Defence Department investigating Darwin Port lease to Chinese company
The Department of Defence has been asked by the Morrison government to look into the controversial 99-year-lease of the Darwin Port in 2015, reports say.
Northern Territory
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THE Morrison government has asked the Department of Defence to look into the controversial 99-year-lease of the Darwin Port, finalised by the then-CLP government in 2015.
The Age in Melbourne said the Department of Defence has been asked to look into the deal.
The Department of Defence told the NT News on Sunday night that: “The Department has nothing further to add at this time to what the Prime Minister stated”.
The NT News has sought comment from both Prime Minister’s office and Defence minister Peter Dutton’s office.
The lease of the port to the Chinese company Landbridge has been subject to intense scrutiny, especially as tensions between the Asian power and Canberra have deteriorated.
In recent weeks, the deal has been blasted by commentators including outspoken senator Jacqui Lambie, who said it should be “torn up”.
In a visit to Darwin last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would consider undoing the deal if he was advised to by the Department of Defence.
“We have legislation now which is dealing with critical infrastructure, then you can expect me as Prime Minister to take that advice very seriously and act accordingly,” Mr Morrison said.
“It was not a lease that was approved by the federal government, it was not,” he said.
The 99-year lease netted the CLP Territory government of the day a $506 million windfall.
Federal Labor MP for Solomon Luke Gosling recently said “no one could think it serves Australia” for the Darwin Port to be foreign owned.
Mr Gosling also slammed the Prime Minister for not vetoing the lease in 2015, when he was treasurer.
“It was on Scott Morrison’s watch as Treasurer that the control of the strategic port of Darwin shifted to a foreign entity,” he said.
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