Media release
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New analysis exposes the cotton industry’s plans to squeeze the Territory dry
Learn moreAccording to new analysis based on cotton industry figures, dryland cotton will never be profitable in the Northern Territory, laying waste to the cotton industry’s claims that they won’t damage Territory Rivers.
Analysis prepared by industry experts Slattery & Johnson found that the only way that cotton will be profitable in the Territory is through irrigation which will permanently damage the Territory’s free-flowing rivers and savannas.
“Advocates of a cotton industry in the Northern Territory claim it will be profitable, generate jobs and economic benefits, and that its primary motivation is to grow cotton seed for cattle feed. None of these claims are plausible,” the analysis found.
“The industry asserts that most of the cotton grown in the NT will be dryland. However, the industry’s own financial analysis shows that, even with optimistic yield assessments, dryland cotton is not profitable and will return a significant annual loss across the industry.”
“This research confirms what Territorians have always known. Big Cotton’s plans in the Territory rely on taking billions of litres of free water and dams on our free-flowing rivers,” said Kirsty Howey, Executive Director of Environment Centre NT.
“We’ve seen the damage this industry has done to the Murray-Darling and Territorians don’t want to see the same mistakes repeated in the Top End.”
“Free flowing rivers are what make the unique Territory way of life possible. Letting the cotton industry into the Territory will put our fishing, boating and tourism industries at risk.”
The analysis also found that the industry requires significant financial assistance from governments to be financially viable. The Australian and Northern Territory governments are subsidising the industry by an estimated $42 million per year without due diligence on questionable industry claims.
“The cotton industry has come to the Territory trying to claim subsidised land, free water and huge subsidies from the public in order to make their industry viable and turn a profit. This is nothing more than a huge transfer of public wealth into the hands of big business,” said Ms Howey.
A full copy of the report can be downloaded here
Key findings:
- The Australian and Northern Territory governments are subsidising the industry by $42 million per year, as it is not financially viable with private investment alone.
- Industry dryland cotton in Northern Australia makes an estimated loss of $812 per hectare. To achieve industry forecast gross revenue and make a profit, the amount of irrigated cotton will need to be double the area currently claimed.
- There is no basis to industry claims that the primary motivation for cotton being grown in the NT is to produce cotton seed for cattle.
Notes for editors:
- This analysis was produced using industry data on operating costs and profit margins sourced from Cotton Info, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, and Boyce Chartered Accountants.
- Slattery & Johnson are a water consulting firm that conducts independent research and policy analysis. Directors Maryanne Slattery and Bill Johnson are former senior employees of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
- This analysis also examined the claims by the cotton industry about the number of jobs created. It found serious flaws in the figures, including a report from Cotton Australia and Deloitte Access Economics where no method is provided and no sources are cited. Another report by PricewaterhouseCoopers reported salaries more than 50% higher than the current industry average.
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“Anti-Territorian”: Chief Minister’s secret plan to hand herself powers to override NT environment laws
Learn moreA leaked Finocchiaro Government briefing document reveals a secret CLP plan to pass laws that give the Chief Minister and an unelected bureaucrat (the Territory Coordinator) sweeping powers to fast-track and override environmental laws in the NT.
The “Territory Coordinator Consultation Paper” reveals that the Territory Coordinator and Chief Minister will be handed unprecedented sweeping powers to “step in” and take over environmental approval and assessment processes themselves for designated projects, and exempt projects altogether from environment laws. This could see greatly reduced scrutiny of environmentally harmful projects, including stripping back the rights of community members to voice their concerns about these projects. It is unclear who has been consulted about these changes, but comments are due by 1 November 2024, signalling that the laws may be brought before the Legislative Assembly in the next sittings (26 to 28 November).
These regressive laws could apply to some of the most controversial and environmentally harmful projects in Australia, including fracking in the Beetaloo Basin, the Singleton Station development, carbon capture and storage and land clearing and water licence approvals for expansion of the cotton industry in the NT. Environment groups say the laws are authoritarian, anti-democratic, anti-Territorian and an attack on democracy and the Territory lifestyle the Government says it wants to protect. They claim the Chief Minister has no mandate for these laws, which are unprecedented in Australia and a blow for transparency, the rule of law and community rights.
Kirsty Howey, Executive Director of ECNT:
“These pernicious laws are profoundly anti-democratic and anti-Territorian, and will see power arbitrarily wielded in favour of fossil fuel company profits over communities.”
“The CLP has talked up protecting the Territory lifestyle, while cooking up a secret blueprint to let Big Business destroy it by tearing up protections for our harbour, rivers and the nature that makes the Territory special.”
“Without proper checks and balances, big industrial development will be unleashed which pollutes our rivers and aquifers and the air we breathe.”
“Powers to exempt and fast-track destructive projects like fracking and cotton expansion are a massive blow for transparency, the rule of law and community rights.”
Background:
- A leaked document shows that the Territory Coordinator will be established to “act as an intermediary between the Crown, government agencies and project proponents with the goal of getting projects off the ground, growing the population, creating jobs, and rebuilding the Territory economy”
- In reality, the Territory Coordinator and the Chief Minister will have powers to (with respect to “projects of Territory significance” and “Territory development areas”):
- Direct decision-makers to make decisions within certain timeframes (TC only);
- “Step in” and undertake an assessment themselves instead of the NTEPA or relevant decision-makers (TC and Chief Minister);
- Exempt projects altogether from approvals (TC and Chief Minister).
- Decisions of the Territory Coordinator and Chief Minister are guided by a “primary principle” that elevates the objective of driving economic prosperity above all other considerations, and “will provide grounds for the TC or Minister to make a different decision to that which may have been made by the original decision maker”
- Projects possibly in scope include Beetaloo Basin (offshore gas and “critical infrastructure” corridors are expressly mentioned), large scale renewables, the Singleton Station development, cotton expansion in the Douglas Daly and Roper River catchments, and Middle Arm.
- While making reference to similar powers in other jurisdictions in Australia and internationally, it seems these powers would be unprecedented in an Australian context – effectively providing an ability for the Chief Minister and TC to override environmental laws altogether.
- The briefing papers says that projects subject to the EPBC Act bilateral agreement would be exempted, as would the Sacred Sites Act and native title and land rights processes.
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Revealed: opportunities to protect free-flowing rivers of Australia’s North
Learn moreNew report outlines ecological, cultural and economic values of river systems across Australia’s North.
A new study into the importance of free-flowing rivers has called for a holistic approach to managing water in the Northern Territory to avoid the mistakes of the Murray Darling basin.
The Free-flowing Rivers of Australia’s North report found that current approaches to managing rivers fail to account for their full cultural and environmental value, leaving local communities worse off as big businesses – such as cotton – are given water for free.
“In Australia’s North, rivers are mostly still free-flowing and healthy – a feature that makes them of global significance. These rivers are also renowned for the diversity of species, the strongholds they provide for species in decline, the exhilarating abundance of wildlife and their cultural significance for the people who have lived there for tens of thousands of years,” said Dr Carol Booth, lead author of the report.
“But the increasing threat of broadacre cropping – and with it destructive land-clearing, large water licenses and other environmental impacts – combined with a water management system that is ill-suited to manage these threats, could have devastating impacts on these precious and unique river systems.”
“Australia is privileged to still have the thriving rivers of the North – but any expansion of large-scale irrigation would inevitably compromise their future value. We must ensure these rivers are safeguarded as enduring ecological and cultural systems that sustain rich communities of life,” said Dr Booth.
“Governments must enact laws and policies that safeguard high-value rivers and their associated habitats, recognising the ecological, cultural, and economic significance of these waterways. This needs to include best-practice governance principles, transparent and inclusive decision-making processes and adherence to sound scientific evidence. This approach will help in rethinking policies and processes concerning the future of northern rivers, ensuring decisions are made in the best interests of both people and nature,” said Dr Booth.
“The Northern Territory is one of the last areas in the world to have such a high concentration of free-flowing tropical rivers. These rivers are immensely valuable to First Nations culture, the environment and fishing, boating and tourism industries. But historic and current water management laws and practices fail to account for the holistic value of these river systems – and are currently failing to provide them with proper protection,” said Mitch Hart, NT Manager for the Pew Charitable Trusts.
The report outlines several avenues for policy-makers to enact long-term protection for rivers, whilst also managing the interests of various stakeholders, including industry, communities and First Nations’ rights.
“Australians need to deliberate very carefully over the future of these rivers – for they have enormous value in their current form for people and nature. The nation has already paid dearly for the over-exploitation and degradation of many southern rivers, particularly in the Murray–Darling Basin, where rivers have been exploited with disastrous results. We cannot allow the same fate to befall the rivers of Australia’s North,” said Mr Hart.
Key recommendations:
- Develop laws and policies to protect high-value rivers and associated habitats
- Strengthen protection of cultural heritage and facilitate Traditional Owner management
- Strengthen water allocation processes to achieve more sustainable development
- Strengthen governance by enacting relevant principles under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the National Water Initiative Agreement
- Consult with stakeholders, the public and experts to review the White Paper on Developing Northern Australia and associated policies and programs
- Invest in evidence-based and co-designed development pathways
A full copy of the report is available here: https://territoryrivers.org.au/riversreport
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New Finocchiaro Government has an opportunity to protect Northern Territory rivers
Learn moreConservation groups have asked the incoming Finocchiaro Government to fix the Northern Territory’s broken water system and to act to protect iconic river systems.
“Our Top End rivers support the livelihoods of local communities, culture, and world-class tourism and fishing. They are essential to the health of endangered turtles and sawfish, as well as barramundi, prawn and crab industries,” said Mitch Hart, NT Manager for the Pew Charitable Trusts.
“But thirsty industries from down south are continuing to push to take more water
and bulldoze land alongside our most iconic rivers. Our water laws are failing to protect iconic Top End rivers like the Roper and Daly. The newly elected Finocchiaro Government is now faced with the perfect opportunity to correct systemic governance failures and act to protect Top End rivers.”
“It’s time that we restore integrity and public trust to the water management system. The Northern Territory’s savanna is a national treasure and the world’s largest remaining intact tropical woodland – but it’s at risk of being bulldozed by cotton producers. Big cotton devastated the Murray Darling Basin – we mustn’t be bullied into making the same mistakes here.”
“Territorians have made it clear they don’t want to see what has occurred down south happen to Top End rivers. 72.5% of NT residents say large cotton companies shouldn’t be allowed to expand operations until they fix the problems they have caused in the Murray Darling Basin.”
“It was welcome to see the County Liberal Party commit to no new dams, but these special rivers are still under threat and the incoming government needs to listen to the community and protect our rivers.”
“It is essential that the new NT Government fix our broken water laws, increase transparency and community engagement in water decision-making and ensure our Territory rivers and floodplains are protected for future generations,” said Mr Hart.
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Urgent calls for Royal Commission as Four Corners reveals Murray Darling disaster repeat looming in the NT
Learn moreConservation groups Environment Centre NT and Arid Lands Environment Centre are calling on the Federal Government to establish a Royal Commission into water management, deforestation and impacts on the rights of Traditional Owners in the Northern Territory.
The calls follow revelations aired by ABC’s 4 Corners program, ‘Water Grab’, into the mismanagement of water licences in the Territory, land-clearing laws riddled with loopholes, and shocking conflicts of interest regarding government decision-makers.
The groups are calling on the Federal Government to immediately commit to:
- Support the Northern Territory Government to implement an immediate moratorium on new water licensing and water allocations in the Roper system and land clearing permits on pastoral leases.
- A Royal Commission into water management, land clearing and deforestation in the NT and the impacts on the rights of Traditional Owners.
- A Commonwealth-funded First Nations-led governance project for the Roper catchment.
Quotes from Kirsty Howey, Executive Director of Environment Centre NT:
“This national scandal has exposed a fatally compromised system of land and water management in the Northern Territory,” said Executive Director of Environment Centre NT Kirsty Howey.
“This is a complete dereliction of duty from Northern Territory decision-makers and raises serious questions about just how far the NT government are willing to change the rules to accommodate big business. The Federal Government can’t sit on the sidelines – urgent action is required before the Northern Territory’s iconic savanna is trashed, rivers are destroyed, and Traditional Owners rights are undermined. We don’t have time to wait.”
“Territorians have made it clear they don’t want to see what has occurred down south happen to Top End rivers. 72.5% of NT residents say large cotton companies shouldn’t be allowed to expand operations until they fix the problems they have caused in the Murray Darling,” said Ms Howey.
“The Northern Territory’s savanna is a national treasure and the world’s largest remaining intact tropical woodland – but it’s at risk of being bulldozed by cotton producers. Big cotton devastated the Murray Darling Basin – we mustn’t be bullied into making the same mistakes here,” she concluded.
Quotes from Adrian Tomlinson, CEO of Arid Lands Environment Centre:
“The Northern Territory is now a national embarrassment when it comes to environmental protection. It’s time for a complete overhaul, but we simply can’t trust the Northern Territory Government to do the job. We’re calling on the Federal Government to step in and publicly probe this unfolding disaster before it’s too late.”
“The Northern Territory is known around the world for its iconic natural treasures, including our free-flowing rivers and underground aquifers. But the policies of successive governments have paved the way for massive amounts of water taken from aquifers in central Australia and river systems – threatening groundwater dependent ecosystems and cultural values, as well as fishing, tourism, and our Territory lifestyle,” said Arid Lands Environment Centre CEO Adrian Tomlinson.
“Whilst the spotlight placed on this scandal by 4 Corners is certainly welcome, this is by far not the first time that both the NT and Federal Governments have been warned of these matters, including by communities themselves. The 2022 release of the Georgina Wiso allocation plan resulted in 17 of the nation’s leading water scientists writing to the Chief Minister warning of ‘particularly poor and regressive’ approaches.”
“Enough is enough. We need to ensure that we do not lose what makes the Territory so special – our amazing and unique natural environment,” he concluded.
Notes for editors:
- Polling of residents in Darwin and Palmerston, undertaken by uComms in April 2024.
- Letter signed by 17 water conservation academics sent to then-Chief Minister Natasha Fyles on 23 November 2022.
Background – A broken system
- The Northern Territory is home to some of Australia’s most iconic natural places – soaring escarpments, pristine rivers, the largest intact savanna ecosystem remaining on earth. It is home to some of the world’s last free-flowing tropical river systems.
- Since 2018, the cotton industry has set its sights on expansion in the Northern Territory. The significant environmental risks of an expanded cotton industry in the NT are documented in the 2022 report A Fork in the River. This expansion is occurring in a context of extraordinarily poor regulation.
- The Environmental Defenders Office has described the NT’s laws as among the worst in the country. The Northern Territory is largely non-compliant with federal water policy, with the Productivity Commission recently described the NT’s water planning as “backsliding” compared with other jurisdictions (see page 130). Water Allocation Plans are not binding on decision-makers. Water is free for irrigators in the NT, which Government Ministers have described as our “competitive advantage”. This means that, structurally, water licensing and allocations in the NT involve the transfer of public resources/wealth to private interests without compensation. It also means that there is no revenue to pay for regulation of water even if the regulators wanted to regulate the industry properly. In 2022, 18 water academics from around the country sent a letter to the Chief Minister calling for the NT’s water
- The NT is the only jurisdiction in Australia without native vegetation laws. Land clearing on the pastoral estate (where most of the development is proposed to occur) is regulated by the Pastoral Land Board. Land clearing approvals have rapidly accelerated in the NT, with proposals for cotton cropping expected to require much more. No pastoral land clearing applications have ever been assessed by the NT EPA under the NT environmental assessment laws, nor referred for assessment under the federal EPBC Act.
- Traditional Owners have called for overhauls to the way that water is managed in catchments.
- In 2023, Traditional Owners from across 20,000 square kilometres of the Roper River catchment travelled to Canberra to ask for protection of the river from threats posed by new water intensive industries in the catchment and to be at the forefront of decision-making for the river.
- The delegation also asked for a ban on all further water extraction, licenses and surface water harvesting in the Roper catchment, including the groundwater and floodplains.
cotton, land clearing, murraydarlingbasin, NT Government, roper river
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‘Fix the Murray-Darling mess or get out of the Territory’
Learn moreCotton concerns for Top End water prominent for NT residents
Media Release
11 June 2024
A prominent environmental campaign is urgently calling for better protections for major Top End river systems following new polling which shows the threat posed to Territory rivers by large-scale cotton operations remains a key concern for residents.
“It’s clear residents have serious concerns about the threat posed by large-scale cotton projects in the Top End, which is shining through strongly in these new polling figures,” said Mitch Hart from Territory Rivers – Keep ‘em Flowing.
“The cotton industry’s social license is getting weaker over time, which is at odds with government plans to allocate more water to them. The message from Territorians is clear – this thirsty industry shouldn’t be allowed to expand operations in the Territory until they fix up their mess in the Murray-Darling basin,” Mr Hart said.- 72.5% of Territorians polled said that the cotton industry shouldn’t be allowed to expand operations the Territory until they fix up their mess in the Murray-Darling basin.
- 59.3% oppose the establishment of a large-scale cotton industry in the Top End, including proposals to extract of 520 billion litres of water from the Douglas Daly as per the 2020 economic analysis by NT Farmers Association
- More than 80% of Labor voters and 62% of CLP voters polled are opposed to cotton expansion in the Top End
“It’s concerning to see big business push for more water from floodplains and more land clearing and the NT Government taking the same approach in the Territory which has contributed to the devastation of the Murray Darling Basin – Territorians don’t want to make the same mistakes here.”
“This is why we are asking for government to commit to no more dams on our free-flowing rivers, no more water out of already overallocated systems and binding limits on water extraction.”
“59.5% of respondents stated that they use rivers in the Top End for fishing, boating or other recreational activities, contributing to the $270 million dollars that recreational fishing brings to the NT economy each year.”
“Territorians want a healthy future for our rivers. They care deeply about rivers, water flows for fishing and boating, and are concerned about the threats to our way of life. This industry push for
large-scale cotton would put iconic rivers like the Daly and Roper, and our Territory lifestyle, at risk.”
“The spectre of reduced water flows, pollution and mass fish kills along the Murray Darling is a very real concern for NT residents, with 72% of respondents concerned about large cotton companies being allowed to expand operations in the Territory before they fix the problems they have caused in the Murray Darling.”
“We can’t let our iconic rivers like the Daly and Roper be degraded and destroyed as has happened to other rivers in southern Australia. It’s time for big business and government to start listening to Territorians and do more to look after the health of our rivers, lifestyle and the jobs that rely on their health now and into the future.”
Additional Facts:
- 72.5% say large cotton companies shouldn’t be allowed to expand operations until they fix the problems they have caused in the Murray Darling.
- There is broadly shared concern across the political spectrum regarding the polling question: the cotton industry shouldn’t be allowed to expand operations the Territory until they fix up their mess in the Murray-Darling basin.
o 80.7% of Labor voters
o 62.3% of CLP voters
o 94.2% of Greens voters
o 64.1% of Independent voters
o 83.3% of those intending to vote for other parties - 59.3% are opposed including 47.5% who are strongly opposed to cotton industry plans to take 520 billion litres away from the Daly River each year.
- 32.1% of people listed water extraction as their main concern
- 21% of respondents were most concerned about water pollution
Polling commissioned by the Territory Rivers – Keep ‘em Flowing Alliance undertaken by uComms, who conducted a survey of 1,107 members across Darwin and Palmerston on behalf of Environment Centre NT during the evening of 03rd March – 21st April 2024.
See more information on the polling here.
cotton, cotton industry, northernterritory, NT Government, roperriver
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CSIRO report spells out huge risk to Roper River from industry expansion
Learn moreMedia Release
18 April 2024
Water extraction from one of Australia’s last remaining free-flowing rivers – the Roper River, could see a 66,000-fold increase from a massive expansion of irrigated agriculture, according to a new CSIRO report.
The Roper River Water Resource Assessment outlines possible scenarios of 660 billion litres of surface water a year for crops such as cotton, and the requirement of 40,000ha of land cleared across the catchment.
The technical reports examine the possibility of large-scale floodplain harvesting across the Roper Catchment, as well as the cumulative impacts of up to five in-stream dams, including a hydroelectric dam on the Wilton River near Ngukurr.
“This report highlights the huge scale of development and the impacts on communities, people and ecosystems that could occur if the Roper River is not protected,” said Pew’s NT Manager Mitch Hart.
The report highlights the importance of community values, stating that the ‘nature and scale of future development of irrigation would depend heavily upon community and government values and acceptance of potential impacts to water‑dependent ecosystems.’
“Thousands of Territorians have already stood up in support of protection for the Roper – including demands that no more water be taken from the river, and no new dams be built.”
“First Nations people along the river have demanded no more water be taken, and for communities to be properly consulted on how their Country and the Roper is protected.”
“Communities want our rivers kept healthy and it’s crucial that the Government now acts to protect the Roper River before it is too late.
“This report talks to the possibility of groundwater extraction from the river system of up to 125 GL, which could have devastating impacts on the future health of the river system. To put this in perspective, this is three times Darwin’s annual drinking water supply.”
The Roper River catchment is under increasing pressure from a string of water allocations made by the NT Government in the past six months. The recently released Georgina Wiso Water Allocation Plan and Surface Water Take – Wet Season Flows Policy, plus the draft Mataranka Tindall Water Allocation Plan allow for more than 280 billion litres to be taken from the Roper River catchment each year.
“Ultimately, this report points to the urgent need for the Roper to have long-term protections in place, avoiding a Murray-Darling style disaster before it’s too late. It’s imperative that governments listen to the voice of communities – particularly First Nations – when it comes to protecting the Roper,” said Mr Hart.cotton, cotton industry, northernterritory, NT Government, roperriver
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NT ‘FLOODPLAIN HARVESTING’ POLICY RISKS ANOTHER MURRAY-DARLING DISASTER
Learn moreMedia Release
15 February 2024
Today’s release of the Northern Territory Government’s Surface Water Intake – Wet Season Flows Policy will allow billions of litres of surface and floodplain water to be taken from rivers and risks the destruction of rivers like the Daly and Roper.
Environment Centre NT Executive Director, Kirsty Howey:
“Territorians are rightly alarmed about today’s announcement. The NT Government has opened the floodgates for huge amounts of water to be taken by large agribusinesses from our already stressed river systems,” she said.“It’s clear that the NT Government is backing big industry over the views and rights of local communities and Traditional Owners when it comes to our environment.
“This policy will allow for more water to be sucked from river systems and stored in private dams for thirsty cotton crops, fracking and mining. This could have devastating impacts on our rivers and floodplains – impacting on endangered species, tourism businesses, and putting our multi-million dollar fishing industry at risk.“The NT Government are going in entirely the wrong direction with this policy. The NT community has no reason for confidence in the current NT water laws to be able to regulate industry’s water take.
“Politicians should be protecting our intact rivers, not facilitating their destruction. This is the same approach which has contributed to the devastation of the Murray Darling Basin – Territorians don’t want to make the same mistakes here,” said Ms Howey.Pew Charitable Trusts Northern Territory Manager Mitch Hart:
“With the release of this policy, the Northern Territory Government has failed the test of protecting the Territory’s precious rivers,” he said.
“The Territory’s intact tropical river systems are some of the last in the world. They are already under immense pressure. Taking more water from the NT’s rivers and floodplains will have disastrous impacts on the future health of these systems – science is very clear on this.
“Top End river management needs to be approached in a completely different way to ensure that we don’t repeat the dire mistakes made in rivers elsewhere in Australia.
“That means involving communities in developing management plans and mapping out new pathways for protection right across the Territory – using local Indigenous knowledge incorporating best science around water flows, native species’ requirements and climatic change impacts.”
END.
Territory Rivers: Keep ‘Em Flowing an alliance of non-government organisations, local communities and scientists working to safeguard the health of Top End rivers.
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Concerns raised over impact of industrial cotton gin on Northern Territory’s rivers
Learn moreMedia Statement
Key points:
- Australia’s cotton industry has major ambitions in the Northern Territory, projecting a future of hundreds of thousands of hectares of cropping, watered by billions of litres of water extracted from aquifers, rivers and floodplains.
- A cotton gin facility could facilitate severe impacts on the surrounding ecosystems, rivers, and floodplains.
- The owners of Tarwoo Station near Katherine were fined earlier this year after being found to have undertaken unlawful land clearing on the gin site.
- The cotton industry plans to rapidly embark on large-scale production in the NT, with more than 50,000 hectares of cropping forecast within a few years.
- The cleared arable area needed to meet short-term industry forecasts may be 100,000 to 150,000 hectares.
- Territorians are calling for no more water out of river systems, but draft policies would allow hundreds of gigalitres of water to be taken annually from rivers and floodplains.
The following quotes can be attributed to Mitch Hart – Northern Territory Manager for the Pew Charitable Trusts:
“Territorians remain gravely concerned at the prospect of a rapidly expanding cotton industry, fueled by the opening of an industrial cotton gin near Katherine this month.
“Communities in the Murray Darling have already witnessed first-hand the impact that large-scale cotton crops have on river catchments, corroding public trust and destroying local communities. The unlawful land clearing activities already documented in the Territory give little hope things will be different here.
“The Fyles Government should rule out giving the cotton industry more water from our rivers and floodplains, which starts with no more water out of the systems.
“It is time the Northern Territory Government listened to the concerns of our communities by protecting the fragile environment we depend on. “Territorians want a healthy future for our rivers, they care deeply about their health for water flows, fishing and are concerned about the industry push for large-scale cotton that would put iconic Territory rivers like the Roper and Daly at risk.”
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“If you kill our culture, you kill our people”: Arnhem Land Traditional Owners present 13-metre map petition to Federal Parliament, calling for protection of the Roper River
Learn moreTraditional Owners from across 20,000 square kilometres of the Northern Territory have today travelled to Canberra to ask for protection of the Roper River from threats posed by new water intensive industries in the catchment and to be at the forefront of decision-making for the river.
Representatives of communities across the catchment will present a 13-metre hand-painted cultural map and associated statement, which has been signed by hundreds of remote community residents, to the Federal Parliament.
There are proposals to take hundreds of thousands of litres of surface and groundwater from rivers including the Roper for big industries including cotton, fracking and mining. The cotton industry has flagged 100,000 hectares will be bulldozed for crops in the Northern Territory by 2030, which could lead to a Murray Darling style disaster. Traditional Owners have not been properly consulted about these plans and their cultural knowledge and community aspirations have not been considered.
“We’ve got so many important springs to protect,” Alawa Traditional Owner Naomi Wilfred said about her Country near Minyerri.
“We made that map to show Canberra about the water connection. The threat we’re worrying about is cotton is coming in and I think we’ll have no water left. We want to tell them to stop taking water and start listening to the rightful Traditional Owners.
“We want to see this river protected for our future generations.”
The river catchment – which covers an area about the size of Tasmania – boasts some of the last intact native savanna and free-flowing tropical rivers in Australia, but the future health of the river is under immediate threat.
The delegation is calling on the Australian Government to acknowledge their Indigenous water rights, to implement proper consultation mechanisms about major water decisions, and for the whole of the river catchment – including important cultural and dreaming sites – to be properly protected.
Artist Simon Normand, who worked with communities to create the map, said:
“This map is an Aboriginal way of showing their world to an outside audience.”
“It is the culmination of 18 months’ collaboration with communities in south-east Arnhem Land, who are extremely worried about their river system being irreversibly destroyed.
“The map draws on more than 25 years of working with elders who want their songlines preserved.”
Mitch Hart from the Pew Charitable Trusts, who supported the delegation to travel to Canberra, said:
“Water hungry industries, such as industrialised cotton production, are setting up shop along rivers like the Roper – despite the damage caused by over-extraction, bulldozing and pollution.
“Communities that live along the Roper and rely on it for survival are extremely concerned about its future. The Federal Government has an opportunity to respond to this powerful message from Traditional Owners and support communities who rely on these rivers.
“We cannot let mistakes made in the Murray Darling be repeated on the Roper.”
The map will be officially unveiled at an event in the Mural Hall of Australian Parliament at 3.30pm on Tuesday 28 November 2023. The event will also feature a cultural performance by songmen from Numbulwar.Notes for editors:
- The Roper River is the Northern Territory’s second largest river. Its headwaters extend northwards right up into Arnhem Land and south into the drier expanse of the Beetaloo Basin. In the dry season, the Mataranka hot springs are fed by vast underground aquifers which spill over into the Roper and keep the river flowing to the Gulf of Carpentaria at Port Roper.
- The Roper is important river for commercial fishing as it helps to feed Australia’s most valuable prawn fishery and accounts for much of the banana prawns available in supermarkets.
- Threatened species on the Roper River include the Curlew Sandpiper, Gulf Snapping Turtle, Northern Quoll, Red Goshawk, Gouldian Finch, Australian Painted Snipe, Mitchells Water Monitor, Crested Shrike tit and Grey Falcon.
- Concerns related to the Roper River include:
- In November 2022, some of the most eminent water experts from across the country wrote to the NT Chief Minister to outline strong concerns around water management in the Northern Territory. These include Professor Sue Jackson, Professor Barry Hart, Professor Quentin Grafton, Professor Marcia Langton, Professor Richard Kingsford, Professor Anne Poelina and others.
- In September 2022, an FOI request by the Environment Centre NT revealed that the NT Government’s Director of Water Planning had warned in an internal memo that allowing 80 per cent of the Mataranka Tindall Limestone Aquifer in the region to be extracted, could “cause water [in the Roper River] to flow in the opposite direction”, and “potentially impacts on the environmental and cultural values” of the Roper River.
- In August 2022, a report by the Centre for Conservation Geography outlined that major aquifers in the Daly and Roper river regions are already ‘overallocated’ (the volumes of allocated water exceed the NT Government’s estimated sustainable yields), and there is insufficient water available to meet existing commitments for strategic Aboriginal water reserves.
- In February 2021, a comprehensive scientific study evaluating the environmental state of play in Australia was published. Of the 19 Australian ecosystems which met the criteria to be classified as “collapsing” are the Northern Territory’s tropical savannas, where large-scale agriculture could be expanded in the coming decades, particularly in the Daly, Katherine and Roper River catchments.
- NT Government major policies and plans that could impact the Roper River:
- Surface Water Take -Wet Season Flows Policy
- Interference With A Waterway Guidelines
- Georgina Wiso Water Allocation Plan
- Mataranka Water Allocation Plan
- The Roper River cultural map statement text:
- We represent the clans and language groups of South East Arnhem Land: Ngalakgan, Alawa, Mangarrayi, Ngandi, Marra, Warndarrang, Nunggubuyu, Ritharrngu-Wagilak and Rembarrnga.
We are the Traditional Custodians of the Roper River and its catchment. We speak as one voice. We have translated this statement into your language, English, to help you understand us. Water is life.
All our songlines follow the water. We are all connected. If you take our water, you kill our culture. If you kill our culture, you kill our people.
We want our Indigenous water rights properly recognised, including:- We want a ban on all further water extraction, licenses and surface water harvesting in the Roper catchment, including the groundwater and floodplains that are the life of the River.
- We want evidence that environmental and Indigenous cultural values are protected and made into law.
- We want all downstream communities of the Roper to be included in all water joint-decision making from now on. We have never been consulted.
- Our scientific and cultural knowledge of freshwater and saltwater Country came long before Colonisation and must be listened to and prioritised.”
- We represent the clans and language groups of South East Arnhem Land: Ngalakgan, Alawa, Mangarrayi, Ngandi, Marra, Warndarrang, Nunggubuyu, Ritharrngu-Wagilak and Rembarrnga.