No ship lift funding from the Commonwealth to help relieve NT’s economic crisis

FEDERAL ministers should do what they can to get Defence to sign on as a client of the proposed Darwin ship lift, according to Treasurer Nicole Manison

An artist impression of a proposed shiplift at East Arm. Picture: Supplied

FEDERAL ministers should do what they can to get Defence to sign on as a client of the proposed Darwin ship lift, according to Treasurer Nicole Manison.

Ms Manison met with her federal counterpart Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday to discuss the Northern Territory’s request for $300 million in Commonwealth money to go towards the project.

In May, Mr Frydenberg indicated federal funding was unlikely and the Territory has yet to get any sort of commitment from the Commonwealth.

The Territory Government has committed $100 million.

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Northern Australia Minister Matt Canavan last month said the business case needed to stack up before any money would flow.

Getting Defence signed up would be a major step towards that, he said at the time.

Ms Manison said conversations with Defence were “ongoing” but that federal ministers too should do what they could to convince the ADF to get on board.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner previously pledged to borrow the remainder of the money needed to get the ship lift completed.

Ms Manison said the Territory had yet to cost what doing so would do to its ballooning debt, but noted interest rates were at historic lows.

Despite the ongoing war of words between the NT and federal governments, Ms Manison said the meeting between herself and Mr Frydenberg was friendly.

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Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt was the latest to launch a verbal skirmish, calling the Gunner Government Australia’s “most incompetent”.

“There’s always going to be a certain element of theatre to politics,” Ms Manison said.

“Some members certainly take it better than others and play that ball a lot harder.

“I do what is best for Territorians and that is to always work as constructively as possible with the federal members and the Commonwealth because that’s what the Territory needs us to do.”

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Originally mooted under the Giles CLP government, the ship lift was to be developed through a public-private partnership between the Territory Government and the Paspaley Group.

It was originally expected to be operational by mid-2021, but work has been held up.