2025-03-10
Background
The CLP Government last week made substantial changes to the Onshore Petroleum Activities Code of Practice (the Code). The Code regulates fracking in the Northern Territory. These changes, which were quietly released without public consultation, significantly weaken the Code and threaten our environment and community safety. Specifically:
1. The statement highlighting the purpose of the Code - to ensure that “risk to the public and workers is managed to a level as low as reasonably practicable and acceptable” - has been removed.
2. The requirement to notify landowners of significant leaks from fracking wells on their property has been removed.
3. The requirement to keep record of chemicals kept on site has been removed
Further, the new Well Integrity Code of Practice will sit under the Department of Mining and Energy rather than the Department of Environment. This contravenes recommendation 14.34 of the Pepper Inquiry, which said “there must be a clear separation between the agency with responsibility for regulating the environmental impacts and risks associated with any onshore shale gas industry and the agency responsible for promoting that industry.
Quotes attributable to Kat Mcnamara MLA, Member for Nightcliff
“It’s clear that the CLP Government works for the gas industry, not the people. This is just further evidence that we need to take real action on transparency. We need to get dirty fossil fuel donations out of politics, establish a lobbyist register with teeth, and shut the revolving door between politics and the fossil fuel industry.”
“Minister Plibersek can no longer be assured that the NT Government is following best practice in regulating fracking in the NT. She must step in and pull the water trigger now to protect the NT environment and the health and safety of our communities.”
“This is just the latest move in an all out attack on our environmental protections by the CLP Government.”