4 November 2009

 

A Territory Government initiative

 

Strengthening ties

Chief Minister Paul Henderson is visiting Japan this week to build on the Northern Territory’s relationship with INPEX and meet with other resource industry bodies.

Mr Henderson will talk with INPEX President Mr Naoki Kuroda and other senior INPEX executives.

“INPEX’s $23 billion project is the largest private sector investment in the Northern Territory history and will provide financial certainty for decades to come,” Mr Henderson said.

“The Northern Territory Government is working with INPEX to ensure the Territory can take advantage of all the benefits and opportunities an investment of this size will bring.”

Mr Henderson will also visit ConocoPhillips, which operates the Darwin LNG plant that processes gas from the Bayu-Undan field in the Timor Sea.

“The Bayu-Undan field is a very important one for Japan. ConocoPhilips provides about 3 million tonnes of LNG to Japan every year, enough to power approximately 5 million homes,” Mr Henderson said.

Meetings with Bayu-Udan’s customers Tokyo Gas and Tokyo Electric Power Company, as well as the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) are also on the agenda.

Mr Henderson will also meet senior executives from Itochu, which has a long-standing relationship with the Territory and is a joint venture partner in Western Desert Resources’ iron ore project in the Roper Bar regions.

Chief Minister Paul Henderson and INPEX President Naoki Kuroda at the opening of INPEX’s office in Darwin earlier this year.

Marketing the Territory

A new $300 000 outdoor advertising campaign began yesterday in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane promoting holidays in the Northern Territory.

Minister for Tourism, Dr Chris Burns, said the campaign is another important part of Tourism NT’s domestic marketing activities.

“The Territory Government has continued investing in tourism marketing activities to get more people to holiday in the NT,” Dr Burns said.

More Australians have been opting for domestic holidays due to the economic climate over the last year, so it is vital the Territory has a strong market presence.

“The campaign will utilise 435 outdoor sites such as bus stops, wall mounts and city lights in central business districts in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,” Dr Burns said.

“Tourism is worth $1.6 billion to the Territory economy so it is vital to maintain marketing activities and support this important industry,” said Dr Burns.

The campaign runs throughout November and will be supported by online advertisements on Fairfax Digital, News Digital and NineMSN.

For more information, visit www.travelnt.com

Construction forum

The Minister for Infrastructure, Delia Lawrie, officially opened the Department of Planning and Infrastructure’s Construction Division Industry Forum at the Alice Springs Convention Centre last week.

More than 70 people attended the inaugural ‘Doing Business with the Construction Division’ forum, which encouraged project managers, architects, engineers, builders and civil contractors to discuss how to work in partnership to continue to build the Territory.

“This year’s record investment by the Northern Territory Government represents opportunities and challenges for the construction section in Central Australia that will be discussed at the forum,” Ms Lawrie said.

Alice Springs will receive more than $70 million in funding for major projects this financial year, including:

• $21.7 million for Alice Springs Hospital, including $2.5 million for secure mental health facilities
• $17.2 million for schools under the Australian Government’s Building the Education Revolution
• $9.9 million for works on the Tanami Road
• $7.6 million for works on Plenty Highway

All these projects will create and support jobs in Central Australia and ensure the Territory’s construction industry continues to lead the nation.