The Northern Territory government and a Singapore-backed developer have overcome a key obstacle to their proposed hotel on the Darwin Waterfront, after the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) added new names to a decades-old certificate in a move slammed by one critic as "legislative vandalism".

The development of a high-rise hotel at Stokes Hill on Darwin Harbour was announced in May last year, with the government describing the project as a major boost for Darwin offering jobs, tourism and up-scale accommodation.

But plans stalled after the project faced strong opposition from traditional owners and questions about transparency over the government's deal with the developer, SH Darwin.

Larrakia elders said the hotel would sit directly opposite a sacred site, and, at a proposed

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