Approval of Port Melville supply base near Darwin quashed by federal court

Former Northern Territory chief minister Adam
Giles, centre, at the site of the port in 2015.

The decision to approve a $130m marine supply base at Port Melville north of Darwin has been overturned by the federal court.

The ruling quashes a decision by a delegate of the former federal environment minister Greg Hunt to allow the development 120km north of Darwin to go ahead despite it not having an environmental assessment.

Justice White’s ruling said the delegate’s “exercise of the power was ... uncertain” and leaves the development by Ezion Offshore Logistics Hub (Tiwi) Pty Ltd in limbo.

The judge referred the matter to the new environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, who will come under pressure to order a full impact inquiry

Read The Guardian story - “Approval of Port Melville supply base near Darwin quashed by federal court.”