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

Coordinated action needed to unlock the Territory's resources pipeline

August 6, 2026
Turning the Territory’s resources opportunity into lasting economic benefit requires coordinated Commonwealth-Northern Territory action. The Northern Territory Geological Survey’s July 2026 report is an important publication and identifies: - nine major mines operating - 16 developing projects, including two currently on hold, representing an estimated $6.2 billion in potential capital expenditure and around 3,200 construction and 2,800 operating jobs - seven further advanced projects under feasibility. Spanning rare earths, copper, lithium, gold, phosphate, tungsten, molybdenum and other commodities, this is a diverse, Territory-wide opportunity with both regional and national significance. These are pipeline estimates, not committed outcomes and not every project will proceed or warrant public support. However, where projects are economically viable and meet the necessary environmental and community requirements, coordinated government action can help ensure avoidable barriers do not hold them back. That means aligning enabling infrastructure, workforce and migration, housing, regulatory and investment facilitation, and opportunities for downstream development, before constraints emerge. The opportunity is real - the next task is coordinated delivery. With the Commonwealth and Territory governments working from a shared plan, with clear responsibilities and timely decisions, credible projects can become sustained production, regional employment, local business activity, exports and stronger national supply chains.

Housing is essential economic infrastructure

August 5, 2026
The Darwin Major Business Group welcomes the release of the NT Housing Strategy 2026-2030 and its recognition that the Territory cannot grow its economy, attract workers or deliver major projects without more housing in the right places. The strategy’s focus on serviced land, enabling infrastructure, planning reform, construction capacity and affordable rental options for key workers reflects the challenges being raised by Territory businesses. Importantly, it also recognises that delivery will require cooperation across governments, industry, financial institutions, housing providers and communities, and that Commonwealth housing programs must be better leveraged for Territory outcomes. Through Facing North, DMBG is advocating for a coordinated housing partnership involving the NT Government, Housing Australia , community and First Nations housing providers, local government, financiers, landholders and industry. The opportunity now is to translate the strategy into a staged and investable pipeline of additional social, affordable and key-worker homes, with clear responsibilities, delivery milestones and the enabling infrastructure needed to get projects built. Housing supply is not separate from economic development. It is fundamental to workforce attraction, population growth and the Territory’s capacity to realise the major opportunities ahead.

Exercise Pitch Black 2026 is a national strategy made visible in the North

July 30, 2026
Up to 100 aircraft and more than 2,500 personnel from 20 nations are participating across RAAF Bases Darwin, Tindal and Amberley. An exercise of this scale depends on more than the bases themselves. It relies on resilient north–south freight and logistics connections, skilled workers, adequate housing, capable local supply chains and communities able to sustain the activity. These are not simply regional development issues. They are part of the infrastructure and community capacity required to sustain Australia’s national capability in the North. The continuing development of RAAF Base Tindal , including the new MQ-4C Triton facilities, is strengthening Australia’s northern air and maritime surveillance capability. More than $166 million in contracts for the Triton facilities were awarded to Northern Territory businesses, including $7.5 million to Indigenous subcontractors. As DMBG prepares for Facing North 2026, our focus is on the practical enablers that allow the Territory to support national priorities while securing enduring economic and community benefits from that investment. National security, national resilience and northern development are closely connected. Strengthening the North strengthens Australia.