A federal court judge rules Resources Minister Keith Pitt's decision to award millions of dollars to a gas company to speed up exploration in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin as invalid, following a legal challenge by the NT Environment Centre.
A judge has ruled a $21 million grant to speed up fracking in the Beetaloo Basin invalid because of the federal government's "unreasonable" move to quietly award the money while a court challenge was underway.
Justice John Griffiths declared the contracts invalid and void because of the minister's decision to suddenly execute the grant agreement in September while the court challenge was underway and without notifying the ECNT. He said the Commonwealth "apparently … took a considered forensic decision" not to give evidence about the reasons for the move and he was not prepared to infer that it had tried to "stymie" the court challenge."No evident and intelligible justification is evident for the Commonwealth's decision to enter into the Imperial Contracts on 9 September, 2021," Justice Griffith's wrote in his judgement.
He also found there was no requirement for the minister to consider the potential climate impacts of exploration of the basin in this case. In a statement issued after the decision was handed down, Mr Pitt's office said the ruling gave a "green light to Beetaloo Basin gas development." "The Beetaloo Basin has enormous potential to deliver the gas Australia needs for the future. Our resources and energy sector are vitally important to the Australian economy and are forecast to generate a record $379 billion this financial year."A spokesperson for Empire Energy said the decision would not impact its work program, which has already paused for the Top End wet season.
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