When the Coalition came to office in 2013, development of Australia’s North was placed back on the national agenda. The Coalition released its 2030 Vision for Northern Australia green paper in 2014 and a white paper in 2015, which revived old debates.
Now, scientific analysis by the CSIRO has concluded that an additional 370,000 hectares of land in northern Australia could be used for agricultural crops, boosting the region’s economy by $5.3 billion a year and creating 15,000 jobs. Amongst other things, the CSIRO has identified six potential sites for new dams in the Mitchell, Darwin and Fitzroy river catchment areas. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack says the Coalition will campaign for the development of new water infrastructure projects ahead of the next election.
