Call to fully seal Arnhem Land roads as 100-year milestone nears

Almost 100 years since Arnhem Land was gazetted, vital infrastructure is still sorely lacking. Read what needs to be done.

Management of one of the Territory’s biggest companies has called on the Commonwealth to end almost a century of neglect and fully seal the Darwin-Arnhem Land road.

Sitzler director Michael Sitzler and managing director Steve Margetic said Arnhem Land was gazetted in 1931, but almost a century later the road connecting the communities with the rest of the Territory is still not fully sealed.

They said it was a reflection of broader infrastructure issues in the Northern Territory, where just over 70 per cent of our roads are unsealed.

Most of Arnhem Land entries are dirt roads which presents access issues into and out of some of the Top End’s most remote communities, where thousands of Territorians live, including Maningrida, Milingimbi, Nhulunbuy and Alyangula.

Sealing the Arnhem Land roads should be a national priority, Michael Sitzler says. Picture: Facebook / East Arnhem Land

“Imagine celebrating 100 years of Arnhem Land in 2031 if these communities were accessible year round with adequate road infrastructure complete and usable,” Steve Margetic said.

“If we want to really make a difference with these communities in Arnhem Land we need to connect the people to private sector jobs.

“There are students out there who do year 12, they graduate, they go back home and they’re stranded. They’ve got to get on a charter flight to go somewhere without a car, without accommodation. This should no longer be the case.”

Michael Sitzler called for a funding commitment and a deadline to fully seal roads to the Arnhem Highway communities.

“I like putting an end date on projects, and 2031 wouldn’t be a bad date,” he said. “Establishing physical infrastructure to critical parts of the Territory is an important enabler for long lasting economic activity that delivers long term benefits to all. It’s a national issue.

“Everyone says project’s like this will cost too much money, but it will cost a lot less now than it will in 10 years’ time.”

Steve Margetic and Michael Sitzler

Business partners for more than 25 years, Sitzler and Margetic have grown the Alice Springs-founded developer into one of the country’s 30-largest builders, with an impressive reputation for project delivery.

Their biggest current project is the $747m Australian Defence Force’s ranges training redevelopment which, with two years to run, has already inducted about 4500 people. Sitzler also has the $300m Tindal upgrade, Royal Darwin Hospital’s new mental health facility and art gallery construction projects in Alice Springs and Darwin.

Steve Margetic said the leaders of both political parties should refrain from cutting public service jobs, but said there should be a renewed will to get the public service “match-fit” to win major private sector investment.

“We’re focused on the journey at the moment, more so than the outcome” he said. “We can tend to fixate on managing process risk and perhaps going through a perfect journey, but our economic growth and the competitive nature of private sector investment requires us to be more focused on outcomes, and in providing long term certainty in our approvals

“It’s hard work getting big projects. You need a real team approach within the bureaucracy and it’s got to be led from the Chief Minister’s Department and it’s got to have champions in cabinet.”

Long-time Nhulunbuy resident Klaus Helms supported the full Arnhem Land sealing project, providing caveats preventing unauthorised access to outstations were in place and, given the huge distances, there was access to safety devices in the event of a vehicle smash.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the Commonwealth would work with the Territory government to determine infrastructure priorities.

“We would love to do everything but the budgets don’t allow that and we try and do the priorities that we have alongside the Northern Territory government.”