The Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP, has joined Northern Territory Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, to launch Darwin's $4.5 million Larrakia Trade Training Centre.
The $3 million contribution from Ichthys Joint Venture Partners, INPEX and Total, to the Larrakia Development Corporation (LDC) project will help all Territorians maximise the economic benefits of the Ichthys gas project. The LDC will build a trade school at East Arm Wharf where electrics, plumbing, refrigeration, metal fabrication and motor mechanics will be taught.
Launching the project in Darwin today, Minister Ferguson said the trade school would help indigenous Territorians contribute to the development of Darwin as an international hub for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other gas-based industries.
Minister Ferguson said: "The LNG industry in the Territory has huge potential for exports and jobs and if its development can forge a new, highly-skilled workforce among indigenous Territorians, that alone will be as valuable to Australia as every dollar earned from exports."
Mr Henderson said indigenous Territorians would stand to benefit significantly from the jobs and opportunities generated by the project.
"This is about creating real jobs for Territorians while also making sure the environment is protected. I hope this partnership can be a model for others to follow," Mr Henderson said.
"We are committed to negotiating a guaranteed funding agreement to maximise training and apprenticeship opportunities for indigenous young people."
Minister Ferguson said: "Australia is one of only three net energy-exporting nations in the OECD and we have a vital role to play in global energy security in the 21st century. Darwin will be front and centre, a major LNG hub supplying clean, reliable energy to our neighbours in the Asia Pacific for decades to come.
"But with around 80 new projects expected to start in the resources sector in the next five years - all of them seeking highly skilled and productive workers - we cannot be complacent. That's why projects such as the one we launch today are so important."
Chief Minister Henderson and Minister Ferguson congratulated the Larrakia Development Corporation and the Ichthys Joint Venture Partners, INPEX and Total, for their leadership and initiative in establishing this new Trade Training Centre.
Ichthys is one of Australia's largest undeveloped gas fields with an expected life of more than 40 years and will add more than eight million tonnes per year of LNG to Australia's energy exports. The Ichthys project will create more than 2,000 jobs in Darwin during construction and 300 more when fully operational. The first LNG from Ichthys is expected in 2015.