Future NT 2025: Sport, defence, energy dominates discussion at fourth annual think tank event
The Territory’s future is bright, despite the challenges ahead. Read what came out of Future NT 2025. SEE ALL THE PHOTOS.
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The operator of Darwin Port has raised doubts about the potential lease buyback of the asset, days after the surprise omission of the plan during a meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Speaking at the Future NT 2025 event, Darwin Port chief executive Peter Dummett told a panel discussion it had been “business as usual” at the facility, despite the Prime Minister committing during the election campaign to sell the asset.
“We just get on with business as usual,” he said.
“The politics, the distractions are not a big deal. Not a big discussion point during the day to day activities of the port.
“I did pre-empt with all staff going into the election that there’s a high probability that we may be mentioned. But I really did push the point that regardless of what, if anything happens, the port’s going to continue to operate.
“If anything happens, probably the biggest change we’ll see will be the label on the shirt, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
The exchange was witnessed by Solomon MP Luke Gosling, who wants the lease taken from Chinese-owned Landbridge Corporation and returned back into Australian hands.
In 2015 the former CLP Government, with consent from the Commonwealth, signed a 99-year, $506 million lease for 80 per cent of the asset.
The remaining 20 per cent is held by the NT Government.
The topic of the sale was surprisingly not raised when the Australian and Chinese leaders met in Beijing this week, although it was discussed in exchanges at a non-leadership level during the prime ministerial visit.
About 300 guests attended Future NT 2025 at Mindil Beach Casino Resort pavilion on Friday, the fourth staging in Darwin of the annual think-tank and economic conference.
Tamboran chief financial officer Eric Dyer told delegates the company would be pumping gas into the Amadeus pipeline by this time next year from one of the cleanest gas reserves in the world.
He praised the NT Government for removing the merit review process that stopped additional delays in securing project commencement based around irrelevant factors to a project.
He said the system was abused by environmental activists to disrupt project progression without foundation or due cause.
“What people don’t realise, not all gas is created equal,” Mr Dyer said.
“This gas is only three per cent of CO2 and is one of the lowest CO2 cleanest gas streams in the world.
“The economic promise that is to be delivered in the next 12 months has infinitely been sped up because of the removal of the merits review.
“We have been pulled aside by green activism and green lawfare 11 times, and we have won 11 out of 11 times because the regulation here in the Northern Territory is so robust.”
Chief executive of the NT Department of Mining and Energy said Government was looking for available land now to develop the infrastructure needed go maximise development at the Beetaloo Basin.
He said Halliburton, which is working at Beetaloo Energy Australia’s site near Cape Crawford in the Territory’s east, is already looking to build the infrastructure required to back the project.
“They need to set up and have areas of land, but it’s got to go through Native Title process,” he said. “Right now we are looking and we think we’ve found some freehold land, not close enough, but as close as we can get to start this process to get some industrial precinct.”
All this could lead to expansions in existing towns like Elliott or Daly Waters with requirements for additional schools, police and other services.
Speaking about the future of sport in the economic mix, Richard Ostroff, Head of Broadcast and International Growth with Cricket Australia, estimated the forthcoming T-20 series between Australia and South Africa in Darwin would attract the largest ever TV audience from an event staged here, estimated to be more than 200 million viewers.
Demographer Mark McCrindle’s keynote presentation pointed to the importance of factoring in generational change to leadership and decision making.
PHOTOS - 2025 FUTURE NORTHERN TERRITORY
Originally published as Future NT 2025: Sport, defence, energy dominates discussion at fourth annual think tank event
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