Barnaby Joyce has defended the Coalition’s inaction on a controversial deal to lease Darwin’s port to a Chinese company.

The federal government has flagged a $1.5 billion future spend to build a new wharf and offloading facility in the Northern Territory.

It comes after Darwin’s existing port was leased by the Northern Territory government to a Chinese-owned company for 99 years in 2015.

Scott Emerson grilled the Deputy Prime Minister on the federal government’s decision not to tear up the contract, despite doing so for Victoria’s Belt and Road deal.

Scott Emerson: “Are you saying you can’t do anything about it now? You just can’t control this now?”

Barnaby Joyce: “Well it’s a process that is incredibly more difficult because there’s a commercial arrangement that’s been entered into by the Northern Territory government and a state-owned enterprise in China.

“It was not our decision at the time, you’ve got to understand that!”

Scott Emerson: “But you made decisions about the Belt and Roads … even though there were agreements that had been signed on that.

“Why not do something about this deal in Darwin?”

Press PLAY below to hear Barnaby Joyce’s defence 

Image: Nine News