‘Game on’: NT ready to compete with Queensland for major defence projects, Chief Minister says

NT CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner has said it is ‘game on’ after Queensland put up a $30m war chest to stop the Northern Territory from getting hard-fought navy maintenance contracts it is chasing.

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NT CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner has said it is “game on” after Queensland put up a $30m war chest to stop the Northern Territory from getting hard-fought navy maintenance contracts it is chasing.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the $30m would go to two critical marine precinct projects to make sure Cairns knocked over Darwin in the battle for critical navy contracts.

Chief Minister Gunner said he was not surprised Queensland was getting worried about the Territory.

“They should be,” he said. “We are throwing down the challenge and it’s game on.

“The Territory can be and should be Australia’s Defence capital. To help us get there we are building the largest shiplift in Northern Australia.”

An artist’s impression of the planned shiplift at East Arm. Picture: Supplied

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The shiplift, which will create more than 500 jobs during construction and 400 long-term jobs in the marine industries, will be able to look after boats like the new Arafura Class offshore patrol vessels which are to be based at Darwin Harbour’s Larrakeyah naval facility next year.

It’s those ships Queensland Premier Palaszczuk wants in Cairns.

Ms Palaszczuk and her money man, Treasurer Cameron Dick, were joined by a posse of Far North Labor MPs at Norship Marine’s Cairns slipway to reveal the strategy to build two new finger wharves big enough for navy and Australian Border Patrol ships.

The two wharves will boost the capacity of Cairns to perform in-water maintenance on navy and Border Force ships.

The extra sting in the tail in the Queensland Premier’s bid to beat the Territory is a $2m business case study into restarting a shipbuilding industry in Cairns.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner. Picture: Glenn Campbell

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Mr Gunner said there was a lot happening in Defence infrastructure and the Territory was well-positioned to attract much of this investment and the jobs that come with it.

“The shiplift at East Arm will put us in pole position,” he said.

“The PM and I have worked extremely well together keeping the Territory safe from coronavirus, and I know we’ll keep working together to bring more Defence investment and jobs to the NT.”