Wheels: 18" Machine-Finished Alloy, VSA Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Valet Function, Urethane Gear Shifter Material, Trip Computer, Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic, Transmission w/Driver . China Investment Corp. is part of a consortium that bought the Port of Melbourne in 2016. "In particular, there was inadequate consultation with the US, but again, that may not have changed the decisions made at the time.". The Morrison government has asked the Department of Defence to review the Northern Territory's 99-year-lease of the Port of Darwin to the Chinese-owned company Landbridg e - a deal that has unsettled national security figures in the federal government since it was signed six years ago. U.S. state party control as of January 2022. Asked recently about the Darwin port transaction, Mr Morrison claimed: "There was no authority for the federal government to reject, approve anything in relation to the leasing of that asset. Who sold the Port of Melbourne to the Chinese? Why don't more Australians know about the bombing of Darwin? The trio had met when Darwin took a five-year voyage around the globe, observing geology around the world. That team included director of major projects Ann Tan; Tourism NT chief executive Alastair Shields, then under-treasurer Jodie Ryan, head public servant Gary Barnes, former Queensland head public servant Jon Grayson and John Watkinson, who sat on the Port Corporation's board. ABC News, March 12, 2019, ABC News, Chinese company Landbridge to operate Darwin port under $506m 99-year lease deal, October 13, 2015, Helen Davidson, Chinese company secures 99-year lease of Darwin port in $506m deal, The Guardian, October 13, 2015, Katherine Murphy, Malcolm Turnbull shrugs off US concern over Darwin port lease to Chinese firm | Australian politics, November 19, 2015, Anthony Galloway, Port of Darwin's Chinese ownership under review by Department of Defence, The Age/Sydney Morning Herald, May 2, 2021, Joe Kelly, Defence ticks Chinese lease of Darwin Port, The Australian, December 28, 2021, Andrew Greene, China's grip on Darwin Port looks shaky as Australia grapples with regional security changes, ABC News, May 4, 2021, Francis Keany, Port of Darwin: Malcolm Turnbull plays down Barack Obama's concerns over lease to Chinese company, ABC News, November 19, 2015, Tom Lowrey, Federal Government asks for advice on controversial Darwin port lease to China, ABC News, May 3, 2021, Andrew Tillett, Port of Darwin's Chinese owner suffers double blow, AFR, July 5, 2021, Primrose Riordan, Dennis Richardson regrets 'oversight' on Darwin port lease, AFR, December 15, 2015, Susan McDonald, Matthew Doran, Andrew Greene, Port of Darwin: Concerns about lease to Chinese company 'alarmist' and 'absurd', says Defence Secretary Dennis Richardson, ABC News, December 15, 2015, Helen Davidson, Darwin port deal with Chinese group poses no threat, says defence official, The Guardian, December 15, 2015, Eliza Borrello, Andrew Robb blames former Coalition leaders for toxic' relationship with China, ABC Radio AM, March 12, 2019, Gabrielle Chan, Foreign investment: Joyce says Robb has questions to answer on Landbridge role, The Guardian, June 7, 2017, Paul Kelly, Darwin Port a test for China policy, The Australian, May 8, 2021, Brendan Nicholson, Final say for ADF in China port lease in Darwin, The Australian, November 18, 2015, Peter Jennings, Darwin: storm in a port, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, November 6, 2015, Peter Jennings, Time to end China's lease on the Port of Darwin, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, May 4, 2021, Geoff Wade, Landbridge, Darwin and the PRC, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, November 9, 2015, Luke Gosling, Port of Darwin Review Welcome, But Tread With Care Australian Institute of International Affairs, May 13, 2021, David Moore and Melissa Lai, All foreign investors now need FIRB clearance to acquire critical state-owned infrastructure, Minter Ellison, March 17, 2016, Foreign Investment Review Board, Annual Report 2015-16, Senate Economics References Committee, Foreign investment review framework, Final report April 8, 2016, Senate Economic References Committee, Public hearings: 15 December, 2015; 10 March, 2016, Senate Economic References Committee, Submissions received from the Treasury, Department of Defence, Attorney-General's Department and Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation, Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975, Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulations 1975, Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018, Department of Home Affairs, Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Systems of National Significance, US military asset to be linked to controversial Port of Darwin via fuel pipeline, All parties should heed ASIO warning against national security weaponisation, Liberal senator says, China behind foiled attempt to bankroll federal election candidates, Rare sighting of bird 'like Beyonce, Prince and Elvis all turning up at once', 'What else is down there?' They are currently in government in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory. The NT government in September 2015 told FIRB the port operator's assets were less than $252 million, so it did not meet the value threshold for FIRB scrutiny. Sources with knowledge of the deal say Landbridge's $506 million bid was far and away the highest offer, and that includes Adam Giles, the chief minister at the time. That raises questions about whether the federal government, knowing the deal was being negotiated, could have fixed the problem before it was finalised in October 2015. Who Can Benefit From Diaphragmatic Breathing? After the federal government introduced legislation which enabled it to repeal Victoria's Belt and Road deal with China, the Port of Darwin was "the next tar. The sale of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese-owned company will be scrutinised by a parliamentary inquiry, with one Liberal senator saying the Morrison government's new foreign veto power legislation will lack credibility if it doesn't examine the controversial transaction. Darwin, the Australian gateway to Asia, is located in the tropical north of Australia. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The Foreign Investment Review Board determined in 2015 that it had no authority to examine the Darwin port deal because it fell under exemption provisions of the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 at that time. When the deal was formally announced in October 2015, defence conducted yet another review at the request of defence secretary Dennis Richardson. the Minister for Local Government, with Local Government Elections held in June. Adam Giles's government made little secret of its intention to lease the port of Darwin. Already got a Trove account . But despite its independent spirit, the NT was once part of South Australia before being administered by the Federal Government, and has never been fully free to make binding laws for its people. LED LCD; Other; Very less used. It's our story series where you ask us the questions, vote for your favourite, and we investigate. The lease of the land fell under a specific exemption in what was then section 12A(7) of the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975. To join the conversation, please The Government is formed by the party or grouping having the majority of the seats in the House of Assembly, or by a coalition (the combination of parties to form a majority). If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. [16], Coordinates: 122815S 1305054E / 12.47083S 130.84833E / -12.47083; 130.84833. The NT Land Development Corporation has identified available land at Darwin's East Arm port industrial estate, where both the US strategic fuel reserve facility and a new diesel storage facility could be constructed. No products in the cart. In October 2015, the Chinese-owned Landbridge Group won the bid for a lease of Port Darwin. China Merchants Port Holdings Co. Ltd. is a 50% shareholder in the Port of Newcastle, on Australias eastern coast and a key hub for exporting coal. But Ross Muir argues ownership is not the only issue - Darwin will soon need a new and larger seaport to meet future trade and security challenges in Asia. Helen & Joey Estate winery in the Yarra Valley outside Melbourne could hardly sound more Australian, but in fact Helen and Joey are the adopted English names of a Chinese couple who are just two of the hundreds of mainland Chinese-born business people who have decided to invest in Australias wine regions. Mr Jennings said he believed only a minimal assessment of the company was carried out. Successive governments believed the port held the cure to the NT's economic maladies and that if it could be expanded and maintained, it would surely be a secret weapon in the NT's economic resurgence and the rest of the nation's by extension as Australia's "gateway to Asia". The Government has chosen a 2030 target to provide long term certainty to business. According to an announcement by the NT government in October 2015, the Darwin Port was leased for 99 years to the Landbridge Group, a private company based in Rizhao city in eastern China's Shandong province. Jodie Ryan, who sat on the selection panel that chose Landbridge and was later promoted to the role of head public servant after the Gunner Labor Government's 2016 election victory, said the long-term risks of leasing the port to a Chinese-owned company were "considered as part of the assessment" and that "substantial due diligence was undertaken and involved independent financial and legal advisers". Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The dealimmediately attracted controversy, given concerns about Darwin's geographically strategic position close to Asia, and the proximity of the port environs to defence activities by Australia's Navy and its US allies. Which Australian wineries are Chinese owned? He said the Defence Department and other authorities spent months assessing the proposal. Mr Morrison shouted, throwing his arms up in frustration, as the question hung on the screen: "Which Australian city controversially leased their port to a Chinese company in 2015?". It's closer to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta than it is to Canberra and is about the same flying time from Singapore and Manila as it is from Sydney and Melbourne. DeSantis' announcement comes a day after the Biden administration announced a new policy for immigration from Cuba and other countries at Americas land border with Mexico. So, the man who helped lease the port to Landbridge then went to work for Landbridge, and was involved in selling the 20 per cent stake, which the new NT Government ended up taking over in 2017 for no cost. Required fields are marked *. In a broad sense, it could be taken as referring to the government's ability or power to find a way to stop the deal proceeding. It has also worked with state-owned companies like China National Petroleum Corporation, which supplies oil to Landbridge and allows it to sell fuel at retail pumps. "A strong objection from the feds would probably have sufficed, but that was not forthcoming at the time," Dr Kirchner says. "You may well find that future generations of Australians reading Australian history books will have the most scathing judgments about the idiocy of the decision-making. Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, "NT government assets privatised without knowing where proceeds will go", "Robb joins Chinese company with control of Darwin Port", "Coalition defends Andrew Robb after revelation he started job while an MP", "Concerns Raised As Australian Port Rolls Out Red Carpet for Chinese Investment", "China's 'invisible billionaire' the Port of Darwin's new owner", "ASIO warned politicians about taking cash from Huang Xiangmo, Chau Chak Wing", "Senior Defence official raises security concerns over Darwin port lease to Chinese-owned company Landbridge", "Andrew Robb's secret China contract: money for nothing", "Darwin port's sale is a blueprint for China's future economic expansion", "Can the Darwin Port's 99-year lease to China be reversed? ADG owns 100% of Airport Development Group Pty Ltd (ADGPL) which, in turn, owns 100% of Darwin International Airport Pty Ltd (DIA) and Alice Springs Airport Pty Ltd (ASA) who are respectively the holders of a 50 year lease over Darwin International Airport and Alice Springs Airport with free options to renew for a . "You can't mortgage the strategic security of 25 million and in the future more Australians just to make a quick buck for a local political problem you have at the time, and then lie about it, and lie about it consistently in your supposed defence of it. S65 - notice of closed waters and authorisation Port of Darwin, Bladin Point PDF (89.5 KB) Regional harbourmaster's direction for under keel clearance requirements DOCX (71.0 KB) Regional harbourmaster's direction for under keel clearance requirements PDF (165.6 KB) In October 2015, the Chinese-owned Landbridge Group won the bid for a lease of Port Darwin. Like new condition with HDMI port. BarristerLachlan Molesworthis a director ofForeign Investment Advisory Australia, a specialist consultancy providing advice on transactions that may need FIRB scrutiny. But for years, the Federal Government didn't see its potential or at least not enough to invest in it. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed a review of the lease of the Port of Darwin will be undertaken, raising fresh questions over the future of the 99-year lease by Chinese-owned company Landbridge. Not sold with remote and cords Works perfectly and in excellent condition. "It was the classic example of parochial short-term thinking winning out over what is in the national interest of all Australians across the country for the long term foreseeable future.". Blokes Who Sold Darwin Port To China Still Acting Like They Give A Fuck About National Security WENDELL HUSSEY | Cadet | CONTACT In a sign of panicked desperation, the federal government is today continuing with the whole 'nobody but us can keep us safe' national security agenda. In October 2015, the Chinese-owned Landbridge Group won the bid for a lease of Port Darwin. He told Fact Check the sale of the port lease was a "monumental stuff-up, a huge failure" and reflected a "dreadful policy error" on the part of the Turnbull government, which had just sworn in a suite of new ministers. [1], Following the 2012 election of the Country Liberal party, the Territory sought to raise funds for unspecified purposes through the sale of public assets, including the Territory Insurance Office and Darwin Port. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He says that at the time Landbridge bought the lease, the Commonwealth could not intervene using any FIRB review or veto power due to the exemptions that applied at that time under the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975. which government sold the port of darwin.