Darwin Harbour Gas Plant Planning Bungled

The Chief Minister's assertion to an oil and gas conference in Perth that Inpex can only locate a LNG plant in Darwin Harbour is an indictment of Labor's amateurish approach to industrial planning issues.

"Inpex has been considering Darwin as an option since 2004, yet in 2008 the only site the Chief Minister is willing to offer Inpex is in the middle of Darwin Harbour,” says Terry Mills, Leader of the Opposition.

"Territory Labor has had four years to prepare for the possibility of Inpex coming to Darwin but now claims there is no time to consider other sites.

"Had the Labor Government not dithered about industrial planning since coming to office, Glyde Point would be ready and waiting right now.

"Labor inherited a viable plan, from the CLP, for locating heavy industry at Glyde Point but sat on its hands.

"What the Chief Minister should be doing is putting Glyde Point on the table and offering a whole of government effort to prepare the site for Inpex in the shortest possible time.

"Inpex will need to build a 900 kilometre pipeline to get the gas to Darwin, yet this lazy Chief Minister claims he can't prepare Glyde Point in the time it will take to lay 900 kilometres of undersea gas pipeline.

"The Chief Minister should fly straight back to Darwin and take charge of ensuring Glyde Point will be ready should Inpex choose to locate its LNG plant in the Territory.

"Should Inpex choose not to locate in the Territory the money invested in Glyde Point will not be wasted.

"Glyde Point will provide a viable site for heavy industry for the foreseeable future.

"Indeed the relatively small amount of available land at Middle Point will necessitate developing an alternative site for heavy industry anyway. Developing Glyde Point resolves that issue now.

"Darwin Harbour is the jewel in the capital's crown and locating heavy industry slap bang in the middle will spoil it for generations to come.”

2008-04-08