Land Clearing

5 December 2005

Applications to extract over 30,000 megalitres of ground and surface water per year (or 30 billion litres/year) from the Daly River system, mostly for expanded cattle, crop and horticultural production, are believed to be undergoing assessment by the NT Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRETA).

The Environment Centre (ECNT) was told by the Chief Executive of NRETA in September that processing of water licence applications had resumed, bringing to an end a de facto moratorium stretching back to late 2003 (when the Daly Region Community Reference Group was formed).

ECNT’s Freshwater Campaigner Dr Gary Scott said ECNT has been seeking details of this assessment process without success for two months.

“We have been asking repeatedly for a copy of the new criteria that apparently are being used to assess water licence applications but have still received no response from the Department.

”It is extremely concerning that after all the efforts the Martin Government made to consult with the community on the future of the Daly during 2004, followed by election commitments in June 2005 supposedly designed to protect the Daly from excessive development, that a decision like this could have been made within the Department without any public notification or consultation.

“The Daly Water Allocation Plan has not even been finalised yet. And it remains unclear how any new approvals of water licences would relate to the current moratoriums on land clearing and pastoral subdivisions in the Daly Region.

“The Martin Government promised to continue a process of community consultation on the Daly. But it seems that since the election victory, local residents and Indigenous, tourism, recreational fishing, and environmental stakeholder groups are being kept in the dark.

“The NT Government must step in and halt any current Departmental approvals process pending the implementation of recommendations from the Daly Community Reference Group. These include long overdue amendments to the Water Act to provide a clear statutory water allocation process and allow for community consultation”, concluded Dr Scott.

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