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Article: The blessed curse: Quinton Temby exposes the negotiations to pipe oil and gas away from East Timor--and the profit and jobs that flow away with them.(Oil Pipelines / Politics)
- Article from:
- New Internationalist
- Article date:
- October 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 New Internationalist Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As development of the rich oil and natural gas reserves in the Timor Sea near East Timor takes off, the Government hopes that investment by oil-industry giants will bring the petroleum onshore for processing. Ten thousand jobs could be created and untold billions of dollars added to the Gross Domestic Product. The potential investment, it says, represents genuine national-interest considerations that may well outweigh royalty and tax-revenue benefits'. But this government hype is from Australia's Northern Territory, where gas from the Timor Sea will be piped. The only benefits to the national interest will be Australia's.
What then of East Timor? Australia's ...