Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment Bill 2026
Senator DEAN SMITH (Western Australia) (12:01): Northern Australia is not a distant frontier; it is central to Australia's prosperity, security and future growth. That is why the coalition supports the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment Bill 2026, extending the NAIF for a further 10 years from 30 June 2026 to 30 June 2036. The coalition established the NAIF in 2016 because we recognised the enormous economic contribution of northern Western Australia and the wider north.
Northern Australia covers more than half the continent but is home to just 5.1 per cent of all Australians, yet it produces well above its population share through mining, energy, agriculture, tourism, logistics and exports. In Western Australia, that contribution is unmistakeable. The Pilbara is one of the great economic powerhouses of the world.
Its ports, mines, gas fields, roads, airports and energy systems help drive Australia's export income and national prosperity. The Kimberley is rich in agriculture, pastoral production, tourism, aquaculture, resources and First Nations culture. From Broome to Kununurra, it carries enormous potential but also enormous infrastructure challenges.
That is why the NAIF matters so much. Since its establishment, the NAIF has helped bridge financing gaps and deliver infrastructure projects that might otherwise never proceed. It has supported projects across agriculture and water, energy, resources, transport and, importantly, social infrastructure.
As at December 2025, the NAIF had supported 33 projects backed by $4.3 billion in commitments. Those projects are forecast to generate $33 billion in public benefit—around $7.60 for every dollar of NAIF finance—and support more than 18,000 jobs across northern Australia. The independent review into the NAIF confirmed what regional communities already know: the NAIF is trusted, effective and regarded as a highly valued institution.
Stakeholders describe it as part of the northern Australia ecosystem, with the review's first recommendation being that the NAIF continue permanently. This bill does not go that far, unfortunately, but a 10-year extension provides certainty—and certainty is exactly what northern Western Australia needs. In the Kimberley, the infrastructure task is urgent.
Roads are the lifeline of the north. The Great Northern Highway connects communities, freight, mining, agriculture and tourism across the Kimberley. But it was only three years ago when ex-tropical-cyclone Ellie tore through Australia's north, showing everyone across Australia just how vulnerable infrastructure can be when the Fitzroy Crossing bridge, one of Australia's major road freight connections, was significantly damaged, cutting off east Kimberley from the west Kimberley and disrupting communities, supply chains and businesses across the region.
That was a stark reminder that resilient infrastructure is not optional in northern Australia. We need stronger roads, we need better bridges and we need more flood-resilient freight corridors that can withstand the severe weather events that regularly impact northern Australia. Telecommunications remain another major and consistent challenge for northern communities.
Across the Kimberley, digital connectivity affects business, health, education, emergency services and tourism. Many communities still rely on unreliable satellite connections, while some residents need multiple mobile providers simply to maintain coverage across the region. That is not good enough in modern Australia.
These are standards that would be unacceptable in parts of our southern continent, so why should they be acceptable across the northern part of our continent? Reliable telecommunications are essential for remote health care, online learning, tourism operators, precision agriculture, small businesses and emergency services. Housing, of course, is also becoming a major barrier to growth.
In Broome and across the Kimberley, housing shortages make it harder for businesses, harder for schools and harder for health services to attract workers. In the Pilbara, limited housing supply and high costs are constraining economic growth and making it harder to transition workers from FIFO arrangements into permanent regional communities. The Pilbara also demonstrates why strategic infrastructure investment matters.
Port Hedland remains the world's largest bulk export port. Karratha Airport and Port Hedland International Airport are critical economic and emergency links. The region's iron ore, LNG and critical mineral industries underpin Australia's economy and will continue to play a critical role in driving our national growth, driving our export income and driving energy security today and for the decades to come.
But sustaining that strength requires continued investment in roads, ports, airports, reliable energy infrastructure, worker accommodation and training facilities. The NAIF is designed for exactly this purpose—to unlock private investment, reduce financing barriers and deliver long-term public benefit. The coalition support this bill because we believe in northern Australia.
We support it because we believe in the Kimberley and the Pilbara, and we support it because when northern Western Australia is strong, indeed the whole nation is strong.