29 April 2014
NT News
Our strategic positioning in a military sense, as well as from a gateway to Asia perspective, has the Territory set up for some big things to come.
For the past couple of years there’s been much hype about oil and gas investment and potential in the NT – none bigger than the $34 billion Inpex project, which is chugging along at a strong pace.
While projects such as Inpex have a limited lifespan, the opportunities for the Territory in other areas are sky-high. Sceptics will say the local economy has to slow down at some point.
State and territory economies are used to roller-coaster rides but the NT has so much untapped potential there’s no reason why its recent growth won’t continue.
Earlier this month, Chief Minister Adam Giles started a new campaign to make the NT the capital of northern Australia. The campaign has also been put to the public, giving them a say on what direction the Territory’s future should take.
In military terms, the Top End is seen as the southern bastion of the US strategy in the Pacific. This has been highlighted by the recent intake to Darwin of more than 1000 US Marines for training.
US President Barack Obama is a big supporter of the Marine rotation in the Top End, seeing it as an opportunity to quell any tensions between its allies and China.
The Abbott Government, too, is investing billions in Defence and other developments in the Top End.
As Mr Giles says, the Territory is a victim of poor infrastructure but having the support of the Australian and US governments can only make us a more attractive place to invest and grow.
Courtesy of NT News