Finocchiaro CLP Government calls on Canberra to fund restoration of Arnhem Land fuel storage tanks as part of Commonwealth’s $3.2bn Australian Fuel Security Reserve plan.
The region has seven fuel-compliant storage tanks with a combined capacity of 220 million litres, as well as a deep-water port to support a national fuel storage hub.
The project would be a key measure in the Finocchiaro CLP Government’s Nhulunbuy Transition to ensure jobs and services remain in the region after Rio Tinto departs.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government has called on Canberra to fund the restoration of fuel storage tanks in North East Arnhem Land as part of the Commonwealth’s $3.2bn Australian Fuel Security Reserve plan.
The federal government has outlined plans to establish a 1 billion litre reserve of diesel and aviation gas for the regions.
Rio Tinto owns fuel-compliant storage tanks which have been supporting their bauxite mines since the 1960s.
Those operations are now winding up and the tanks have been marked for demolition.
But as part of the Finocchiaro CLP Government’s Nhulunbuy Transition to ensure jobs and services remain in the region after Rio Tinto departs, the NT Government wants Canberra to help refurbish the tanks to secure fuel stocks for regional and national needs.
Along with the Arnhem Land Gumatj and Rirratjingu Aboriginal corporations, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling for Canberra to help fund the refurbishment of the tanks.
“As the Territory works to drive the economic transition of East Arnhem Land beyond mining, there is a clear opportunity for the Commonwealth to step up and partner with us on a project of national significance,” the Chief Minister said.
“After the war in the Middle East exposed the fragility of Australia’s fuel supply chains, I am calling on the Prime Minister to make the Gove Peninsula a critical part of the national solution to secure fuel supplies.
“The Territory is well placed to make a significant contribution to provide fuel security for the Gove Peninsula and Australia.”
The region has seven fuel-compliant storage tanks with a combined capacity of 220 million litres, as well as a deep-water port capable of supporting a national fuel storage and distribution hub.
“Rather than see Rio Tinto decommission and demolish these assets, we have an opportunity to strengthen Australia’s fuel resilience, support remote communities, create local jobs, and deliver a new economic future for East Arnhem Land,” the Chief Minister said.
“But time is running out. Rio Tinto must make decisions on the future of this infrastructure by the middle of 2027.
“The Traditional Owners are ready. The Territory is ready. And industry is ready.
“The Northern Territory Government is backing the future of Gove – and I’m calling on the Commonwealth to show through action not words that it is too.
“Because a strong north is a secure Australia.”
