Country Liberals.
“Establishing a long term industry in aircraft development and manufacturing will directly employ over 300 skilled workers and create around 700 jobs in the extended supply chain,” he said.
“Our $10m commitment today will help establish an advanced manufacturing centre in the Northern Territory to build upgraded amphibious aircraft for global export and establish an ongoing industry.”
Mr Joyce said a “Labor-Greens alliance” would endanger the project, despite the Territory’s Labor government being enthusiastic about the project.
“Only the Liberal and Nationals government has a long term plan for our regions with a fully costed budget.”
The CLP’s Solomon candidate Tina MacFarlane said the funding commitment would “deliver our young people skilled, long-term jobs”.
“The opportunities that will flow on from this investment will boost economic confidence in Darwin, making our local economy stronger,” Ms MacFarlane said.
“This is a significant investment by the Coalition government in local jobs and economic development in the Top End,” she said.
It’s the latest promise from the Coalition in the Northern Territory, as it tries to pick up the two Labor-held seats of Solomon and Lingiari.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently promised $300m toward gas and hydrogen projects in the NT, as well as $14m toward tackling crime in Alice Springs. Labor has matched most funding commitments.
Labor vows clean up of Darwin creeks and rivers
LABOR has dedicated $3.82m of its nationwide Urban Rivers and Catchments Program to creeks and waterways around Darwin and Palmerston.
The funding will support Darwin Council, local landcare groups and Larrakia rangers in improving the health of waterways such as Rapid Creek, Ludmilla Creek, Sandy Creek, and Mitchell Creek Catchment.
It would include revegetation, improving water quality, managing weeds and invasive species and preventing soil erosion.
Labor’s environment spokeswoman Terri Butler said Labor wanted to “restore the health of Australia’s urban rivers and catchments in Darwin and Palmerston”.
“It’s important that we restore urban rivers, creeks, and catchments to make sure we get better water quality, ecological benefits, and flood mitigation,” Ms Butler said.
Sweetener of $260m for Kakadu
ONE of the Territory’s natural icons is set to get a fast-tracked cash boost of $260m under a Labor policy promise.
Opposition environment spokeswoman Terri Butler said on Tuesday that under an Anthony Albanese government, Kakadu National Park will become “high priority”.
The UNESCO World Heritage site, which is jointly managed by Kakadu’s Traditional Owners and the federal agency Parks Australia, covers almost 20,000sq km in the Territory and is Australia’s largest national park.
Kakadu National Park has been home to Bininj and Mungguy for thousands of years and is a place of enormous cultural significance and ecological and biological diversity.
Along with countless waterfalls, open plains and picturesque watering holes, the region is also home to a whopping 10,000 crocodiles, which equates to about one every 2sq km.
“Managing such a vast national park is a challenging business,” the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment states.
“The team at Kakadu National Park work hard to keep the park healthy, control weeds and feral animals, and use traditional burning to guard against wildfire.”
Both Labor and Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised the funding for Kakadu during the last election, but three years on, less than $17m has been spent. Ms Butler said that if elected, the cash rollout would happen as quickly as possible.
“We’d like to see the $260m that was promised three years ago rolled out as soon as humanly possible”.
The money is expected to be spent on improving road access and tourist facilities.
Funding for Homelands promised under Labor
TERRITORY homelands and remote communities will receive an immediate $100m injection in funding for housing repairs if Labor is elected on May 21.
The announcement acknowledges the current National Partnership on Remote Housing NT will expire in June 2023, and for the first time since 2008 will include homelands.
Labor will also commit to renegotiating the partnership, as well as $200m for the Housing Australia Future Fund for repair, maintenance and improvement in remote housing across four jurisdictions – Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia.
The inclusion of homelands follows a review by Territory Housing, Families and Communities that says housing and related infrastructure assets were “generally in poor condition (on Homelands),” and required “greater transparency to ensure optimal allocation of resources”.
A statement from federal Labor says that under the Morrison Government’s current agreement funding for remote homelands had been “systematically” withdrawn.
“Access to safe and adequate housing is critical to Closing the Gap in other areas – such as health, education and employment,” the statement said.
NT Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said after a decade of Liberal government, little improvements had been made.
“Morrison has been in government for almost a decade and done little to improve the livelihoods of First Nations people and their aspirations to live on homelands and outstations across the Territory,” she said.
“If Labor wins government, these commitments will go a long way in giving hope to those who want to live back on country.”
Lingiari Labor candidate Marion Scrymgour said this was an important commitment from Labor.
“Homelands are generally safer and provide better health outcomes for families. They allow traditional owners to properly care for and maintain their cultural obligations to country.” NT Remote Housing Minister Chansey Paech has also previously called on federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt to urgently review funding for homelands. In a letter last September, Mr Paech wrote “homelands must be a priority, given that more Territorians are returning home.”
“Housing on homelands is in dire need of government attention.”
In the same letter Aboriginal Housing NT (AHNT) chairwoman Leanne Caton said there were also significant housing, water and power issues for homelands.
Mr Paech referenced a recent visit to Emu Point, near Peppimenarti, where the community was living in tents.
“Emu Point desperately requires new housing, given that most houses are derelict and residents are living in tents. One house I visited was accommodating 23 residents, with only three bedrooms. This is sadly a common story.”
Under the National Partnership Agreement on Stronger Futures, a Labor rebrand of the NT intervention, the Northern Territory government became responsible for management and provision of services to homelands and town camps across the Territory.
SUNDAY 24th APRIL: THE Australian Labor Party have announced a $9.8 million package over four years for jobs to tackle a major pest in the Northern Territory.
The funding will boost the workforce of the Northern Territory’s ‘Gamba Army’, with 30 additional jobs created.
Labor MP Luke Gosling said the funding would be crucial for the safety of the NT’s environmental future.
“Gamba grass is one of the biggest threats to our environment here in the Territory,” he said.
“Our announcement today will really boost the Gamba Army the NT government has to fight this dangerous and very noxious weed.”
The Invasive Species Council chief executive Andew Cox has welcomed the funding and urged other parties to follow suit.
“This funding commitment from Labor has the potential to be a real game changer in tackling gamba in the NT, ensuring enough resources and boots on the ground to start to see the year-on-year reduction in Gamba’s spread.”
“We are now calling on all sides of federal politics to match Labor’s exciting commitment, ” he said.
Labor commits to housing for homeless veterans
LABOR has committed to building temporary housing in Darwin for veterans experiencing homelessness.
The $3m pledge will deliver six units plus offices for on-site support services to help veterans find permanent accommodation and employment.
The initiative was spearheaded by Labor’s Solomon incumbent, Luke Gosling, who himself served in the Australian Defence Force.
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles said the six units would provide assistance to Darwin’s large veteran community.
“We know that some veterans struggle adapting to civilian life when they leave the ADF,” Mr Marles said.
“Providing this supported accommodation in Darwin for homeless veterans and those at risk of homelessness will help our veterans break the cycle of homelessness and secure permanent housing.”
Mr Gosling said the funding showed Labor’s commitment to Darwin’s “large veteran community”.
“The evidence to the royal commission is identifying the negative role that homelessness and couch surfing is having for veterans,” Mr Gosling said.
“Greater Darwin has previously had supported accommodation, but no longer does. As it has in other capital cities, supported accommodation will save veteran lives.”
Mr Gosling served in the ADF for 13 years and was deployed to East Timor. He pushed for a royal commission into veteran suicide and has made the plight of ex-service members a priority since being elected.
“I am passionate about providing improved support for veterans through supported accommodation, counselling services, and a better Department of Veterans’ Affairs,” he said.
“The Scott Palmer Centre will pay tribute to a great Territorian who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and his legacy will be to help other Territory veterans reintegrate into the community with a much stronger safety net around them.
“This is a missing service in the NT that must be filled.”
PM promises $14m to combat Alice Springs crime
THE Coalition has pledged $14m to go toward fighting crime in Alice Springs, with the Prime Minister jetting into the Red Centre on Sunday to announce the measures.
The Alice Springs funding package to tackle youth crime will be matched by Federal Labor, the party has announced.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government’s investment – an election commitment out of an existing bucket of funds – will go towards improving CCTV and support for more support services.
Labor, in a statement, confirmed it too will provide $14 million dollars to prevent crime in Alice Springs, including training and support programs, CCTV and community patrols.
Scott Morrison has also announced another $300m for hydrogen industrial facilities and carbon capture and storage in the Northern Territory.
ALICE SPRINGS CRIME
THE Prime Minister has pledged $14m to crack down on crime in Alice Springs, after the town’s mayor raised the alarm around spiralling rates of anti-social behaviour in the Red Centre.
Mr Morrison announced on Sunday expansions to local Night Patrol services, improved CCTV coverage and new youth camps.
Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson in January wrote a letter to Mr Morrison, urging federal action to address the situation.
The CLP has also vowed to make cracking down on crime a priority.
Of the $14m in new funding:
$3.9m will be spent on local training and support programs, through the Ngurra Palyapayi – Safety at Home service, youth camps operated by Casse Australia Alice Springs, and youth training and early intervention services by Choice Australia Management;
$600,000 will be spent on improved CCTV, mainly for Alice Springs Town Council, but also for Foodbank Alice Springs and Alice Springs Steiner School;
$2m will be spent on increased community patrols through Tangentyere Council Night Patrol, and Alice Springs’ Traditional Owners Patrol, and;
$2m for a new youth-focused area of the Alice Springs library. Mr Morrison said he was responding to local cries for action on increasing crime rates.
“Earlier this year I met with Mayor Matt Paterson and our CLP candidate for Lingiari Damien Ryan and I heard first-hand about the challenges facing the Alice Springs community and I committed to providing a package of support that helps residents, businesses and community groups,” Mr Morrison said.
$300M FOR ENERGY
THE Northern Territory’s dream of becoming a clean energy superpower will be turbocharged by the $300m pledge, which the Coalition claims will see more than 3800 new jobs created.
In addition to significant pledges toward clean hydrogen industry and carbon capture in Darwin, Inpex would also receive $30m to explore whether the Petrel subbasin would be suitable for CO2 storage. The company would get a further $1m to conduct a study into the feasibility of clean hydrogen.
The Japanese government has previously expressed interest in using Inpex’s Darwin operations to export clean hydrogen back to Japan, to help the nation meet growing energy demand.
A further $96m would be made available to new clean energy projects in the Northern Territory. In addition to 16,000 new jobs by 2050, Mr Morrison said construction of renewable projects in the NT could employ another 13,000.
“Our economic plan for the Territory will deliver a jobs boom, creating a stronger economy for a stronger future,” the Prime Minister said.
“We want to harness the Territory’s position as a world leader in energy and turbocharge it, unlocking investment and generating more jobs.”
Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the investment in the Northern Territory’s LNG exports was vital, given global pressure on supply.
“Global demand for LNG is poised to grow in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Territory will benefit from another jobs boom as production decarbonises and new fields like the Beetaloo are opened up,” Mr Taylor said.
He said greenhouse gas storage opportunities gave Australia’s LNG a competitive advantage on the global market.
Harnessing of LNG in the Beetaloo Basin has been hotly contested by environmentalists, with the NT government putting in place significant controls on fracking.
$1M FOR CONSERVATION
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison has visited the Alice Springs Desert Park and committed $1m to ongoing conservation efforts if he’s re-elected.
During his whirlwind tour of Alice Springs on Sunday, Mr Morrison said the $600,000 in funding would be specifically to help conserve native bilbies. Another $450,000 would go toward combating the spread of gamba grass.
No bilbies were on show for the Prime Minister, owing to the outback marsupial being nocturnal.
Mr Morrison said the money would be spent analysing “just how many bilbies there were” in the area.
He said gamba grass funding would go toward eradicating the weed, which burns hot and exacerbates bushfires.
Mr Morrison blew through Alice Springs on Sunday, making a $14m commitment to helping Alice Springs local organisations fight crime. He also gave greater detail behind the government’s $300m clean hydrogen and carbon capture and storage program.
MENTAL HEALTH
HEALTH Minister Greg Hunt has promised a new $3.4m Head to Health adult mental health unit will be established in Alice Springs.
The promise is part of the federal government’s $3b National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan.
The $3.4m in funding will be provided to the Northern Territory Primary Health Network over four years to establish the new centre.
Mr Hunt said the Coalition was committed to improving the mental health and wellbeing of Centralians and Territorians.
“We know that the pandemic and the measures taken to contain it have been incredibly difficult and stressful for many Australians, and particularly younger Australians,” he said.
“Head to Health services, like the one being established in Alice Springs are designed to provide a welcoming, stigma-free entry point for adults to access mental health information, services and supports.”
Labor’s First Nations health policy revealed
HUNDREDS of First Nations health workers would be trained up, millions spent on improving the water supply of remote Aboriginal communities and new kidney dialysis centres opened under Labor’s Indigenous-focused health policy.
The Labor campaign was expected to make the policy announcement in the Northern Territory electorate of Lingiari, with candidate Marion Scrymgour potentially flanked by two or three frontbenchers.
Under the First Nations Health policy, Labor has committed to training 500 additional health workers – though how much this will cost, or how it will be done has not been outlined.
Bulking up the workforce will help meet the growing needs of communities, according to the Opposition.
Labor has also committed to building 30 new dialysis units in the bush where the lifesaving service often does not exist.
While the total dollar figure for the infrastructure piece was not stated, Labor acknowledged remote communities – particularly in the Northern Territory – did not have the proper water supply to support dialysis centres.
To fix this, the party has committed $15m to improve water security in those areas.
A further $12m will be spent to double federal funding for rheumatic heart disease eradication. The money for preventing, screening, and treatment will include $1.5m for portable echo-cardio machines and training to support vital screening efforts.
Gosling pledges new $500k facility to give scouts a home
A SCOUT organisation which has gone without a hall since the 1980s will finally get a purpose-built facility in a $500,000 election pledge from Labor’s Luke Gosling.
The Palmerston Scout Group is the only scouts group in the Northern Territory not to have its own scout hall.
The commitment is the latest in a series of community-focused promises from Labor in recent months, including an upgrade to the Casuarina Pool.
Mr Gosling, who faces a tough fight against the CLP in Solomon, said the new scout hall would also be used by other organisations.
“I’m very happy to announce this funding to finally give the Scouts a proper home that meets their needs, and that will help them continue to build their relationships with the broader Palmerston community,” he said.
“It also offers a space to other community groups, such as Reeling Veterans, who have also spent years without a dedicated home.
“The social benefits of this hall will be felt across Palmerston.”
There are currently 50 scouts in the Palmerston organisation.
Scout Leader Shane Pascoe-Bell said it was important scouts had a dedicated facility to use.
“It’ll give the Scouts a sense of belonging and achievement, as the Palmerston Scout Section are the ones designing and will be involved in the project build, which teaches them new skills and adds to their personal growth and wellbeing.”
‘The greatest opportunity’: Deputy PM spruiks Middle Arm port
THE new port at Middle Arm will be key to national security and economic growth for Australia, according to Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
Speaking at Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin on Monday, Mr Joyce said the port would bring in close to $16bn worth of private investment into the country.
Earlier in March, federal budget papers earmarked $1.5bn for construction for what effectively is a second port in the Darwin Harbour, next to the Chinese-owned Port of Darwin.
“Our nation must become as strong as possible, as quickly as possible and what we’re doing here at Middle Arm with $1.5bn just in this announcement, $1.5bn dollars is going to be transformative, bringing in close to $16bn worth of private investment,” Mr Joyce said.
“Assisting us in growing our gas exports, our critical mineral exports and development of hydrogen. It is making sure that this port becomes one of the premier ports in Australia.
“(We have) the greatest opportunity to be part of the massive wealth and the massive growth from Indonesia that is racing ahead to be one of the biggest economies in the world.”
Mr Joyce, when asked if he anticipated a defence presence at the nearby East Arm Port, said: “You don’t have to be Nostradamus to realise that defence is a large part of our budget, massive increase in defence expenditure, taking it over 2 per cent of GDP.
“Here we are at the front and this great city has had experience of what it’s like to be at the front,” he said.
Feds announce $22m for NT projects
THE Morrison government has announced more than $22m for three projects in the Territory, as part of the Northern Australia Development Program.
$11m will be invested in Charles Darwin University to develop the NT Centre for Better Health Futures. The centre will be used as to train health professionals at the university’s Casuarina campus.
$10.5m will be invested in Austral Fisheries Pty Ltd to purchase five fishing vessels.
$670,305 will be invested in Northtrack Machinery Pty Ltd to purchase infrastructure to increase its capabilities and grow its staff from 27 to 46 over the course of the next four years.
In Darwin on Tuesday, Northern Australia Minister David Littleproud said the projects had a total value of around $89.3m.
“This is about the Government doing its job and creating the right environment for business growth,” he said.
“The Northern Australia Development Program does this by contributing funds for up to 50 per cent of the projects total expenditure giving local businesses an opportunity to transform their businesses and communities by creating new jobs and opportunities to attract people to the north.”
Originally published as Barnaby Joyce pledges $8.3m to Yipirinya School in Alice Springs if re-elected
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