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3 November 2006

Call for Inquiry into Tiwi forestry project.
Senate hears of plans for first large scale clearing of Bathurst Island forests. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory (ECNT) has called for an Inquiry into the current operation and planned expansion of the Tiwi Island forestry project – a ‘partnership’ between Great Southern Plantations (GSP) Pty Ltd and the Tiwi Land Council (TLC). The current project involves clearing 26,000 hectares of native forest on Melville Island for woodchip plantations.

To view the media release click here

11 August 2006

Bold new vision for Daly River released. A new report has been released today by the Environment Centre Northern Territory (ECNT), which examines options for conservation and appropriate development in the Daly River Catchment.

27 July 2006

Ord Stage 2 risks repeat of massive land problems in the south: new study needed. Environment groups today called for a new Environmental Impact Study (EIS) to be completed for the Ord River Stage 2 - the largest proposed land clearing operation in Northern Australia.

Tiwi sand mining approval 'not sound'. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory (ECNT) says the decision of the Environment Minister and EPA to approve two Matilda Minerals Ltd mineral sand mining projects on the north coast of Melville Island is very troubling (notification by letter on 30 May).

13 June 2006

New GM cotton plans threaten Northern Australia's rivers. Conservation groups have expressed grave concerns over moves by multinational chemical giants Monsanto and Bayer to introduce large scale genetically manipulated (GM) cotton crops in river catchments across northern Australia.

5 December 2005

Concern over possible new Daly water licenses. 30 billion litres/year up for approval! 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).

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14 July 2005

Water law and planning in the Northern Territory: an independent review by the Environmental Defender's Office NSW. ECNT commissioned Ilona Millar, Principal Solicitor at EDO NSW, to undertake a review of legal and policy frameworks for water management in the NT.

Download the full report (564 KB)

27 June 2005

Pipeline fiasco highlights need for better government and industry planning. The cancellation of the Trans Territory Pipeline project is further proof that the energy infrastructure and industrialisation process taking place in the Top End is ad hoc and poorly planned, the Environment Centre NT (ECNT) said today.

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7 April 2005

Trans-Territory Pipeline Bill threatens rivers and wetlands. The Trans-Territory Pipeline (TTP) and Blacktip Gas Projects (Special Provisions) Bill, introduced into the NT Parliament late last month, could well be a step backwards for environmental protection in the Territory, the Environment Centre NT said today.

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21 March 2005

WA company may breach environmental policy in takeover of Tiwi woodchip project. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory (ECNT) says the imminent takeover by WA company Great Southern Plantations (GSP) of a large scale native forestry operation on the Tiwi Islands risks breaching GSP’s stated environmental principles.

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4 March 2005

Trans-Territory gas pipeline will irreversibly damage Top End. The Environment Centre of the NT (ECNT) says the proposed trans-Territory pipeline (TTP) would have major environmental, social and cultural impacts along its 940 km route from Wadeye to Alcan's Gove alumina refinery.

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3 March 2005

Trans Territory Pipeline: A submission on the EIS by the Enviroment Centre NT.

18 January 2005

Blacktip Project: Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Woodside, October 2004. A submission by the Environment Centre of the Northern Territory .

15 December 2004

Territorians urge Martin Government to reject Daly development proposals. More than one thousand people, the vast majority of them Territorians, have signed a petition calling for the NT Government to abandon plans for large-scale land clearing and irrigated agriculture in the Daly River region.

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28 October 2004

Irreversible and unpredictable” impacts: New Daly River study. Environment groups today launched a new scientific report showing how seriously the Daly River catchment and its biodiversity could be affected if further large scale agricultural landclearing is approved by the NT Government.

The report says that “"The development proposals [for the Daly] are the most significant in Australia with regard to their potential impact on biodiversity".”

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9 August 2004

Daly at the Crossroads – Minister accuses ECNT of being "mischievous or ignorant". The Daly River Community Reference Group (DRCRG) is now in the final stages of writing its report to the NT Government based on the last eight months of meetings and debates.

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2 August 2004

NT Parks and Conservation Masterplan: A Submission by ECNT, WWF-Australia, AMCS and TSN. Environment Non-Government Organisations, including ECNT, have made a comprehensive submission to NT Parks and Wildlife on the forthcoming NT Parks and Conservation Masterplan.

Download the submission (516KB)

8 June 2004

Daly River – over 30 billion litres in new water licences awaiting approval. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory is today calling on the Hon Dr Chris Burns, Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Environment to immediately suspend the approval of new water licenses in the Daly River catchment.

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6 April 2004

New large scale clearing plan – an ecological catastrophe for the Daly River. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory (ECNT) today attacked plans by the NT Department of Primary Industries (DPI) for a massive increase in landclearing in the Daly River catchment.

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2 April 2004

Serious conflict of interest emerges over Glyde Point development; parliamentary inquiry needed. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory, the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Save Darwin Harbour Group today called for a Parliamentary inquiry into the environmental assessment process for the proposed massive new industrial estate at Glyde Point, 50 km north east of Darwin.

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25 March 2004

Daly River plan undermined by lack of time and science. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory and The Wilderness Society are calling on the NT Government to extend the timeframe on the Daly River Integrated Regional Planning process. Large-scale landclearing and irrigated agriculture are proposed for the Daly River yet there is a lack of high quality science guiding the planning process.

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February 2004

Landclearing by stealth? Unbeknownst to most Territorians, the Parks and Wildlife section of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment (DIPE) has released for public comment a "draft management program" to regulate the commercial logging of the Northern Territory's native forests and woodlands on public land (including pastoral lease land and unalienated Crown land).

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10 November 2003

Treeclearing moratorium a good step forward for the Daly – The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory has today welcomed the decision by Clare Martin - Chief Minister of the Northern Territory to place a moratorium on large scale treeclearing and agricultural subdivisions in the Daly Basin. However, to ensure the long term protection of the Daly Basin future land use planning should be based on advice from Australia's best environmental scientists.

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1 October 2003

Bayview to trample more mangroves. Representatives of the Environment Centre NT attended today's meeting of the Development Consent Authority and were outraged to learn that once again, environmental considerations are being circumvented by the developers of the Bayview Haven canal estate. Environment Centre Coordinator Kirsten Blair said "We heard today that Dover Investments has a "masterplan" for the Bayview development stretching beyond the area covered under the original EIS but that this plan has not been provided to the Development Consent Authority.

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21 May 2003

Landclearing a Threat to the Top End: New National Report. Land Clearing is a major threat to the Top End's environments according to a new report published by the Commonwealth Government: Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment 2003.

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29 April 2003

Northern Territory: Still The "Lucky Country" When It Comes To Landcare But It's Time To Stop Repeating Southern Australia's Mistakes. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory (ECNT) today welcomes the opportunity to address the Annual Landcare Conference on conservation Issues in Northern Australia. ECNT hopes that the conference will highlight the need for a fresh approach to development in Northern Australia, which avoids the mistakes made in Southern Australia.

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17 April 2003

Easter Treeclearing Approvals for the Daly. This week the Minister for Planning, Kon Vatskalis approved another 720 hectares of treeclearing applications in the Daly catchment on top of the 6300 hectares approved last month. The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory (ECNT) is calling on the Northern Territory Government to publicly release all future plans to clear for large scale farming on the Daly River.

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3rd March 2003

Daly Sold Up The River? NT Government approves 8000 hectares of land clearing in the Daly. The Northern Territory Government has approved the clearing of over 8000 hectares in the Daly bioregion 150 km south of Darwin. ECNT understands that the Minister has approved the applications with some modifications over a week ago. Minister Vatskalis has made no public announcement about the approvals, and ECNT has only been formally advised of the decision after making our own enquiries despite the fact that we made a submission and are supposed to receive a copy of the decision as it is made.

To view media release click here

3rd February 2003

An end to the Daly as we know it? Landclearing applications a test of NT Government's new laws. The Daly River area is under immediate threat from a raft of landclearing applications lodged with the Northern Territory Government in January 2003.

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11 December 2002

New Landclearing Laws a Step Forward for the NT – The Environment Centre Northern Territory has today welcomed the introduction of new landclearing laws in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory Government today announced the introduction of interim clearing controls to apply to all areas in the Northern Territory not currently subject to landclearing regulation. Landclearing is one of the major causes of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation internationally, and landclearing has been increasing in recent years in the Northern Territory.

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20 November 2002

Australia's landcleraing rates skyrocket – New independent research has shown that Australia's land clearing rate is much higher than previous estimates, increasing by 22% to reach a total of 687,000 hectares.

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23 July 2002

Railway company destroys prime Gouldian Finch habitat – The Environment Centre NT has today condemned the critical error made by contractors for the Alice Springs to Darwin railway. An area of prime gouldian finch habitat has been accidentally bulldozed along the railway corridor, just north of Katherine. The proponent for the railway, Adrail, had been advised that the railway corridor should avoid this area west of the Yinberrie Hills (the largest known colony of the endangered Gouldian Finch), and the area was cordoned off. Unfortunately the construction contractors mistook the cordoned off area for the railway corridor and encroached on the protected area before realising their mistake.

To view media release click here

19 July 2002

Environment Centre Omitted from New NT Landcare Council – The Environment Centre NT today criticised the decision by the NT Environment Minister, Kon Vatskalis, to exclude the Environment Centre from the re-formulated Landcare Council NT. Minister Vatskalis has not yet announced the new Landcare Council but has informed those who have been appointed to the new Council.

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25 March 2002

Environment Centre Calls for Community Action on Clearing – Calls for community action on land clearing were made today by the Environment Centre of the Northern Territory. An information flyer covering the current controls on land clearing, the impact of clearing and promoting community participation in Government processes was released today by the Environment Centre.

To view media release in click here

Download the flyer (160KB)

7 September 2001

Tiwi plantation update – APPROVED
Massive Acacia Plantation on Tiwi Islands gets the go ahead
Senator Hill approved the clearing of 26,000 hectares for an Acacia plantation on the Tiwi Islands on the 12 August subject to various conditions. It was disappointing that the proposal had been approved but heartening to find that the conditions will go some way to protecting the biodiversity of Melville Island from the impacts of the proposal. The Commonwealth approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) ('EPBC Act') marks the completion of the assessment stage for the proposal which means it can now go ahead.

For more information click here

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.

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19 June 2001

Environment Centre NT Slams latest report on Ord Stage 2. The Environment Centre NT is appealing against the Western Australian Environment Protection Agency report recommending the commencement of the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) Stage 2 proposal. The report focuses on the management of the project area and is the final stage of a two-part assessment by the EPA both recommending approval of Stage 2 subject to conditions.

To view media release click here

2 May 2001

ECNT launches new landclearing report – A new report documents the threats to the Top End's native vegetation from agricultural and horticultural expansion. The report - "Clearing Moves North - Review of Landclearing in the Northern Territory" written by highly respected Top End botanist John Brock, author of 'Native Plants of Northern Australia' - was launched today by the ECNT. "This report is a significant step towards documenting and understanding the current threats to woodland habitats from landclearing" Northern Woodlands campaigner Jann Crase said. "With massive agricultural and horticultural projects planned for the Daly Basin and the expansion of the Ord Stage 2 there is a real and immediate threat to the ecological integrity of the northern woodlands."

To view the report and the Executive Summary click here

Download the report in full (588KB)

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