Albanese government won't cancel Port of Darwin lease, avoiding Beijing bust-up
In limiting the scope of the review into the ownership of Darwin's port, the Albanese government received the answer it wanted.
After 16 months, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s department has decided to keep the Port of Darwin under Chinese ownership.
Just three weeks after coming to power last year, Albanese announced a fresh review into the Northern Territory government's $506 million agreement to lease the port to Chinese firm Landbridge for 99 years.
The federal government saw no problems when the lease was signed back in 2015, and a Defence Department review in 2021 found no grounds to overturn the lease.
The latest review by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet - which included input from other departments including Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - has found there is a “robust regulatory system in place” to deal with any risks presented by the ownership.
