Inpex Announces new Deputy

INPEX has appointed the Territory's top military man as its second in command.

David Gwyther, who retired from the Defence Force last week, will be the resources company's deputy manager in the NT.

The appointment is seen as further evidence that the $12 billion gas project will come to Darwin.

Mr Gwyther was a navy Commodore and the Commander of Northern Command in the Territory.

His job included liaising with bureaucrats and politicians in Canberra, as well as organising border protection.

Inpex manager Sean Kildare again used positive language about the chances of Darwin winning the LNG plant when announcing Mr Gwyther's appointment.... read more here.

Darwin is Priciest City to Rent a House

Darwin is now the most expensive Australian city in which to rent a house, after rents grew by 4.2 per cent in capital cities in 2010.

The RP Data Rental Review for the December quarter of 2010 showed the median rent for a house in Darwin was $520 per week, followed by Canberra at $490 and Sydney at $430. Adelaide claimed the title as the cheapest place to rent a house, with a weekly median of $325, followed by Hobart at $335.

"Across the combined house and unit market, rents increased by $80 per week between March 2006 and December 2008 across the country whilst capital city rents increased by a total of $90 per week," RP Data analyst Cameron Kusher said in a statement on Thursday.

Since December 2008, median weekly-advertised rents across the country had increased by just $20, Mr Kusher said.

Within the capital city market, rental growth was slightly higher at $25 per week, with a $5 per week improvement during the last quarter, Mr Kusher said.

The data also showed that the most expensive place to rent, both units and houses, is Western Australia's booming Pilbara mining region, which during the last quarter recorded a weekly median rent of $1,650... read more here.

Darwin House Prices Set to Skyrocket: Report

DARWIN will have the second-highest median house price in Australia in three years, according to a new real estate outlook.

Northern Territory house prices are predicted to rise by up to 5 per cent this year because of strong demand and continued under-supply of vacant residential land, according to the First National Property Market Outlook.

The outlook, which is based on a survey of the organisation's more than 450 members across the nation, predicts annual rises in Darwin of four per cent, taking the median house price to $620,000 in 2013, below Sydney at $750,000 and above Melbourne at $610,000.... read more here