Darwin Major Business Group
An independent voice on economic development in the Northern Territory.
Darwin Major Business Group (DMBG) brings together senior business leaders to contribute informed, constructive and long-term perspectives on the Territory’s economic future.
About DMGB
Darwin Major Business Group Ltd (DMBG) is an independent, member-based organisation established to provide a considered business perspective on the Northern Territory’s economic direction.
DMBG operates as a platform for collaboration, analysis and advocacy, with a focus on long-term economic outcomes for the Northern Territory.
Key Initiatives & Partnerships
AEC Economic Report
Independent economic analysis of the Northern Territory
Facing North
National engagement on Northern Territory opportunity
Investment Summit 2025
Delivered in partnership with the Northern Territory Government
What We Do
Economic Analysis & Insight
DMBG supports evidence-based discussion through commissioned research and economic reporting on the Northern Territory.
Advocacy & Policy Engagement
We engage constructively with governments and decision-makers to inform policy settings that support sustainable economic growth.
Convening & Dialogue
DMBG fosters informed discussion on investment, workforce and development priorities involving business, government and the community.
Latest from DMBG
September 8, 2026
Another tangible milestone for the Beetaloo Basin . Santos Ltd has commenced drilling its first appraisal well in the Basin as it works to establish the commerciality of its acreage. Territory-based Exact Contracting completed the well pad, access tracks and key road intersection upgrades required for the drilling program. That local involvement matters. It demonstrates how Territory businesses can participate as activity advances, but maximising the benefits locally will require deliberate preparation. The Territory needs to be ready with the workforce and skills, housing, roads, pipelines and other enabling infrastructure, industrial land and supply-chain capability required to support development at scale. The objective must be to retain more of the jobs, expenditure and expertise created here in the Territory. That is the central question being examined through DMBG’s independently commissioned Beetaloo Development Outlook: how development could progress from early production to a mature industry, and what the Territory must do now to be ready. DMBG congratulates Santos on reaching this appraisal milestone and Exact Contracting on its role in getting the drilling program underway.
September 7, 2026
Important analysis from Colin Storey , and a significant Territory story within it. Data from defencecontracts.com.au places Sitzler Pty Ltd among Australia’s top 20 Defence suppliers over the past decade, with seven contracts over $100 million and a combined value of $2.25 billion. It is an impressive achievement for a long-established, Australian-owned Territory company. More broadly, it demonstrates what capable Territory businesses can achieve when procurement settings give them a genuine opportunity to compete. That opportunity was hard won. Master Builders Northern Territory previously led a Territory campaign that resulted in more NT businesses being able to quote for and win Defence work. That history matters now. With Defence investment across Northern Australia continuing to grow, success cannot be measured by the value of announcements alone. It must also be measured by the Territory businesses winning work, the local jobs and skills being created, and the lasting sovereign capability being built in the north. Territory businesses are not asking for work to be handed to them. They are asking for fair and accessible procurement processes, and a genuine opportunity to compete on merit. Sitzler’s place on this national list demonstrates what can follow when that opportunity exists. The challenge now is to open the door wider for more Territory businesses. Note: Sitzler Managing Director Steve Margetic is Chair of the Darwin Major Business Group. Defence suppliers data source: https://lnkd.in/p/geBnBHnH
September 4, 2026
First gas from the Beetaloo Basin is a Territory milestone. Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King ’s speech at the Beetaloo Basin First Gas commissioning makes clear that it is also a national one. The Minister described Beetaloo as “a game-changer for the Northern Territory, and therefore, the nation” and recognised the bipartisan work across successive NT governments that helped make this moment possible. DMBG welcomes that clear recognition. The Minister’s comparison of the Territory’s pipeline infrastructure with Western Australia’s Dampier–Bunbury pipeline, now a backbone of the WA economy, is particularly important. First gas is the beginning. Realising Beetaloo’s full value will require coordinated investment in enabling infrastructure, workforce capability, local supply chains and new industry. That must be a shared national development task involving the Commonwealth, the NT Government, Traditional Owners, industry and local business. There must be a clear plan to ensure the jobs, business opportunities and long-term economic benefits are realised here in the Territory. DMBG congratulates our member Tamboran Resources Corporation and Daly Waters Energy , Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders, the Northern Land Council , pastoralists, successive Northern Territory governments and everyone involved in reaching this milestone. The opportunity is substantial. Now is the time to get the Territory ready. Click here to read Minister King’s speech.
