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

The Reserve Bank of Australia recently met in Darwin for the first time in 51 years and they had a clear message for those opposite, for the coalition federal government, and that is that in order to create jobs and keep growing the economy they must invest in key infrastructure. Well, when it comes to key infrastructure, you can't get any more key than the strategic ship lift asset for Australia's northern port that is Darwin Harbour. Darwin's location is of strategic importance. We're at the doorstep of the world's busiest shipping corridors, and we have the only functional deepwater port in northern Australia. This is why we need the federal government to come to the table and invest in a ship lift for Darwin, as the Northern Territory government has done.

Why is it needed? Some of Darwin's current ship lift infrastructure is not big enough for the new naval Offshore Patrol Vessels, so obviously it's not going to be able to do the job. We've got another ship lift that also doesn't satisfy Defence's needs, so we need this facility in Darwin. I've spoken with the Treasurer and had constructive conversations with him about it. But I say to the House that Darwin's strategic importance means that a ship lift for Darwin is not only in the Northern Territory's interest or Darwin's interest; it is absolutely one hundred per cent in the national interest.