No aid without access: transforming Darwin into a regional humanitarian hub

As climate volatility increases and regional instability looms, Australia should consider developing Darwin into the Indo-Pacific’s leading humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) hub. This will require recognition of Darwin’s strategic value beyond defence, funding integrated civilian and military capabilities, and building of resilience to benefit Australia and its neighbours.

Darwin’s location has rightly earned it a pivotal role in force posture discussions, particularly concerning the US alliance and Australia’s broader defence realignment. But by limiting its use to hard power functions, we’re missing opportunities in other areas.

The city is close to some of the most disaster-prone and strategically significant regions on earth: Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In a region experiencing the intensifying effects of climate change, seismic activity, and internal and external pressures on governance, Australia’s ability to respond to crises is inseparable from its ability to project soft power. We must use Darwin to its full potential.

Darwin has a strong history of stepping up. In 1999, when crisis erupted in East Timor, Darwin served as the staging ground for Australia’s humanitarian and peacekeeping response. In the aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombings, the Royal Darwin Hospital rapidly scaled its capacity to triage and treat victims flown in from Denpasar, cementing its role in Australia’s trauma response network. Today, Darwin hosts the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre and the Australian Medical Assistance Team, both central to regional disaster response efforts. These aren’t symbolic assets but operational capabilities with a track record of saving lives.

But reactive capacity is no longer enough. The Indo-Pacific is entering a period of unprecedented climate and political risk. Extreme weather events, from cyclones to floods, are becoming more frequent and more severe. Political instability in the region, from civil unrest in East Timor to health emergencies in Papua New Guinea—demands fast, flexible and sustained responses. And yet, the logistical capacity to support rapid regional HADR missions remains underdeveloped.

Darwin is ideally suited to serve as a prepositioning and supply staging point. Much of its fuel and supplies arrive by sea, creating a natural nexus for maritime-led HADR logistics. Spending on projects such as the Darwin ship lift will increase the city’s ability to support amphibious operations, including disaster relief. Prepositioned stores of emergency goods—for example, portable shelters, medical kits, water purification systems and engineering equipment—would enable immediate surge capacity. This would both boost regional response and enhance northern Australia’s own disaster resilience.

Darwin’s proximity to regional partners means it is well-placed to facilitate deeper multilateral HADR coordination. Recent exercises such as Exercise Bhakti Kanyini AusIndo 2024  demonstrate what’s possible. That exercise brought together Australian, US, and Indonesian military and civilian agencies to simulate a cyclone response. With East Timor, Britain, and PNG observing, the event highlighted a growing regional appetite for interoperable disaster response frameworks. Darwin can and should be the operational anchor for these partnerships, hosting joint exercises and operations.

Darwin could also support aid diplomacy efforts. As US aid programs are being rolled back and China is leveraging infrastructure loans for influence, Australia has an opportunity to prove its commitment to the region. Darwin’s HADR capability would send a message: Australia is present, prepared and invested in regional resilience. Soft power isn’t built with promises in Canberra press conferences. It’s earned in the aftermath of floods, earthquakes and political upheaval when Australia steps up and demonstrates its dedication to its values.

Realising this vision will require action. Australia’s HADR architecture is spread thin. The government should prioritise reviews of supply chain vulnerabilities in Darwin, particularly fuel security, cold storage capacity, and access to air and sea lift assets. The federal government should also consider legislating a minimum reserve of critical HADR supplies staged in the north. Larger and more frequent multilateral exercises must be budgeted for, planned for and executed. Coordination between federal and territory governments must be tightened, especially around infrastructure and inter-agency training, creating muscle-memory crisis responses.

There are economic benefits, too. Improved HADR capability in Darwin would increase regional employment, build emergency services capacity, and boost logistics resilience across northern Australia. It would also position Darwin as a centre for humanitarian innovation, enriching our own disaster response capability while filling a niche across the region. In the long term, this aligns with broader regional strategies such as the Pacific step-up and the Partnerships for Infrastructure initiative. HADR readiness isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s good strategy and good economics.

ASPI’s North of 26 Degrees South compendiums consistently highlight Darwin’s strategic versatility. Past volumes have made the case for Darwin’s role in fuel resilience, regional supply chain diversification, and northern basing.

With growing instability in Southeast Asia and an increasingly volatile Pacific, Darwin’s value cannot be measured solely in military terms. It must become a national hub for HADR—a launch pad for compassion as much as capability.

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