Land Clearing

23 August 2001

NT Government encouraging landclearing

Daly River under threat

The auction today of over thirteen thousand hectares of crown land from Stray Creek marks the continuation of NT Government plans for massive landclearing and agricultural development in the Daly Basin. The land under threat from clearing is equivalent to nearly 9000 football fields. The lease conditions explicitly encourage landclearing and environmental destruction with the land being converted to freehold provided it is developed. A free ten-year water extraction licence provides further incentive to purchase and develop land.

"It's outrageous that the clearing of land can be subsidised like this when we know that it is the number one cause of species and habitat loss. This is the sort of absurd incentive that has caused so many environmental problems in southern Australia today. Why is the NT government repeating these mistakes and threatening the health of the Daly River?" Jann Crase, Northern Woodlands and Wetlands Campaigner said today.

"We are calling on the new NT government to commit to developing suitable landclearing legislation that will apply across all tenures and provide protection for the NT environment and to abandon subsidies for environmental destruction," Ms Crase concluded.

The Environment Centre will be unfurling a giant landclearing banner at Parliament House today at 12.30pm and attending the auction at 5.45pm to raise our concerns with the subdivision. Information flier follows.

10 things you didn't know about the Daly Basin.

Finally, the proposed agricultural development of this area is UNSUSTAINABLE and unlikely to be economically viable.

Environmental degradation is extremely costly to repair, as evidenced by southern experiences.

DON'T let it happen to the Territory.

For more information on Land Clearing contact ECNT:
Phone: 08 8981 1984
Email: ecnt@octa4.net.au

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