Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

That is the objective: we administer in our national interest. We have always been a capital importer; we welcome foreign investment, but there are rules and there are processes. The honourable member raises the issue of the port of Darwin. I make this observation: the decision by the Northern Territory government to lease the commercial port of Darwin was an open process on the public record since early 2014. The Northern Territory government undertook that lease in close consultation with the Commonwealth, including the Department of Defence, our security service and a number of other agencies. The defence department negotiated a deed of licence with the Darwin Port Corporation, defining access and contingency requirements for the winning bidder. Treasury and Defence undertook a careful analysis of the Landbridge bid, consulting widely across all the relevant government agencies. The Department of Defence has repeatedly stated that it does not have any security or access concerns with the lease.

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