A $200 million City Deal has been signed for Darwin to boost the local economy, create jobs and support the growth of local small businesses.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Darwin City Deal builds on an ongoing commitment to develop northern Australia and infrastructure investments in the Northern Territory.
The City Deal includes immediate investment of $100 million each from the Federal Government and the Northern Territory Government.
The $200 million investment will support:
- The creation of a new education and civic precinct on Cavenagh Street featuring a new Charles Darwin University campus as well as retail, commercial and community spaces;
- Construction of a new Art Gallery in State Square;
- Transformation of public spaces in the CBD to create cooler, greener streetscapes;
- A new Urban Living Lab led by the CSIRO which will test and evaluate improvements in Darwin’s liveability, sustainability and resilience
- Establishment of a process to redevelop a key piece of Defence-owned land at Stokes Hill; and
- Additional support for the Larrakia people as the traditional owners of Darwin by increasing the share of jobs held by Indigenous Australians through an 8.8 per cent employment target and 3 per cent supplier-use target for City Deal projects and $2 million to support the Larrakia Development Corporation’s economic development aspirations.
Lord Mayor of Darwin Kon Vatskalis welcomed the 10-year plan for Darwin’s future.
“The Council and I look forward to working closely with our City Deal partners as we take forward this historic agreement that will help grow and transform Darwin,” he said.
The Opposition said it would honour the City Deal but would build upon the deal, transforming it into a City Partnership.
With all three levels of government having now agreed to the City Deal, an Implementation Plan will be prepared, setting out key milestones for projects with progress to be reported annually
The City Deal is available at https://citydeals.infrastructure.gov.au/darwin