WEBVTT - The ‘secret’ proposal that could fast-track fracking

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<v Speaker 1>From Schwartz Media. I'm Ruby Jones. This is seven am.

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<v Speaker 1>When the Country Liberal Party took power in the Northern Territory,

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<v Speaker 1>they scrapped a number of key portfolios, among them was

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<v Speaker 1>climate change. They also moved responsibility for the environment to

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<v Speaker 1>lands and planning, signaling this government wants to prioritize the

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<v Speaker 1>economy in particular big development projects, and now the Anti

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<v Speaker 1>government wants to give itself powers to fast track those

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<v Speaker 1>big developments, potentially sidestepping environmental checks and balances. Today, Executive

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<v Speaker 1>Director of Environment Center NT Kirsty Howie on the Anti

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<v Speaker 1>government's leaked secret proposal and whether it could open the

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<v Speaker 1>floodgates to fracking. It's Friday, November, So, Kirsty. A few

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<v Speaker 1>days ago there was this leaked document the surface that

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<v Speaker 1>announced that the new Northern Territory government have an intention

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<v Speaker 1>of creating a role the Territory Coordinator to begin with,

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<v Speaker 1>can you tell me a bit about how this came

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<v Speaker 1>to light.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, we were surprised when we were notified by one

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<v Speaker 2>of the peak bodies in the Northern Territory that had

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<v Speaker 2>been consulted about it that this consultation paper was doing

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<v Speaker 2>the rounds. We would have expected to be consulted about

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<v Speaker 2>it is a peak environment body in the Northern Territory,

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<v Speaker 2>but if decision was obviously made not to disclose it,

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<v Speaker 2>and as soon as we saw it, we saw a

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<v Speaker 2>huge number of red flags for the Northern Territories environment

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<v Speaker 2>for projects, and really for people's rights and democracy here

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<v Speaker 2>in the Northern Territory as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so tell me about what's being proposed.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, they're doing is effectively enabling the Chief Minister and

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<v Speaker 2>an unelected, faceless bureaucrat called the Territory Coordinator to take

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<v Speaker 2>over huge power in relation to decision making about projects

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<v Speaker 2>in the Northern Territory. And we would see, for instance,

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<v Speaker 2>these two individuals given the ability to step in and

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<v Speaker 2>undertake environmental assessments for destructive projects like cotton and fracking,

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<v Speaker 2>which have been scrutinized heavily here in the territory and nationally,

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<v Speaker 2>to speed up the assessment of those projects, but perhaps

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<v Speaker 2>most concerningly, to exempt those projects all together from environmental laws,

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<v Speaker 2>and not just environmental laws, pretty much all laws that

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<v Speaker 2>might apply to those projects in the territory, with a

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<v Speaker 2>few notable exceptions.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, can you break that.

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<v Speaker 1>Down a little more for me, when we talk about

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<v Speaker 1>projects exempt from current Northern Territory laws, are there guardrails

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<v Speaker 1>or their conditions that would need to be met before

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<v Speaker 1>that would happen.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, one of the things we're concerned about is that

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<v Speaker 2>we haven't seen the draft legislation yet, so we're operating

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<v Speaker 2>on the basis of a consultation paper that's quite brief.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a statement in this consultation paper that there would be,

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<v Speaker 2>in the case of an exemption declaration which would override

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<v Speaker 2>environmental laws, a gazettel or a notification to Parliament with

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<v Speaker 2>a notice period of just three days before such a

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<v Speaker 2>declaration is made. That's a pretty laughable set of restrictions, precautions,

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<v Speaker 2>guardrails around the exercise of those powers.

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<v Speaker 1>So the Northern Territory government, they explicitly say that this

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<v Speaker 1>is about facilitating development, large scale projects. So let's talk

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<v Speaker 1>a bit about what those projects are. Perhaps we could

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<v Speaker 1>start with the Beagloo Basin.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so the Territory is far away from most places

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<v Speaker 2>of power in Australia and we're not thought about very much.

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<v Speaker 2>But one project which has garnered a lot of national

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<v Speaker 2>attention is fracking in the Beetloo Basin.

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<v Speaker 1>To the Northern Territory. Government has decided to allow a

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<v Speaker 1>full scale onshore gas industry to go ahead in the

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<v Speaker 1>Beaterloo Basin, about five hundred kilometers southeast of Darwin.

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<v Speaker 2>This has been a very contentious practice involving drilling for

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<v Speaker 2>gas four kilometers below the surface of land in the

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<v Speaker 2>Northern Territory and extracting gas through a process known as fracking,

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<v Speaker 2>which can be toxic to waterways. And estimates are that

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<v Speaker 2>this project, if it goes ahead, could generate one point

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<v Speaker 2>four billion tons of carbon emissions, which would add to

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<v Speaker 2>Australia's emissions by something like twenty percent.

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<v Speaker 3>So this is a huge project.

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<v Speaker 2>It's an environmentally destructive project, it's a climate wrecking project.

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<v Speaker 3>And and the fear is that these laws have.

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<v Speaker 2>Been specially designed to get cracking in the Beatloo Basin

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<v Speaker 2>opposed by so many people here in the territory and

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<v Speaker 2>nationally through much more quickly and in fact exempt environmental

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<v Speaker 2>protections from this very very harmful industry.

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<v Speaker 1>And could you get into a little bit of the

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<v Speaker 1>detail with me about what the environmental protections are that

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<v Speaker 1>could be overridden in this scenario.

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<v Speaker 2>One really really good example is protection of water resources,

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<v Speaker 2>and the Northern Territory has got a huge aquifer underlying

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<v Speaker 2>about a third of it, which is an aquifa that

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<v Speaker 2>will be drilled through if racking in the Beeloo Basin

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<v Speaker 2>goes ahead. And ninety percent of people in the Northern

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<v Speaker 2>Territory actually rely on this groundwater to live. That groundwater

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<v Speaker 2>also discharges into really famous iconic ribbons like the Ropa River,

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<v Speaker 2>Mataranka hot Springs, and iconic tourism hotspot the Daily River,

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<v Speaker 2>famous for Barramundi.

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<v Speaker 3>So it's people who rely on this water resource.

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<v Speaker 2>It's communities, it's the fishing industry, it's tourism industry, it's

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<v Speaker 2>absolutely downstream aboriginal communities. So a raft of things have

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<v Speaker 2>been put in place to protect the aquifas, protect the

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<v Speaker 2>rivers from fracking. That includes things like really rigorous transparency measures,

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<v Speaker 2>the rights of public to be able to comment on proposals.

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<v Speaker 3>And these protections are in place for a reason.

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<v Speaker 2>It's because if something goes wrong, the consequences could be

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<v Speaker 2>devastating for so many communities in the Northern Territory, for

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<v Speaker 2>our wildlife, for our precious nature, for our free flowing rivers,

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<v Speaker 2>and for industry, and the fear is is that you

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<v Speaker 2>exempt those laws and it will result in environmental destruction

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<v Speaker 2>after the break.

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<v Speaker 1>How this plan could exempt more than just environmental laws, Kirsty,

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<v Speaker 1>We've been speaking about the Beaterloo basin, but are there

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<v Speaker 1>other projects that you think could be greenlit without consideration

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<v Speaker 1>for environmental laws?

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<v Speaker 3>Look, I think that you know.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm developing a list that is rapidly sort of now

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<v Speaker 2>onto a few pages. There are so many projects that

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<v Speaker 2>could be impacted by this, and not just ones that

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<v Speaker 2>are environmentally harmful. First of all, we do have the

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<v Speaker 2>cotton industry which is bearing down on the Northern Territory.

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<v Speaker 2>We were part of pretty explosive for Corners series just

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<v Speaker 2>before the territory election, which showed gross mismanagement of our

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<v Speaker 2>water resources, of decisions around land clearing and water for

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<v Speaker 2>the cotton industry.

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<v Speaker 4>Here in the Northern Territory. Cotton is being sold as

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<v Speaker 4>the next boom crop, but how business is done up

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<v Speaker 4>here has put the government in conflict with the environment, scientists,

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<v Speaker 4>communities and traditional owners.

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<v Speaker 2>And our fear is that these laws, weak as they are,

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<v Speaker 2>could be exempted. But also there are projects that are

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<v Speaker 2>being fought by the community for many years that could

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<v Speaker 2>be resuscitated by these laws. One really notable example is

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<v Speaker 2>a proposer by Woolworst Dan Murphy's to establish a huge

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<v Speaker 2>liquor store opposite and Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory,

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<v Speaker 2>which was resisted by numerous Aboriginal organizations, health organizations, environmental organizations.

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<v Speaker 3>And these are the kinds.

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<v Speaker 2>Of projects we could see waved through under these new laws.

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<v Speaker 2>And people have been calling me and saying, do you

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<v Speaker 2>think this could exempt the criminal code? Do you think

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<v Speaker 2>this could exempt workplace and safety laws? How could this

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<v Speaker 2>impact workers' rights? There's really very little to stop pernicious

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<v Speaker 2>and dangerous decisions in our view being made that could

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<v Speaker 2>be harmful for communities, harmful for health, harmful for workers

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<v Speaker 2>as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Given all of that, then is it legal to create

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<v Speaker 1>a body a role that can in effect take actions

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<v Speaker 1>outside current anty laws?

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<v Speaker 2>Will be a difficult task for the Northern Territory to

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<v Speaker 2>do anything that would oust or displace federal laws. And

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<v Speaker 2>there are a couple of laws that are mentioned in

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<v Speaker 2>the consultation paper that would not be affected by this proposal,

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<v Speaker 2>that includes federal environmental law, the Aboriginal Land Rights Act,

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<v Speaker 2>the Native Title Act. To give a few examples, so constitutionally,

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<v Speaker 2>the Northern Territory can't exempt those laws. As to other

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<v Speaker 2>questions about the validity of these laws, I think we're

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<v Speaker 2>going to have to wait to see what the laws

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<v Speaker 2>look like when the draft is released to the public,

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<v Speaker 2>if indeed that ever happens. Hopefully we see an exposure

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<v Speaker 2>draft before it gets into Parliament, which could be as

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<v Speaker 2>soon as the end of this month, and we'll certainly

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<v Speaker 2>be looking really closely whether these laws are constitutional valid

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<v Speaker 2>whether there are other questions about their validity, because it's

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<v Speaker 2>profoundly concerning that any government in Australia could pass laws

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<v Speaker 2>like this that override very very important protections and concentrate

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<v Speaker 2>power in the executive right.

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<v Speaker 1>And at the moment, Kirsty, the only thing that is

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<v Speaker 1>public is a briefing paper, So how likely is this

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<v Speaker 1>to turn into draft legislation and then to end up

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<v Speaker 1>before Parliament.

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<v Speaker 2>What we have in the Northern Territory, and people may

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<v Speaker 2>not be aware of this, is actually a really kind

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<v Speaker 2>of constrained form of democracy where a territory wh're not

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<v Speaker 2>a state, we have a unicameral parliament and at the

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<v Speaker 2>moment the COLP newly elected has got a seventeen seat majority,

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<v Speaker 2>so that means there's very little in the way of

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<v Speaker 2>guardrails to stop these laws from going through. They could

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<v Speaker 2>be passed very very quickly. It could be introduced as

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<v Speaker 2>early as the twenty sixth of November, which is when

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<v Speaker 2>the next sitting's parliam are and could be passed under urgency,

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<v Speaker 2>so we could see this signed, sealed and delivered before

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<v Speaker 2>the end of the month. And at this stage no

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<v Speaker 2>one has seen an exposure draft, the public has not

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<v Speaker 2>been consulted about it, and there's very little in the

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<v Speaker 2>way of parliamentary scrutiny processes to slow this down. And

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<v Speaker 2>the last thing I've mentioned is, you know, this government's

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<v Speaker 2>only been in power for a couple of months. They

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<v Speaker 2>are elected at the end of August, and already they

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<v Speaker 2>have suspended standing orders in relation to very controversial and

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<v Speaker 2>punitive laws that lower the age criminal responsibility from twelve

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<v Speaker 2>to ten.

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<v Speaker 3>So already after two months.

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<v Speaker 2>They've got a track record of suspending parliamentary processes and

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<v Speaker 2>getting laws through under urgency that have really wide ranging impacts.

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<v Speaker 1>What does it say to you about the priorities of

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<v Speaker 1>this new government.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, it's certainly really worrying on the environmental front.

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<v Speaker 2>Unfortunately, what we have here in the territory is an

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<v Speaker 2>endless push for large scale extractive development, whatever the cost,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's disappointing when we are such a special place,

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<v Speaker 2>even though we're far away from places like Sydney and Melbourne.

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<v Speaker 2>And also we are looking at being uninhabitable due to

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<v Speaker 2>climate change within a couple of generations. We're going to

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<v Speaker 2>be hit the hardest by climate change out of.

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<v Speaker 3>Anywhere in Australia.

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<v Speaker 2>And to have laws being passed it could exempt protections

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<v Speaker 2>for our climate, protections for our nature is profoundly worrying

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<v Speaker 2>for just people's.

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<v Speaker 3>Ability to exist here in the future.

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<v Speaker 1>Right And to what extent do you think that the

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<v Speaker 1>isolation of the Northern Territory plays into this? Do you

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<v Speaker 1>think that there is less scrutiny because of a smaller population,

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<v Speaker 1>because of how far away different parts of the territory are,

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<v Speaker 1>and therefore perhaps more potential for things that would not

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<v Speaker 1>be attempted in other places to essentially go through challenged

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<v Speaker 1>or unnoticed in the Northern Territory.

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<v Speaker 2>Look, I think that that is absolutely leveraged by politicians here.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a lot of stuff that you can get away

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<v Speaker 2>with here. Because it's out of sight and out of

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<v Speaker 2>mind from the rest of Australia. Fracking the Beteloo Basin

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<v Speaker 2>is a monstrous idea. We have had francking band in Victoria,

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<v Speaker 2>huge community resistance to it in other parts of Australia,

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<v Speaker 2>but you know, it's full steam ahead here in the

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<v Speaker 2>Northern Territory. We've also got crazy projects planned like the

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<v Speaker 2>proposed Middle Arm Gas and Petrochemical Hub, which the taxpayer

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<v Speaker 2>is funding in Australia to the tune of one point

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<v Speaker 2>five billion dollars, and we'll see huge toxic petrochemical factories

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<v Speaker 2>constructed in Darwin Harbor using fracked gas from the Beloo Basin.

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<v Speaker 3>And offshore gas fields. I just that would not.

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<v Speaker 2>Happen anymore in twenty twenty four in Sydney or Melbourne.

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<v Speaker 2>And you know, people here believe that they can get

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<v Speaker 2>away with this stuff because we're so far away from

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<v Speaker 2>their centers of power. But it's very important that people

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<v Speaker 2>in Australia understand just what is at risk here because

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<v Speaker 2>it will impact all of us.

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<v Speaker 1>Kirsty, thank you so much, Viata, thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 3>Ruby.

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<v Speaker 1>Also in the news today, Prime Minister Anthony Alberanezi has

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<v Speaker 1>announced the government will seek to ban Australians under the

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<v Speaker 1>age of sixteen from social media, with a proposal to

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<v Speaker 1>be put before the States at a national Cabinet meeting

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<v Speaker 1>on Friday. The government hasn't stated how it expects social

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<v Speaker 1>media platforms to enforce the ban, but says the owners

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<v Speaker 1>will be on them to demonstrate they're taking reasonable steps

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<v Speaker 1>to prevent access for young people, with penalties for online

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<v Speaker 1>platforms that don't comply. And the Israeli Defense Forces said

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<v Speaker 1>residents from northern Gaza will not be allowed to return

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<v Speaker 1>home as ground four horses get closer to the total

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<v Speaker 1>evacuation of the area. In a media briefing, a senior

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<v Speaker 1>IDF officer said that because troops had been forced to

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<v Speaker 1>enter some areas twice, they have no intention to allow

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<v Speaker 1>evicted residents back. Seven Am is a daily show from

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<v Speaker 1>Schwartz Media and The Saturday Paper. It's made by Attic Cospasto,

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<v Speaker 1>Shane Anderson, Chris Enngate, Daniel James, Eric Jensen, me Ruby Jones,

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah mcvee, Travis Evans and Sultan Fetcho.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll see you next week.