NT Housing development needed to bring FIFO era to an end

The Chief Minister has called for the end of the FIFO era in an impassioned plea for developers to start building in the NT now. READ THE PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE

UPDATE: MICHAEL Gunner has called for the end of the FIFO era in an impassioned plea for developers to start building now.

Mr Gunner outlined his vision for a more locally-based workforce in the Chief Minister’s Year Ahead Speech on Monday, where he named the major challenges for the NT economy as the skilled worker shortage and housing supply limits. After outlining nearly two dozen major public and privately funded projects, Mr Gunner told the crowd of industry experts “we’ve got nowhere to house these workers”.

“We’ve made land available, but workers need homes. That’s not the government’s job, that’s down to private enterprise,” he said.

Mr Gunner said more than $30b in capital investment was expected in the Territory over the next five years.

“We must met future growth by acting now,” he said. “We need developers to build homes. We need banks to back them in. Don’t wait till after the mine is built, don’t wait till the data companies relocates here … get ahead of it now.”

Mr Gunner said mining royalty discounts were offered to companies who bought, rented or built accommodation for their NT employees.

Ambitious $40b economic goal for NT through futures investment

INITIAL: IN a Territory, far, far away from the rest of Australia, a sci-fi inspired vision for the future $40b NT economy has been set out.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner told a room of industry experts on Monday that his goal was to create a $40b Territory economy by 2030, by looking “beneath the sea, towards the stars, to infinity and beyond”.

This is despite the NT being ranked as the poorest performing economic region in Australia by the Commonwealth Bank’s latest State of the States report, and the NT Treasury valuing the total economy at $26.2 billion in 2020-21.

“It’s ambitious, but we’re doing whatever it takes to get there,” Mr Gunner said during his Chief Minister’s Year Ahead speech.

Mr Gunner outlined more than 20 major projects in the pipeline funded by both public and private enterprise, ranging from traditional NT industries like mining and farming to green energy, data centres and the space industry.

“We’re not banking on one giant project and no project exists in a silo. All of them connect,” Mr Gunner said.

A Tennant Creek project to produce renewable hydrogen by capturing water from the atmosphere was described by the Chief Minister as straight out of Star Wars.

“The Desert Bloom technology is so exciting because it creates power without travelling aquifers or precious drinking supplies to humans and livestock,” he said. “Luke Skywalker’s outer galaxy family were moisture farmers, and that’s what this is really.”

Mr Gunner outlined how space would become the next frontier of the Territory’s economy, with NASA set to launch three suborbital rockets from the Arnhem Space Centre in June and July and a Darwin-based advanced manufacturing hub due to start producing planes and amphibious flying boats.

He said the economy was “on our way to making the Territory Australia’s digital gateway”, through optical cables, data centres and encouraging tech companies to relocate to the region.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers chief executive officer Tom Seymour confirmed the NT was well positioned to take advantage of a geopolitical shift to South East Asia, particularly for energy generation and data security.

Mr Gunner said the future of the Territory’s economy was reliant on competitive and diverse investment approaches.

“We’re right in the hunt, and it will be the same hunger as when we stole Inpex from WA,” Mr Gunner said.

“This is not investing in one company, its an investment in an entire supply chain.”

“These last two years are not lost years. We used the time to protect ourselves and to project ourselves, we’ve defined who we are and positioned ourselves as Australia’s best investment.”

CLP opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro called Mr Gunner’s speech just “pie in the sky” thinking.

MAJOR PROJECT PIPELINE

PUBLIC POLICY

$2.1b for public housing – including $130m in Galiwinku, the Groote Archipelago and Maningrida. Major tenders coming for Central Australia, Big Rivers and Arnhem Land.

Alice Springs health worker housing – 75 units for health professional, to be completed in MayAlice Springs City Deal – $150M transformation of the “inland capital”, pending Federal funding.

MINING

Mount Bundy Gold project – Given Major Project Status. A $412m project, expected to generate $1.7b over its 10 year lifespan. Three mines on track to restart in 2022. Expected to create 150 construction jobs, 300 full-time local jobs.

Santo gas and condensate project — a carbon capture and storage using the Bayu-Undan pipeline. To connect Darwin to Barossa. Currently 20 per cent complete and expected to be completed on schedule and on budget.

Tanami Mine expansion — Newmont $1b expansion of Australia’s largest underground gold mine, The Granites. Environmental approvals gained, final investor decision expected this year. If approved, 620 construction jobs created, 280 jobs once operational

DATA

Digital connections from Darwin — Darwin to Singapore installation starts 2022, operational 2023. Darwin to Hawaii, US side starts construction in 2022, to be ready for service 2025. Darwin to Japan, $700 million sub-sea optical cable rollout begins 2022. $200m terrestrial cable from Darwin to Adelaide.

Data Centre — DCI data centres plans to construct 10 megawatt $150m data centre in Darwin

AERONAUTICS

NASA Top End launch — In June and July 80 NASA personnel will launch three suborbital rockets from the Arnhem Space Centre. First NASA commercial launch outside a US commercial facility.

Amphibious aeronautics — New generation of Albatross flying boats to be built in Darwin at an aerospace manufacturing precinct.

Darwin advanced manufacturing hub — Coalition of high-level advanced manufacturing companies in Darwin.

ENERGY

Aleees — Taiwan-based company and world leader in the supply of high-end lithium battery materials sent senior representatives to inspect the Middle Arm Industrial Precinct as a potential location for their plant. Not guaranteed. If chosen, it would support 500 jobs with minerals sourced locally.

Sun Cable project — $30b solar energy project running export cables through Indonesian waters.

Desert Balloon — Tennant Creek renewable hydrogen project given Major Project Status. $1b in deals negotiated in hydrogen sales.

Tiwi hydrogen project — At a highly advanced stage. Fully funded and underway for its 2022 development program, exports expected from 2026. Local approval because of low environmental footprint.

Inpex — expected to raise production, acceleration exploration of hydrogen strategy and develop carbon capture and storage hub near Darwin in 2022. Third LNG processing train expected to create thousands of local jobs and billions in investment.

MARITIME

Darwin Ship lift — Construction of a $400m maritime services hub begins in 2022. Expected to create 100 construction jobs, 400 ongoing jobs. Servicing defence and shipping.

East Arm fuel storage depot — $270 million spend by US Government to begin construction in early 2022.