The federal Coalition wants to make the Top End of Australia the next development frontier for jobs, services and infrastructure.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott confirmed today that if he becomes Prime Minister in September the Coalition would produce a white paper on opportunities for the Northern Territory and parts of Queensland and Western Australia.
“No longer will northern Australia be seen as the last frontier – it is, in fact, the next frontier,” Abbott said in a statement.
The white paper will consider ways to exploit region’s potential as a “food bowl” and double the nation’s agricultural output, boost domestic and international tourism and build an energy export industry worth $150 billion.
This would allow northern Australia to capitalise on the significant economic, strategic and environmental trends now shaping both the Asian and tropical regions, where about 40 per cent of the world’s population now lives.
“We like to talk about the Asian century,” Abbott told reporters in Townsville.
“If Australia is to play its part in the Asian century, that part of our country which is already the most integrated with Asia needs to be developed.”
Stay informed, daily
In the past, governments and the private sector have been reluctant to invest in major projects in the region because of insufficient populations and services.
Abbott expects the white paper, which would be delivered within a year, will allow a Coalition government to encourage families to move north.
