Water is life - Stop Singleton Water Licence!
Dear Supporters,
The Singleton water licence is one of the largest water licences in Australia, and has been widely criticised.
In 2021 you were one of 23,355 people who signed a petition requesting the Controller of Water Resources refuse the granting of this water extraction licence.
Unfortunately the Controller chose to approve the licence. The petition was not considered by the Controller in her decision, nor by the Minister in her subsequent review. The cases against the licence are still being considered in the Supreme Court.
This precious Country needs you to stand for it again!
Obtaining a water extraction licence is just one of the approvals needed. The applicant must also gain an ‘environmental approval’ from the Northern Territory Environmental Protection Authority (NT EPA).
We ask you to submit a comment on the Singleton environmental impact statement - make the case for the highest level of environmental impact assessment (Tier 3).
You don’t have to be an expert to write a submission. It does not have to be long, it can simply express why you are concerned about this water licence.
You can use Arid Land Environment Centre’s (ALEC’s) sample letter below, or craft your own letter https://assets.nationbuilder.com/aridlands/pages/4050/attachments/original/1675759206/Sample_letter_-_NTEPA_Singleton.odt?1675759206
The Environmental Defenders Office also has a submission guide https://assets.nationbuilder.com/aridlands/pages/4050/attachments/original/1675389295/230201_Submission_Guide_Singleton.pdf?1675389295
For further information check out the NT EPA website https://ntepa.nt.gov.au/consultation/singleton-horticulture-project
Send your submission to: eia.consult@nt.gov.au
Submissions close 13 February 2023.
Background
The proposed Singleton Station development is one of the largest irrigated agriculture projects in the country. This project is 30km west of Ali Curung, in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory.
The project:
- is opposed by Traditional Owners
- threatens up to 40 sacred sites
- will destroy or damage groundwater dependent vegetation along a 40km stretch
- puts threatened species like the grey falcon and potentially the greater bilby at risk
- will bring around 40,000 tonnes of salts to the surface every year at full production.
The applicants have released their environmental referral documents. These largely rely on desk top studies. They do not consider damage or destruction of groundwater dependent ecosystems to be an environmental risk, provided this destruction is less than 30% of those occurring across the entire station!
The NT EPA must decide whether and what level of assessment is required. The most rigorous form of scrutiny is a Tier 3 Environmental Impact Assessment.
Applying the highest tier of environmental impact assessment will ensure:
- the impacts and risks of the Project are fully understood
- that the public can at last be heard.
If you have any questions please reach out to the ALEC team - they can provide support and assistance https://www.alec.org.au/contact_us
Supreme Court Case update
ALEC and Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation each independently challenged the Northern Territory Government and Fortune Agribusiness over the granting of one of the nation’s largest ever water licences. Our case was heard on the 7, 8, 9 and 26 September 2022 in Mparntwe/ Alice Springs. A decision has not yet been made, so for now, this court case continues to be a waiting game.
The court case does not stop the Singleton development from proceeding. This is why Fortune Agribusiness are now attempting to gain their environmental approvals.
If you would like to financially support ALEC’s work in securing water justice in the Northern Territory, follow the link https://www.alec.org.au/stopsingleton
Thank you for your support.
The ALEC team