Latest news with #Darwin-based
Perth Now
4 days ago
- General
- Perth Now
US fuel tanks in Top End not built for severe cyclones
Giant fuel tanks being built at a cost of $270 million for the US military in the Top End are not designed to withstand a category three cyclone, have sprung leaks and lack a building permit. But the Northern Territory government is working with the contractors, US company Crowley, to complete Project Caymus in Darwin Harbour to Australia's required safety, construction and environmental standards. The 11 tanks are designed to hold 300 million litres of fuel to support Darwin-based US military operations in the Indo-Pacific. They are built on NT government land and were due to be operational in September 2023 but have yet to hold fuel due to leaks and water intrusion around their bases. An engineering report obtained by the ABC said the tanks should be classed at "importance level four", the highest classification for structures containing materials capable of causing hazardous conditions that extend beyond property boundaries. Instead the tanks were initially designed at importance level two, the classification for a car garage, shed or suburban backyard workshop. The report, completed in December 2023, said Crowley had specified the tanks be designed at a wind speed of 249.5km/h but they were designed for 193.5km/h. Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy decimated Darwin in 1974, with gusts of up to 217km/h before wind recording instruments failed. Gusts during a category three cyclone can reach up to 224km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. "Failure of the tanks in a cyclonic wind event could result in over 200 million litres of flammable and/or combustible liquid becoming uncontained," said the report cited by the ABC. Such a failure would cause hazardous conditions beyond the property boundaries and to significant population areas and strategic facilities with "catastrophic consequences on people, property and the environment", the report said. Crowley said all required approvals would be obtained from the NT government and other relevant authorities to comply with safety, construction and environmental standards. The NT Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment confirmed to AAP the tanks lacked a building permit but it was decided not to pursue legal or punitive action. The department said it was working with Crowley for it to provide independent verification of the "required safety, construction, and environmental standards and considerations". "This independent evidence is necessary to determine that the tanks meet Australian standards that will ensure the project can be completed and operated," it said.
West Australian
4 days ago
- General
- West Australian
US fuel tanks in Top End not built for severe cyclones
Giant fuel tanks being built at a cost of $270 million for the US military in the Top End are not designed to withstand a category three cyclone, have sprung leaks and lack a building permit. But the Northern Territory government is working with the contractors, US company Crowley, to complete Project Caymus in Darwin Harbour to Australia's required safety, construction and environmental standards. The 11 tanks are designed to hold 300 million litres of fuel to support Darwin-based US military operations in the Indo-Pacific. They are built on NT government land and were due to be operational in September 2023 but have yet to hold fuel due to leaks and water intrusion around their bases. An engineering report obtained by the ABC said the tanks should be classed at "importance level four", the highest classification for structures containing materials capable of causing hazardous conditions that extend beyond property boundaries. Instead the tanks were initially designed at importance level two, the classification for a car garage, shed or suburban backyard workshop. The report, completed in December 2023, said Crowley had specified the tanks be designed at a wind speed of 249.5km/h but they were designed for 193.5km/h. Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy decimated Darwin in 1974, with gusts of up to 217km/h before wind recording instruments failed. Gusts during a category three cyclone can reach up to 224km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. "Failure of the tanks in a cyclonic wind event could result in over 200 million litres of flammable and/or combustible liquid becoming uncontained," said the report cited by the ABC. Such a failure would cause hazardous conditions beyond the property boundaries and to significant population areas and strategic facilities with "catastrophic consequences on people, property and the environment", the report said. Crowley said all required approvals would be obtained from the NT government and other relevant authorities to comply with safety, construction and environmental standards. The NT Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment confirmed to AAP the tanks lacked a building permit but it was decided not to pursue legal or punitive action. The department said it was working with Crowley for it to provide independent verification of the "required safety, construction, and environmental standards and considerations". "This independent evidence is necessary to determine that the tanks meet Australian standards that will ensure the project can be completed and operated," it said.
The Age
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Ahead of Dreamtime at the 'G, Long backs Vandenbergh to star at AFL House
'It's a big role that Tanya has had – it has covered a few portfolios,' the Essendon great said. 'What has come out over the last few years, with the racial vilification stuff, social media [with Willie Rioli, his nephew], which includes everyone, is everyone's problem, not just the Indigenous players. 'And, obviously, the pathways are pretty important. We have seen the numbers drop. The AFL is aware of that.' The number of Indigenous players on AFL lists has fallen from 71 last year to just 64 this year, prompting a more critical look at next generation academies and overall talent pathways and recruiting. The Darwin-based Long, a dual premiership player and 1993 Norm Smith medallist, and fellow football great Stephen Michael, said more needed to be done through the pathway programs and by AFL clubs, to draft, retain and develop talent, amid improved cultural programs. 'I know there has been a drop in numbers. We want to work closely with clubs to see that improve because this means more than just about football,' Long said. Long said he hoped his foundation could soon establish an Indigenous academy at Essendon's former headquarters at Windy Hill. Long held his annual lunch in Melbourne on Wednesday, ahead of his annual Long Walk to the 'G before Friday night's Dreamtime clash between the Bombers and Tigers. He said there would soon be discussions about holding a week-long celebration of Indigenous culture ahead of the Dreamtime clash, which forms part of a fortnight of games in the Sir Doug Nicholls rounds. Under the new broadcast deal, this will be the first time the Dreamtime clash has been held on a Friday night, having been a showcase event on a Saturday night. It has meant a change in logistics for Long, his foundation and supporters, for the events held through the day and for fans who would travel on a Saturday afternoon. 'It's our biggest fundraiser of the year, which goes into all our programs. We'll see the wash-up of it after Dreamtime.' 'The hardest part of my life': Petracca reflects ahead of his 200th game Roy Ward Christian Petracca calls last season the hardest part of his life so far but, as he brings up his 200-game milestone on Sunday, the Demons star is appreciative for every game he plays and calls himself 'a Melbourne person through and through'. The 29-year-old needed a moment of composure as he spoke about the aftermath of a shocking collision against Collingwood on King's Birthday last year, which left him with a lacerated spleen, punctured lung and fractured ribs – the kind of life-threatening injuries often associated with a car accident. Worse still was the trauma and psychological scarring for Petracca and his family, but speaking on Wednesday ahead of his milestone game, he said his time out of football only made him appreciate the game even more. 'Not even [the hardest] part of my career, [the hardest] part of my life,' Petracca said. 'And my wife Bella – that's really difficult, [but] we've got through it together, and I look back at that time now with incredible perspective and a silver lining. 'I wouldn't have wanted to go through something like that, but life gave me that gift, and I'm really appreciative of being able to pull on the jumper every day now. 'It has given me a feeling that I never would have had before the injury – I took footy for granted a bit. I think about life and how lucky we are – it has definitely shifted my priorities a little bit to what is most important to me.' His season-ending injury last year morphed into public disappointment with the club's administration and standards, and Petracca reportedly contemplated leaving. But Petracca, contracted until the end of 2029, and the club found common ground and issued a statement in late August that he would be staying. 'Externally, there will always be noise surrounding that but, internally, I know, my teammates know, my coaches know, [and] the club knows that I'm a Melbourne person through and through and last year was nothing more than wanting to make this football club better and see success,' Petracca said. 'We have strong conversations, but that's healthy. What high-performance environment isn't having them? 'It's not necessarily listening to the players. As a leader at this footy club, I can get better too. It wasn't about pointing fingers or blaming people – it was about, as a collective, how can we get better? 'I express emotion. I'm Italian. I wear my heart on my sleeve. The way we talk is with expression and emotion. I feel everything deeply. I was frustrated after a loss but what competitor isn't?' Christian Petracca 'We have the list, we have the coaching staff, we have incredible fans, and we play at the MCG – for us, it is about being in it together and understanding what we need to achieve.' Earlier in the season, Petracca showed his emotions as the Demons trudged off after losing to Geelong. 'It's why I play footy [to win],' Petracca said. 'I express emotion. I'm Italian. I wear my heart on my sleeve. The way we talk is with expression and emotion. I feel everything deeply. I was frustrated after a loss, but what competitor isn't?' The Demons' comeback win over the Lions at the Gabba on Sunday was also a special moment for Petracca, who saw the young Demons showing trust in each other. They are now 4-6 in 14th place but only a win and percentage adrift of eighth spot. 'There has been a lot of coverage and noise around our fourth quarters,' Petracca said. 'But, for us, it wasn't the outcome and losing those games, it was the effort and intensity, and I thought being down, up there in a hostile environment – to play the way we did in that fourth quarter showed a lot of trust in the process and the game plan. 'It was an incredible feeling – I haven't had that feeling in a while.' Petracca is embracing a greater leadership role in the group and wants to help the likes of Harvey Langford, Caleb Windsor and the other young Demons elevate their games. Loading The Norm Smith medallist remains close with fellow 2021 premiership star Clayton Oliver, who has battled physical and mental health issues before finding new life in a tagging role in recent weeks. Petracca cooked them 'slow-cooked Mexican' for dinner recently. 'I had him over for dinner last week – we are really close off the field and chat all the time,' Petracca said. 'He's someone who has been there with me on my journey. We are close off the field and chat all the time, and when we finish up I'll definitely be close with him.' 'I don't know what that means for Baz': Bevo's dig at Bailey Smith Danny Russell Usually, AFL coaches do their best to avoid throwaway headlines. But when it comes to the Western Bulldogs travelling to Geelong to face their former star Bailey Smith on Thursday night, coach Luke Beveridge could not resist the urge. 'There's going to be a pretty big crowd, and I won't say it,' Beveridge started out before stopping himself short. Loading But ultimately, the 2016 premiership coach could not hold back. 'It's taken the Bulldogs to go down there, for them [Geelong] to almost pack out their stadium. So I don't know what that means for Baz,' Beveridge said with a wry smile. Of course, Beveridge was having a lighthearted dig at his former pupil – another return salvo following Smith's crack at the Bulldogs' crowd-pulling power three weeks ago when comparing life at the Cats. 'Not getting that at Ballarat,' Smith said about the Bulldogs playing before 5000 people at Mars Stadium compared to the 82,000 who had watched the Cats beat Collingwood by three points at the MCG on the same day. Beveridge knew what he had done. 'I know what the headline is going to be now,' he said on Wednesday morning during his press conference at the Kennel. But that's where the jibes started and ended. Beveridge was quick to point out that the Bulldogs would not be distracted by a potential Smith circus. 'I think I said the other day that's a bit of by-play, you know, the theatre attached to the game around Bailey being a Geelong player now,' he said. Loading 'That doesn't come into discussions with our preparation, with our planning tactically and the way we build ourselves up for the game. 'We don't go out of our way to, I suppose, antagonise and get under anyone's skin unnecessarily. 'There's obviously a combative aspect, and there's a verbal aspect of the game that exists every week no matter who you play. 'So that won't be any different than it usually is. I'm not sure you'll detect anything other than what you normally see, and if you do, then I think we'll all be interested to know afterwards why that happened.' Beveridge said he did not expect any kickback or booing from the Bulldogs army. 'Our supporters love Bailey. He's a 100-game player [at this club],' he said. 'So, hopefully, you know, he just falls … well, I shouldn't say that. I was going to go down the father- son, father-daughter journey, but I'll just leave that alone. '[GMHBA Stadium] is going to be packed with Geelong people, I don't think they are allowing Western Bulldogs people in there, so we'll have to make our own noise.'
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Darwin's Chinese community calls for Labor, the Coalition to reconsider port lease plans
Members of Darwin's Chinese community are calling for the Australian government and opposition to reconsider their election promises to take back a Chinese firm's lease of the Darwin Port. The Northern Territory government leased the port to Chinese-owned company Landbridge for 99 years in 2015, but since then, the foreign ownership of the strategic asset has been the subject of Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Landbridge is During this year's federal election campaign, Labor and the Coalition Shu Qin Li says members of Darwin's Chinese community are "disappointed" and "sad" about the major parties' plans to strip the port lease from Landbridge. ( ABC News: Tristan Hooft ) The Northern Territory president of the Australia-China Friendship Society, Shu Qin Li, a long-term resident of the NT, said she believed that move would do economic damage to investor confidence and the territory's economy. She said the pledges had come without any evident national security risk, and urged both parties to reconsider. Photo shows A truck drives out of the entrance of the Darwin Port on a sunny day. Darwin Port's lease to a Chinese-owned company has outlasted successive prime ministers. So why are the major parties talking about cancelling it now? "I think it's too political," she said. "[The NT] should try to focus and look after our own interests … I mean Darwin, we don't have any major projects, for many years. "Darwin Port is probably the one that's still alive … what else do we have? " For people living in the community here forever, like us, we do care, and we feel very disappointed, and very sad. " Ms Li said community groups such as the Australia-China Friendship Society would lose out on annual event funding from Landbridge if the company lost the port lease. She also said her views were widely held within Darwin's generations-old Chinese community. Members of Darwin's Chinese community say Landbridge supports cultural events in the city. ( Supplied: Chung Wah Society ) The ABC spoke to others in the NT's Chinese community, who asked not to be named for this article. One community member dubbed the federal promises as tapping into "old paranoia", while another said "all international investors should be treated the same and given a fair go". They questioned why the major parties had only made the promises during a federal election campaign, and without any apparent change to national security advice regarding Landbridge's lease. Landbridge has a 99-year lease of the Darwin Port. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Defence expert says 'partisan politics' at play Multiple federal reviews have been undertaken on the Landbridge lease since it was awarded, without any announced risks to national security. Darwin-based defence expert Victor Abramowicz said it was "hard to see [the election pledges] as anything aside from partisan politicking on both sides". "The sale was made in 2015, governments of both stripes have been in power over the past decade, [and] none of them have moved to get rid of Chinese ownership of the port," Dr Abramowicz said. Victor Abramowicz says national security advice regarding Darwin Port has not changed. ( ABC News: Michael Donnelly ) "In fact, even the most recent government review in 2023, about 18 months ago, said "It's just very hard to believe anything has changed. "It's really just a bit of a delicate political environment." Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Dr Abramowicz said if the port lease had to be compulsorily acquired from Landbridge by the Commonwealth, it would likely be a huge sting to Australian taxpayers. "That'll be coming straight from the taxpayer's hip pocket, and for no apparent good national security reason," he said. Both Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese have pledged to bring the Darwin Port back "into Australian hands" this election campaign. ( Supplied ) Ms Li said she believed any move to strip the lease from Landbridge would jeopardise future private investment in the NT, which is already facing Photo shows ABC News Radio logo and the ABC Listen logo below it on a light blue background. Hear the latest election news as it happens on the Election Central Playlist. Only on the ABC listen app. "That will make it worse," she said. "Not only the business itself, but also the investor confidence. "It doesn't paint a very good picture." Dr Abramowicz said taking the lease back would likely make major foreign investors baulk at doing business on Australian shores. "It would seem to raise questions in terms of how safe Australia is as an investment destination, even if you are a company that comes in, pays a good price and does a good job," he said. Labor and the Coalition declined to comment. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
ABC News
23-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Foreign airlines could soon fly domestic routes to and from Darwin, but would it reduce prices?
Booking a return flight from Darwin can cost upwards of $1,000. And that's for flights that depart and arrive around midnight or the early morning hours. It's little wonder airfares are a key issue in the Northern Territory this election campaign. Candidates in the Darwin-based seat of Solomon are all promising to push for lower prices as a cost-of-living measure. The Coalition has now announced if elected it would change laws to allow international airlines to carry domestic passengers to and from Darwin and the east coast. But would the policy be effective? Return airfares from Darwin regularly cost more than $1,000. ( Facebook: Darwin International Airport ) What is being promised? The Coalition has promised to implement a two-year trial allowing international airlines to fly between Darwin and east coast capital cities, if it wins government. Currently, federal laws restrict foreign carriers from flying domestic routes. The Coalition said it would remove the "outdated" laws which it said had "kept Darwin airfares high and restricted services". The changes would allow airlines to stop over in Darwin while on an international route, enabling them to pick up and drop off passengers. Under the proposed changes, airlines would be able to pick up and drop off passengers in Darwin, while on an international route. ( ABC News: Michael Franchi ) Are foreign airlines interested? Current Member for Solomon Luke Gosling has previously The Labor MP said Darwin could become "a pilot location" for cabotage, but there was A Labor spokesperson said the federal government's Aviation White Paper "already commits us to opening up domestic routes to international carriers on a case-by-case basis". "We will consider requests by airlines when demand is there," they said. Luke Gosling says there is no demand for cabotage. ( ABC News: Hamish Harty ) Asked repeatedly whether the Coalition had spoken to international carriers before announcing its policy, Shadow Minister for Transport Bridget McKenzie didn't provide a direct answer. "Once we actually open that opportunity for international airlines, then there will be a demand because we know even the Darwin-Brisbane flight, that's at nearly 88 per cent capacity," she told ABC Radio Darwin on Wednesday. "Airlines are interested where there is demand, where they can actually make money. "That's why we're putting it on the table to trial it here for two years and give that opportunity to international carriers, such as [those in] the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore." Bridget McKenzie Asian airlines could be interested in flying Australian domestic routes. ( ABC News: Luke Stephenson ) Neil Hansford, an international aviation consultant, says airlines aren't interested in Darwin stopovers on international routes. "There's no incentive for them to do it because they've got all the traffic rights they need to, to fly directly to the major markets of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne," he said. "The consumer doesn't want intermediate stops. "This is going against the trend of Australians who want to fly direct with no stops." Neil Hansford says international airlines aren't interested in Darwin stopovers. ( ABC News ) Are Darwin airport fees a turn-off for airlines? The Virgin has claimed the fees ADG has Nevertheless, Mr Hansford says the fees are another reason international airlines may not take interest in the Coalition's proposed changes. "Currently the high cost of using our airports is what drives the prices," he says.
