Imagine if Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew had taken his vision of transforming his nation-state from a swampy backwater into a global economic powerhouse and applied it to northern Australia. If northern Australia is ever to be more than a collection of disconnected outposts and unrealised ambitions, it will require the same level of visionary leadership and unapologetic planning. Northern development won’t come from a scattergun approach or a one-size-fits-all funding package. Reliable transport and digital infrastructure underpin critical minerals processing in Tennant Creek, hydrogen production in the Barkly, and increased food exports from Katherine. Northern Australia will remain disconnected, vulnerable and underperforming.