Arabic version: أسئلة لا تزال قائمة بشأن تسليم موقع ستوكس هيل الملوّث

According to ABC News, the federal government plans to give the former Stokes Hill Navy fuel storage site in Darwin to Larrakia custodians, but has not said whether heavy fuel and PFAS contamination will be remediated before the land is returned.

The 3.8-hectare site behind Stokes Hill Wharf was the Navy’s main Darwin fuel storage base from 1920. Seven of its 11 fuel tanks were destroyed in the 1942 Japanese bombing of Darwin. Defence stopped using the site in 2014 and declared it surplus the following year. The proposed return is part of a national divestment of more than 60 Defence sites.

Larrakia custodian Lorraine Williams welcomed the offer, noting the land includes a registered tawny frogmouth sacred site. However, she said the area should be cleaned before it is handed back. Defence studies in 2017 found PFAS in groundwater and fuel contamination linked to the former tanks. The department said contamination management and remediation requirements would be considered through the divestment process, and that it would engage Northern Territory authorities and traditional owners.

The government has also identified the 362-hectare former Kowandi North communications base at Howard Springs for housing. Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce chief executive Glen Hingley said planning should involve the territory government, traditional owners and nearby communities. Housing Minister Steve Edgington said the NT government wanted more information. The Commonwealth said Kowandi North and the planned 800-home development at Lee Point would both host housing estates, while final disposal arrangements for Kowandi North remain under government consideration.