Preparing for Beetaloo means planning for people, jobs and infrastructure

Getting the Territory ready for Beetaloo means planning for people as well as production.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Rural’s report on a proposed village near Dunmarra for up to 3,000 workers highlights the scale of preparation that Beetaloo development could require.

The proposal is at an early stage, with no planning or environmental applications lodged, according to ABC. Its merits will need to be assessed through the relevant processes, with meaningful engagement with existing communities.

For Darwin Major Business Group, the broader question is how we plan housing, services, training and local procurement alongside industry development.

Workforce accommodation is one part of that task. We also need pathways for Territorians into skilled jobs, opportunities for local businesses to supply major projects, and infrastructure that delivers lasting benefits for surrounding communities.

Remote projects will draw on FIFO workers. Planning should also create opportunities for people to live, train and build careers in the Territory, while considering the pressures development could place on existing housing and services.

These are central questions behind DMBG’s Beetaloo Development Outlook: what could development over the next ten years mean, and what must the Territory do to prepare?

The time to coordinate that preparation is now.