Let’s strengthen community rights across the Top End

On 11 January, the 7.30 Report exposed the shocking face of land clearing in the Northern Territory. Where there was once beautiful, biodiverse savanna there is now a desolate landscape where only dust remains.

The report also exposed that large-scale NT land clearing is being rubber stamped without any NT or federal government oversight or ability for public participation in decision-making.

In a total failure of public policy—and without any consultation with Territorians—pastoralists have been allowed to ‘self-assess’ if matters of national environmental significance exist, before bulldozing habitat that they seek to profit from.

This is a ...

On 11 January, the 7.30 Report exposed the shocking face of land clearing in the Northern Territory. Where there was once beautiful, biodiverse savanna there is now a desolate landscape where only dust remains.

The report also exposed that large-scale NT land clearing is being rubber stamped without any NT or federal government oversight or ability for public participation in decision-making.

In a total failure of public policy—and without any consultation with Territorians—pastoralists have been allowed to ‘self-assess’ if matters of national environmental significance exist, before bulldozing habitat that they seek to profit from.

This is a key example of why the NT government scored the weakest for community rights in the country, in the Wilderness Society’s recent community rights scorecard.

But together, we can shine a national spotlight on the lack of state or federal nature protection in the NT.

This is a crucial moment to seek reform to benefit communities and First Nations groups on the ground in the NT—as well as the extraordinary Northern Australian savanna ecosystem that is on the brink of collapsing.

Please email NT Environment Minister Lauren Moss, Chief Minister Natasha Fyles and Industry Minister Nicole Manison to ask them to strengthen NT community rights, rein in large scale clearing with updated, enforceable laws and practice.

Image: care of ECNT

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Email the Environment, Industry and Chief Ministers in the NT to strengthen community rights in law and practice and rein in large-scale clearing. A personalised message will have a bigger impact, simply edit the text in the box below.

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Dear Environment, Industry and Chief Ministers,

The 11 January 7.30 report exposed the shocking lack of NT government oversight for large scale clearing and deforestation that has been bulldozed, and is proposed across the top end of our globally significant savannah, which is on the brink of collapse.

Recent legal analysis by the Environmental Defender’s Office, released with a national community rights report and scorecard by the Wilderness Society, has revealed that the Northern Territory has the weakest community rights in Australia.

This means there is limited access to transparent biodiversity information, public participation requirements, and next to zero access to justice for communities, including First Nations groups.

I am calling on you as the key decision-makers of the Northern Territory government to strengthen community rights in NT laws and practice across the top end by: 
- Ending large-scale land clearing and deforestation, through embedding community participation in decision-making under a new a native vegetation Act
- Improving Information access and transparency through—releasing regular state of the environment reporting and creating a biodiversity and conservation strategy, 
- Enabling access to justice pathways through—expanding judicial review and implementing a commitment to enacting evidence-based merits review, from the NT fracking inquiry.

It is critical that these improvements are made  to community rights in the NT, so that communities, including First Nations groups, can ensure their voices are being heard in crucial decisions, which impact matters of national environmental significance in the NT, across the precious top end savanna and free flowing river systems.

When communities are involved in decision-making it leads to better long term outcomes for nature.

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