Inpex seeks urgent orders to halt strike action at Darwin LNG facility

Inpex has gone to the Fair Work Commission seeking urgent orders to stop strike action at its Ichthys LNG facility in Darwin. The company says the industrial action could disrupt production and affect gas supply. A hearing has been scheduled for Friday.

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The move follows an escalation announced by the Offshore Alliance, which says more than 400 workers will increase protected industrial action. The alliance, made up of the Australian Workers' Union and the Maritime Union of Australia, said members had endorsed longer stoppages at the Darwin onshore and offshore facilities from Thursday. Inpex has argued that the disruption would be significant.

Inpex senior vice president Bill Townsend said that if the production facilities were taken offline, there would be impacts for LNG buyers and for recipients of domestic gas supply in the Northern Territory. He said the company remained engaged in good-faith enterprise agreement negotiations and was committed to reaching a fair and sustainable deal. The Fair Work Commission confirmed the application had been filed on Tuesday and that Deputy President Michael Easton would hear the matter on Friday.

The dispute matters because Ichthys is a major LNG operation and any interruption can have wider market effects. The company has warned of consequences for both export customers and domestic supply, underlining the sensitivity of industrial action at large energy projects. The case also highlights the role of Australia's workplace relations system in managing disputes that can affect critical infrastructure.

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The Offshore Alliance has accused Inpex of failing to agree to a single bargaining claim in the first seven months of negotiations. It says the current dispute is about pay and conditions, including annual pay rises of three per cent. An industry lobby group has said that proposal would push the average salary of an Inpex worker to beyond $500,000 a year, although that figure is part of the wider argument between the sides.

What happens next will depend on the Fair Work Commission hearing on Friday and whether it grants the urgent orders sought by Inpex. It is not yet clear how long the planned industrial action could continue or whether the parties will reach agreement before the hearing. The immediate focus is on whether production at the Darwin facility can continue without further disruption.

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