1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,360
Speaker 1: And scrutiny of IMPECS has continued to escalate, with the

2
00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:07,560
Speaker 1: Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy and Environment now looking

3
00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:11,920
Speaker 1: into serious environmental allegations at the gas plant now. Earlier

4
00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,960
Speaker 1: this month, IMPEX, as we know, admitted it had been

5
00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,599
Speaker 1: drastically under reporting of several emissions which are known to

6
00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,599
Speaker 1: cause serious health problems, and on top of that, the

7
00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,000
Speaker 1: gas giant reported a major oil spell two weeks ago.

8
00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,639
Speaker 1: The Environment Center's executive director, Kirsty Howie joins me on

9
00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:31,440
Speaker 1: the line. Good morning to you, Kirsty.

10
00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:33,760
Speaker 2: Hi, Katie, good to have.

11
00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:37,280
Speaker 1: You on the show. Kirsty, do you welcome this investigation?

12
00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:43,960
Speaker 2: Absolutely? This is something that's when the revelation about the

13
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,199
Speaker 2: oil spill and the underreporting of Benzenn emissions was kind

14
00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,320
Speaker 2: of made public, we called for and also lots of

15
00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,720
Speaker 2: community members called for. And it is an escalation. It's

16
00:00:55,760 --> 00:01:01,240
Speaker 2: an important escalation, and that is primarily because, as I've

17
00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,200
Speaker 2: sort of discussed with you before, trust in the company

18
00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,000
Speaker 2: and Northern Territory regulators is really at rock bottom at

19
00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:08,520
Speaker 2: this point.

20
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,320
Speaker 1: Kristy, what are you hope that that investigation includes and

21
00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,319
Speaker 1: how deep do you hope that it delves?

22
00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,840
Speaker 2: Well, we hope that it deals with not just sort

23
00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,280
Speaker 2: of this single instance of an oil spill, which is

24
00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:30,280
Speaker 2: what they've indicated they will be investigating, but whether there

25
00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:37,720
Speaker 2: are structural problems here, systemic issues at intechs which require addressing.

26
00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:42,560
Speaker 2: And we have been aware for a long time that

27
00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:48,120
Speaker 2: emissions of toxic, volatile organic compounds, including benzene, have been

28
00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:53,280
Speaker 2: really high, really really high, even before it was revealed

29
00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,640
Speaker 2: that there was under reporting. We know that this issue

30
00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,280
Speaker 2: that caused the oil spill has happened before, back in

31
00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,480
Speaker 2: twenty twenty s and it may have happened before. We

32
00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,320
Speaker 2: know that the acid gas incinerators there at Impacts, which

33
00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,280
Speaker 2: are the things that basically clean the air so that

34
00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:10,560
Speaker 2: it's safe for us to breathe, haven't really been working

35
00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,160
Speaker 2: properly since Impacts came online. So we want it to

36
00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,959
Speaker 2: be more than just a quick, you know, tick and flick,

37
00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,480
Speaker 2: ten thousand dollars fine at the end, which is often

38
00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,040
Speaker 2: what you get with these things, but a proper investigation

39
00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,040
Speaker 2: into what's going on here, and that's important for people

40
00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,560
Speaker 2: in Darwin, for our health, for our safety, for workers,

41
00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:29,960
Speaker 2: and for the environment.

42
00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,480
Speaker 1: Well, that was going to be my next question. Are

43
00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,760
Speaker 1: you confident that there's enough deterrence in place to ensure

44
00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,480
Speaker 1: that companies do the right thing by the environment.

45
00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:44,320
Speaker 2: Oh look, I would say no. And what we see

46
00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,520
Speaker 2: in our environmental laws here in the Northern Territory and

47
00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,480
Speaker 2: also federally is just nothing more than slaps on the

48
00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,959
Speaker 2: risk risk when they do something wrong. It can often

49
00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,320
Speaker 2: just be a sign of ten thousand dollars. And we've

50
00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,359
Speaker 2: got to remember Impex is a multi billion dollar company.

51
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:08,440
Speaker 2: It pays no royalties, it pays very little tax, profits

52
00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,720
Speaker 2: go offshore, and it is no deterrent at all to

53
00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,360
Speaker 2: get a twenty thousand dollar fine for instance. So interestingly,

54
00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,600
Speaker 2: right today, Murray Watt, who's a federal environment minister, has

55
00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:23,720
Speaker 2: introduced into Parliament literally like an hour ago new environment

56
00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,120
Speaker 2: reforms and he is saying that this is one of

57
00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,880
Speaker 2: the things that they will address is much stronger enforcement

58
00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,760
Speaker 2: penalties that actually get at the profits of a company.

59
00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:37,080
Speaker 2: And that might be enough to actually stop this kind

60
00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,360
Speaker 2: of damage from happening. But we'll wait and see, because

61
00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:45,320
Speaker 2: unfortunately we've all been become pretty accustomed to regulators turning

62
00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,640
Speaker 2: a blind eye when it comes to big industry like this.

63
00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,160
Speaker 1: And Christy, I know there's been sort of some discussion

64
00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,640
Speaker 1: as well as those reforms are being introduced into the

65
00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,840
Speaker 1: Federal parliament. You know, from I guess you'd say maybe

66
00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,960
Speaker 1: more the business sector or industry sector, you know, concern

67
00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,840
Speaker 1: and that maybe it'll you know, slow things down when

68
00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:05,240
Speaker 1: you're trying to get a project off the ground. Like

69
00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,640
Speaker 1: what do you say to that, Look, I.

70
00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:13,320
Speaker 2: Think already it's taking quite a long time to get

71
00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,440
Speaker 2: approval through and we don't really have any problem with

72
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,840
Speaker 2: speeding up approval times, but it just can't come at

73
00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:27,000
Speaker 2: the expense of communities and the environment. So by all means,

74
00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:32,000
Speaker 2: let's you know, get things working better and more efficiently.

75
00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,599
Speaker 2: But we just have to really make sure that these

76
00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,080
Speaker 2: laws do the job they're supposed to do. And we

77
00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,360
Speaker 2: experienced this in the Northern Territory more than anywhere, right,

78
00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,440
Speaker 2: We've just had kind of scandal after scandal in the harbor.

79
00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,120
Speaker 2: We need to have people's you know, health, their air quality,

80
00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:53,760
Speaker 2: and our beautiful harbor protected. That's number one. And let's

81
00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,159
Speaker 2: do it in a way that doesn't stop development from happening,

82
00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,200
Speaker 2: but that still doesn't compromise the things that you know,

83
00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,280
Speaker 2: make it so beautiful to live here.

84
00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,360
Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, and you know, it is something that people

85
00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,000
Speaker 1: have concerns around. I know that over the last couple

86
00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,400
Speaker 1: of weeks we've received quite a few messages about that

87
00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:13,320
Speaker 1: and people wanting to make sure that you know that

88
00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:17,359
Speaker 1: we do protect El Harbor. You know, also wanting industry

89
00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:22,000
Speaker 1: for some of those people. But you know, striking that balance,

90
00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:23,520
Speaker 1: I guess where we get it right.

91
00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,040
Speaker 2: That's right, I mean, that's what it's all about. And

92
00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:33,560
Speaker 2: too often what we see is that really the balance

93
00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:38,320
Speaker 2: is tipped in favor of industry. And again, you know,

94
00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:41,560
Speaker 2: we need jobs, we need development, we need all of

95
00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,360
Speaker 2: that here in the Northern Territory, but people don't want

96
00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,120
Speaker 2: to have you know, this Samed Territory lifestyle, you know,

97
00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,960
Speaker 2: running along the foreshore, camping, fishing, all of the things

98
00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,960
Speaker 2: that we do, and it's the reason we live here,

99
00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,720
Speaker 2: I think, is the last style in nature. We don't

100
00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:03,600
Speaker 2: want that compromised, and unfortunately we're seeing signs that it

101
00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:08,160
Speaker 2: is being compromised. So enough enough, let's fix the system.

102
00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,320
Speaker 2: Let's hold these companies to account, and let's keep all

103
00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:15,240
Speaker 2: of us in our beautiful harbor ready for us all

104
00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:16,960
Speaker 2: to continue enjoying.

105
00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:20,720
Speaker 1: Well Environment Center and to executive director Kersey, how we

106
00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:22,599
Speaker 1: really appreciate your time this morning.

107
00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,120
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Katie, thank you