Shadow Minister for Mining and Industry, Steve Edgington, says the Gunner Government’s
regulatory road blocks are stifling growth in the Territory’s mining and petroleum industry
and the approvals process needs an urgent overhaul.
“During Estimates questioning of the Minister for Mining and Industry, late yesterday, a
myriad of delays due to mountains of red tape and insufficient funding for the
implementation of crucial recommendations from Justice Pepper’s fracking inquiry were
uncovered.
“The department conceded there are still 135 petroleum exploration permit applications
waiting for approval, and that there’s no statutory time frame for granting petroleum
exploration permits. Further questioning revealed the average time for a permit to be
processed can be up to three years, which the department blamed on compliance with the
Native Title Act.
“Further proof of stagnation in the NT’s mining industry was highlighted by the Minister, who
admitted only one mine has moved from exploration to production in the past five years.
When quizzed about the shortfall, the Minister’s response was ‘mines don’t happen
overnight’. No kidding.
“The Minister also faced questions about progress on implementing recommendations from the Independent Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing which was handed down in March 2018. Three years on from the final report, and 55 of the 135 recommendations are still outstanding.
“What’s concerning is, the Minister admitted she doesn’t have any specific funding set aside
to implement the regulations. Instead, she plans to siphon from the budget for the Territory’s
energy development group.
“The Pepper report also recommended a Strategic Regional Environmental Baseline
Assessment (SREBA), which provides guidelines relating to flora, fauna, water and air quality
so that changes over time can be measured through ongoing monitoring programs. This will
ensure accurate information is provided the Gunner Government for decisions about the
development of the onshore gas industry in the Beetaloo region.
“Clearly, this isn’t a priority for the Minister because her department yesterday confirmed the
completion of the SREBA isn’t expected until the end of 2022.
Shadow Minister for Mining and Industry
“Unnecessarily drawn out responses from the Minister to run down the clock during
questioning about her responsibilities as Police Minister, earlier in the day, meant she didn’t
take a single question on market engagement and trade relating to the Northern Australia
Development, which is a crucial area for new investment as outlined in the Territory Economic
Reconstruction Committee (TERC) report.
“We know the Gunner Government has just released a consultancy worth $143,000 to KPMG
to develop a new international engagement strategy. But because of the Minister’s time wasting, we weren’t able to ask about this key future strategy,” said Mr Edgington.
ENDS