Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am incredibly proud to be part of an Albanese federal Labor government that not only understands the massive contribution that the Northern Territory makes to our nation but also understands its incredible potential. More than that, it is a government that is putting its money where its mouth is, which the recent budget clearly showed. We are investing in order to bring that potential to life for the good of the Northern Territory, Territorians and our nation.

The Territory has long been referred to as the gateway to Asia or the food bowl of Asia, and it's true. Given our geographic proximity to the Indo-Pacific, it makes sense that our growing capacity, funded by targeted investment in enabling infrastructure in the Northern Territory, is going to assist us. We are an hour's flight from Dili; 2½ hours from Bali; four hours from Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, with more than 270 million people; and also close to Singapore with all its capital. It is closer, in fact, than Darwin is to here, to Sydney, to Melbourne, to Adelaide or to Perth. So it isn't surprising that the Northern Territory, particularly Darwin and my electorate of Solomon, have always looked north.

Every year—and we will again next year—we have an event here at Parliament House called Facing North. That is an invitation for our nation to face north towards the Northern Territory, Darwin and all the potential opportunities to do well there in terms of investing in industry. Those industries are important industries of our future.

Perhaps more than other places in Australia, because we see it every day on the street, we are a global community, a multicultural community. Thirty per cent of Territorians speak a language other than English. We have a large and very vibrant migrant community, which is great because there are so many opportunities in northern Australia.

I was at the Australia Indonesia Business Council national conference in Darwin recently. We heard that Indonesia is Australia's 10th-largest trading partner and the Northern Territory is sixth. That's not just our cattle either. There's so much more we can do to grow this relationship with this massive Asian nation, especially as we look towards the possibilities that a cleaner, greener economy will bring.

As some honourable members may have heard, Sun Cable, which is based in the Northern Territory, is going to be the world's largest solar powered project. It will transmit solar energy via an undersea cable. It will go through the Indonesian archipelago to Singapore, as well as Darwin on the way through, powering the Top End.

Both the Northern Territory and Indonesia are very rich in critical minerals, so there are also opportunities for us to consider merging our supply chains. Indonesia might help refine Australian lithium, for example, and manufacture it into batteries for the global market. However, the Northern Territory is also looking at options where it can value-add with those critical minerals here on Australian soil.

Having strong, powerful relationships with our near neighbours is very important. It breeds enhanced cooperation and mutual understanding. There are many ways that we can help each other.

The Albanese Labor government is working hard to shrink the former government's backlog of more than a million visa applications, employing hundreds and hundreds more staff to get this vital processing of those visas done. We all know we are facing a post-COVID labour and skills shortage and we need to do more to attract skilled migrants to Australia. We need to streamline those visa processes and that is why have announced a review into migration. We know in the Northern Territory that we won't be able to tap the full potential of the Northern Territory unless we have a trained and willing labour force on hand to help us do that vital work. It is important for our regional partners. We are working with them for seasonal workers to come the Northern Territory but we would also very much like to see more permanent migration into the Northern Territory.

There was so much in our government's first budget for the Northern Territory and so much that underlines the understanding that, by investing in infrastructure, skills and our local communities, we will build not only a better Northern Territory but a better Australia, and the regions of the Northern Territory are so important in that aim. Building better regions is exactly what our government is committed to doing. In the budget we saw a whopping $2.5 billion—that's billion with a 'b'—investment in infrastructure in the Territory. That includes not only the much-discussed $1.5 billion for the Middle Arm sustainable development precinct, which will house not only Sun Cable, as I have previously mentioned, but also clean green hydrogen production, ammonia production, which are essential to our pivot towards renewables. I would also like to see the manufacture of solar panels and a data storage centre located in that precinct. We have committed the funding for that enabling infrastructure.

We also know that water security is essential and we are investing $300 million to shore up the Darwin region's water supply. Obviously, water is one of our most precious resources. We need to future-proof our water supply. A lot of people might be thinking, 'Well, the Top End gets a lot of rain during the wet season,' and we do but we also need to capture some of that so that we can fuel our industry with water and make sure that we have secure water supplies to grow the Territory population sustainably. Obviously, future-proofing our water supply as we face a warming planet is going to be important; it's going to make us more resilient for the future.

The Albanese Labor government, our government, will work with the Northern Territory government to return the Manten Dam to service and critical water supply upgrades to the Strauss water treatment plant, the transfer pumps and pipelines. The project will also fund preconstruction activities to further develop the Adelaide River Off-Stream Water Storage project, which is known as AROWS. I took a fly over the AROWS project recently with the infrastructure minister, Catherine King, to show her this incredible natural basin that will greatly increase our water storage capacity by taking a small percentage of the peak flows in the Adelaide River into a basin adjacent to the Adelaide River—so not damming the Adelaide River—and that will greatly increase our water security into the future. These projects will help to unlock opportunities for agricultural, industrial and urban water users, including those at Middle Arm. Green hydrogen needs water, H2O, to produce hydrogen, gas and the other forms, with by-product oxygen when you are producing that hydrogen. When you have a process providing distilled water and oxygen as well as the important gas for the future, that is all good.

The budget also focused on delivering over a billion dollars in roads funding to the Territory, because our government understands that a country with good roads has more secure and resilient supply chains and a safer community. In my electorate of Solomon, that means almost $30 million for the overpass at Tiger Brennan Drive and Berrimah Road, a very dangerous intersection where we've lost many lives. As well as saving lives—I'm sure—this overpass of Berrimah Road over Tiger Brennan Drive will be great for productivity. Productivity advances will come from there no longer being that bottleneck at that intersection so that we can get product straight down to the East Arm Wharf and straight off. About 20,000 Territorians take that commute on Tiger Brennan Drive each day, so, as well as making it easier for trucks to get in and out of the port and making it safer—as I mentioned—it's going to be great for productivity. It's a significant investment, but it will pay real dividends.

We've also committed almost $30 million to new Commonwealth supported university places at Charles Darwin University, which is the Territory's university. That was the largest commitment to any single university in the country. It goes to my point that this federal Labor government under Anthony Albanese, the member for Grayndler, understands that, for our nation to fulfil its potential, we need the Northern Territory to fulfil its potential, and part of that is educating our people, getting a trained, skilled workforce and having that tide lift all boats in the Northern Territory. Honourable members would understand that we have some of the lower socio-economic areas in our country. So we're getting more uni places, but we're also investing in skills and training for Territorians, with over $5 million committed for fee-free TAFE positions, vocational education and training positions, and that's going to be great for our expanding workforce and our expanding industry that needs that skilled workforce.

We're also investing in the Solomon community to make it a safer and happier place for all Territorians and for all our residents. There are a number of measures for our senior Territorians in the budget, and I'm proud of those. We've also got health infrastructure—$11.6 million for a new First Nations health clinic in Palmerston, as it has greatly outgrown its current site. It's a place where culturally appropriate health care will be provided. Not only will that take some of the pressure off the Palmerston Regional Hospital's emergency department but it will keep people well and be pre-emptive in making sure that First Nations Territorians are healthier. That's one of the practical ways in which we can start to close the gap and combat chronic disease.

We've also committed $11 million for a second helicopter for CareFlight for medical evacuations, and that will give the Top End better coverage. We all know that helicopters need maintenance. One can be out on a job, and it will be called to another job because a tourist has gotten into trouble somewhere or someone working out on their pastoral property needs assistance or medical evacuation back to Royal Darwin Hospital or further south, depending on the level of treatment needed. That helicopter will make sure that everyone who either lives in the Top End or is visiting the Top End will have better medical evacuation coverage. It will literally be a lifeline for remote Territorians, and that is an important point. We will also get an urgent care clinic for the Darwin and Palmerston region. That is another measure that will take some of the pressure off the Royal Darwin Hospital's emergency department and make sure that, when people need urgent care, they can get it quickly.

I was proud to secure—in fact, it was one of my highest priorities—$5 million for a youth engagement hub for the northern suburbs. We used to have a youth shack; it has closed now, unfortunately. The owner of the building that the youth shack was housed in sold it to McDonald's so we could have an extra McDonald's. But the silver lining is that I've secured a commitment to make sure that we've got a state-of-the-art youth engagement hub that is co-designed with young people so that we can make sure that more of our young people stay on the right track. Territorians know how important that is. It will support them and wrap around them. It will provide guidance, mentors, a feed and a safe place. I'm really proud of that youth engagement hub commitment. We're not forgetting about older folk either, with $1 million for a Darwin men's shed.

In closing, the thing I'm probably proudest of, which I've committed to for a long time, is a supported hub for veterans in my electorate. I'm proud of the budget.

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