The Chief Minister met with the media shy Jim Mulva, worldwide head of Philips, in her offices for an hour on their joint plans to scuttle Shell's and Woodside's planned floating LNG proposal which would see LNG exported directly from the offshore facility, with minimal benefits to Australia, or in particular, the Northern Territory.

Ms Martin said she was pleased that Philips was running the same national argument that the Territory was supporting.

She said they were happy to back Philips and not Woodside because they were planning to bring gas onshore.

"They're the company with the credibility regarding this, they're doing the work, they're putting the dollars in.

"They are supporting the argument I've been running nationally; that is, questioning the $2 billion figure that Shell and Woodside have put out there".

Philips will have its chance to argue the point with Shell and Woodside in a fortnight's time in Perth. The two camps will pitch their argument to the federally-funded InvestAustralia, which will advise the Federal Government on what kind of Federal agreement and assistance may be needed.

It is understood Mulva leaves for East Timor today to attempt to wrap up the fiscal arrangement for Bayu-Undan and then concentrate on Sunrise.