There are fears that sacred, pristine sites are being put at risk by a government-backed push to grow cotton in the outback.
At the desert oasis of Bitter Springs, tourists float lazily through water so clear it reflects the piercing blue sky.
Not mentioning cotton appears to be part of a broader effort to avoid a public backlash, as the NT government helps smooth the regulatory path for this crop. Dr Howey says that is "not OK". "If you want to grow cotton, you need to say it on your water license application. You need to say it on your land clearing application," Dr Howey says.
Despite encouraging the industry to grow in the Territory, the minister for Environment and Water Security, Kate Worden, concedes she's never asked if it's actually legal to grow cotton on a pastoral lease. And it leaves a major legal cloud over the industry, even as millions are spent on the NT's first cotton gin, which opened in December outside Katherine.One station has come up with a creative way to overcome the legal uncertainty of growing cotton on a pastoral lease.
Dr Howey says it was previously understood that farmers wanting to grow a crop like cotton needed to apply for a non-pastoral use permit, but farmers stopped applying for these a few years back.Harold Dalywaters is an elder and one of the traditional owners of the lands covered by Ucharonidge Station. He says he was never informed about the planting of cotton or the clearing of land.
Professor Matthew Currell, a hydrogeologist from Griffith University, says groundwater levels in the Mataranka area have been steadily declining. In 2020, a quasi-government entity called NT Land Corporation released 5,700 hectares of land that it said was suitable for crops like melons, citrus and mangoes. The land, which requires clearing and development, came with a 10,000 megalitre water licence.To justify giving away so much water, the government massaged the science. It changed the rules and effectively moved a boundary line which divides the wet "Top End zone" from the dry "Arid zone".
When the farmer developing this new precinct, Jamie Schembri, resubmitted the water licence application in June, it revealed his true plans.
Mataranka Agriculture Water Management Northern Territory Cotton Industry Farming Four Corners
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Core Lithum shuts Northern Territory mine as it hopes for recovery in global pricesAfter opening to much fanfare, Core Lithium has shut all operations at a Northern Territory mine and is cutting costs until it can get a higher price for its product.
Read more »
Plane crashes during defence exercise in Northern Territory7NEWS brings you the latest local news from Australia and around the world. Stay up to date with all of the breaking sport, politics, entertainment, finance, weather and business headlines. Today's news, live updates & all the latest breaking stories from 7NEWS.
Read more »
Northern Territory woman dies in hospital following ‘serious act of domestic violence’7NEWS brings you the latest local news from Australia and around the world. Stay up to date with all of the breaking sport, politics, entertainment, finance, weather and business headlines. Today's news, live updates & all the latest breaking stories from 7NEWS.
Read more »
China-Russia military collaboration an unspoken backdrop to Exercise Pitch Black in Northern TerritoryExercise Pitch Black has pulled together air forces from 20 nations for practice missions over northern Australia as concern rises about collaboration between China and Russia.
Read more »
Northern Territory Police boss to apologise to Indigenous communityThe NT Police commissioner will apologise for the injustice the force has inflicted on Indigenous people over the past 150 years.
Read more »
US Marines release findings from investigation into fatal Osprey aircraft crash in remote Northern TerritoryAlmost a year since the tragedy, the US Marine Corp has released the findings from an investigation into an Osprey crash in northern Australia that killed three people and injured 20 others.
Read more »