Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

WATT (—) (): Thank you, Senator Pocock, for your question. As you're aware, the government will provide $1.5 billion in planned equity to support the development of the Middle Arm precinct together with $440 million for regional logistics hubs along key transport links to connect Katherine, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek to Darwin. One thing I want to be clear about—and this is sometimes lost in the debate—is that this investment is not an investment in fracking, and it's very disingenuous that some people continue to ignore facts and fail to engage in the detail of the proposition the Australian government has put to the Northern Territory government. What we are proposing is to make an equity investment in common use marine infrastructure that includes specialist product wharves, modular offloading facilities for manufacturing and dredging of the shipping channel.