Leasing the Port of Darwin to Chinese interests is a decision that continues to hound the federal government, as it should.
The 100-year lease was sold to Chinese firm Landbridge in 2015 and the government is currently reviewing the decision.
The original justification for selling the port was that the port needed vital infrastructure investment that would be better funded by private interests.
Two problems here, we pay taxes for exactly these sort of projects, and why was it left to get into such a state of disrepair the only answer was private funding?
Not surprisingly when the decision was announced it drew almost instant criticism, including from then president Barack Obama who had committed US troops to the area.
Since then in a completely predictable move China has considerably stepped up its assertiveness in the area and it’s looking less like a good deal and more like a massive security risk.
Should the port be returned to public ownership?