Success for DLA Phillips Fox with Oakajee Port bid
DLA PHILLIPS Fox had a big win recently with the Western Australian Government announcing that the Oakajee Port and Rail consortium (OPR) had been chosen to build a $1.5 billion deep-water port
DLA PHILLIPS Fox had a big win recently with the Western Australian Government announcing that the Oakajee Port and Rail consortium (OPR) had been chosen to build a $1.5 billion deep-water port at Oakajee in Western Australia.
The project has been the subject of considerable controversy over the growing level of Chinese control in the WA resources sector. According to The West Australian newspaper, the government’s choice of the Japanese/Australian-backed OPR, over the Chinese-backed Yilgarn will be seen as appeasing this concern worry.
However, in a joint statement the Western Australian Premier, Alan Carpenter, and the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Alannah MacTiernan, said that the decision was made purely on the basis of merit. “Technical assessment of the two proposals resulted in a very definitive recommendation in favour of Oakajee Port and Rail,” Carpenter said.