Mr KNIGHT - 2006-03-29
Can you advise the House on new developments at Darwin’s East Arm Wharf that will promote the growth of the Territory’s bulk minerals export trade?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. One of the two mining companies that will bulk export through the Port of Darwin is in the electorate of Daly.
The export of bulk materials is the way forward for our port. We certainly still want to build our container traffic, and there is no doubt about that. However, because of the railway line, development of infrastructure at the port now mean that there are two considerable bulk exporting proposals that will come to fruition very soon. Of course, I am talking about the export of around 600 000 tonnes of manganese per year from Bootu Creek through the port. The life of that export will be over 10 years, so it is a significant amount of bulk material through the Port of Darwin for that particular development.
As a government, we have invested around $20m in bulk loading facilities at the port to accommodate this development and the Frances Creek development that I will detail soon. Most of that is in relation to bulk loading onto the boat, and also a rail dumping facility. That is a very significant investment of $20m.
With Bootu Creek, the first rail shipment is due in April, and the first shipment from the port will be in May. That development is very close and that will be significant for the Port of Darwin. Regarding Frances Creek and Territory Iron, over 1 000 000 tonnes per year will be exported which will be associated with that particular development, which is expected to start in early 2007.
Madam Speaker, on top of the $20m that I mentioned, government has also invested $2.86m towards the construction of conveyers from the train unloading facility to Territory Iron’s iron stacker. Government will provide the funding for that, but there will be a repayment by Territory Iron via a levy of $1 per tonne of the ore, so we expect to recoup that investment.
Once again, government is playing a pivotal role in providing infrastructure for the development of the Port of Darwin and exports through that port. This is a government that has delivered record infrastructure programs over the past three to four years. We have also done that through three surplus budgets, and I am very proud to be the Infrastructure minister in a government that is providing so much infrastructure and economic development for our great Northern Territory.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. One of the two mining companies that will bulk export through the Port of Darwin is in the electorate of Daly.
The export of bulk materials is the way forward for our port. We certainly still want to build our container traffic, and there is no doubt about that. However, because of the railway line, development of infrastructure at the port now mean that there are two considerable bulk exporting proposals that will come to fruition very soon. Of course, I am talking about the export of around 600 000 tonnes of manganese per year from Bootu Creek through the port. The life of that export will be over 10 years, so it is a significant amount of bulk material through the Port of Darwin for that particular development.
As a government, we have invested around $20m in bulk loading facilities at the port to accommodate this development and the Frances Creek development that I will detail soon. Most of that is in relation to bulk loading onto the boat, and also a rail dumping facility. That is a very significant investment of $20m.
With Bootu Creek, the first rail shipment is due in April, and the first shipment from the port will be in May. That development is very close and that will be significant for the Port of Darwin. Regarding Frances Creek and Territory Iron, over 1 000 000 tonnes per year will be exported which will be associated with that particular development, which is expected to start in early 2007.
Madam Speaker, on top of the $20m that I mentioned, government has also invested $2.86m towards the construction of conveyers from the train unloading facility to Territory Iron’s iron stacker. Government will provide the funding for that, but there will be a repayment by Territory Iron via a levy of $1 per tonne of the ore, so we expect to recoup that investment.
Once again, government is playing a pivotal role in providing infrastructure for the development of the Port of Darwin and exports through that port. This is a government that has delivered record infrastructure programs over the past three to four years. We have also done that through three surplus budgets, and I am very proud to be the Infrastructure minister in a government that is providing so much infrastructure and economic development for our great Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016