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Australia seeking to buy back Port of Darwin from Chinese firm, says PM (www.straitstimes.com)
submitted 4 days ago by Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org to c/world@quokk.au
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Cross-post from https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32157648

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has indicated he would look to buy back the Port of Darwin from Chinese company Landbridge under a re-elected Labor government, the most significant move yet to bring the strategic asset once more under Australian ownership.

Mr Albanese said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp radio on April 4 the port needs to be “in Australian hands”, including the possibility that a private buyer would be sought to take control.

“We will enter into negotiations to do that,” Mr Albanese said. “That is what we’ve been doing informally through potential buyers up to this point already, and if it reaches a point where the Commonwealth needs to directly intervene, then we’d be prepared to do that.”

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[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I thought they didn't own it and it was just a lease.

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Want it a fucking 50 or 100 year lease though?

Whoever sells this shit off to foreign interests should be in investigated. I have zero doubt there were bribes.

[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yeah. It was a 99 year lease.

What's crazy is that I think we took all the money upfront and spent it in a week like a fucking junkie.

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 5 points 4 days ago

Hey, the voters won’t bribe themselves, you know

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 3 points 3 days ago

I work on this port fixing those giant arse cranes you see in the picture.

The 99 year lease of the port was a farce, done by the NT government not the federal government years ago.

If i remember correctly it was something like 500 million dollars so 5 million a year ish to own the only port in the Northern Territory.

Conveniently right around the corner from the Navy base.

In other corrupt things the NT governments have done include handing large amounts of land to building contractors for 1 dollar so they can develop it while the government pays for the development too.

We're a two part Territory with two major building companies who are all im cahoots.

I'm sure this shit happens everywhere but because the NT is so small it's super apparent

[–] OmegaLemmy@discuss.online 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Why the fuck did Australia lease a port? Don't they get enough tax from their population and trade from their industry?

[–] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

Why the fuck did Australia lease a port?

Corruption.

Politicians favorite passtime.

If they can bribe politicians in Australia, imagine smaller countries that are under China's influence.

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 2 points 3 days ago

Also to make it more stupid. That ship in the foreground is a US Navy cargo ship. Every time they dock the port goes into a semi lock down with police patrolling the place, mobile camera units set up everywhere and vehicle searches.

Half the damned NT police force ends up down there watching shit get put on a boat encase Chinese spies are around rather then put serving our community