Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

It is the only time I have been able to do it. I thank Senator Macdonald for his question. He has been a lion of the north, has Senator Macdonald. He has been a great representative of North Queensland. I know he was there on Sunday to participate in the forum, as was my good friend and colleague Senator Colbeck, as well as Mr Robb. The forum concluded yesterday in Darwin—which we now call the 'gateway to the north'—wrapping up three days of productive discussions about opportunities in Northern Australia, covering the northern part of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and North Queensland. Productive discussions involved the Minister for Trade and Investment, the Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia—the first minister for northern Australia, I think, since Rex Patterson in the 1970s—and a number of parliamentary colleagues and stakeholders.

It is clear that foreign investment will be key to the future of Northern Australia. Mr President, you will recall the government developed a white paper on Northern Australia, released in June of this year, which set out a generational blueprint for the development of Northern Australia. The forum is one of many steps being taken by the government to foster northern development and deliver our commitments and objectives in the white paper. We have already made infrastructure announcements around roads, critical water management systems and regional aviation. Also, we are now making changes to a number of policy settings across portfolios, including in trade and investment. Other steps include the $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.