There will be no changes to a Chinese company's controversial lease over the Port of Darwin, the federal government announced today.
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet said it had finished its review of the matter and it will not vary or cancel the lease held by Landbridge.
"The review found that: there is a robust regulatory system in place to manage risks to critical infrastructure, including the Port of Darwin; existing monitoring mechanisms are sufficient and will be ongoing; and as a result, it was not necessary to vary or cancel the lease," the department said in a statement.
"The government has accepted that advice."
The Northern Territory government in 2015 granted a 99-year lease of the port to Landbridge.
After relations between Canberra and Beijing sunk to new lows over the following years, politicians and commentators raised concerns about a Chinese company holding the lease of a port close to strategically important waters.
The awarding of the lease also came after the start of deployments by US Marines to Darwin and the Top End.
The federal government said today monitoring of security arrangements around the port will continue.
"Australians can have confidence that their safety will not be compromised, while ensuring that Australia remains a competitive destination for foreign investment," it said.
The lease was cleared on national security grounds by a Department of Defence review in late 2021.
