There has been renewed hope this round of talks could reach a compromise solution to the thorny sea boundary impasse that could open the way for the development of Greater Sunrise.

But Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer has said he would defend the maritime boundary which he said had been ‘laboriously negotiated’ over many years.

“What we have at the moment is what's called a Joint Development Area between Australia and East Timor and we give East Timor 90% of the revenue from that," Downer said.

"If you drew a median line [on the seabed], they may end up with a good deal less than 90 per cent.”

Meanwhile the Australian Council of Trade Unions has urged for a more equitable approach to the resolving the dispute.

“These long term projects will potentially generate thousands of jobs and bring with them numerous flow-on benefits to the local communities," ACTU president Sharan Burrow said.

"Such development would enable East Timor to escape continued poverty and to build a sustainable industry."

With the Northern Territory government predicting that a Timor Sea pipleine would generate 8,790 jobs and provide a $11 billion boost to the Territory's economy, both Australian and East Timorese trade unionists were keen to ensure East Timor also benefited from downstream development, Burrow said.

"Given that the contested gas and oil fields are in areas that are likely to be recognised by International Law as East Timorese waters, it makes sense that the East Timorese people should also benefit from the downstream processing of their oil and gas," she said.

"The ACTU also wants to see more emphasis placed on East Timorese employment on the rigs and platforms in the Timor Sea. We currently have a situation in which East Timorese workers are filling only a small portion of the jobs. This is a real wasted opportunity and any future resource sharing agreements should include more substantial and tangible provisions for training."