2016-08-07
The Greens say a recent application to clear almost 24,000 hectares of land near Larrimah highlights inconsistencies with the Planning Act.
Mr Dalton Dupuy, the Greens candidate for the seat of Braitling, says the application should be subject to formal environmental assessment.
"Over 98% of the 23,795 hectares on Maryfield Station has not been previously cleared," said Mr Dupuy.
"This is a massive area, that would normally be subject to formal assessment by the environment department. But because the application is over a pastoral lease, it looks set to evade that scrutiny, and be approved via the Pastoral Lands Board."
"This is by far the largest such application we've seen this century, and highlights the inconsistency of allowing some forms of tenure to evade the full assessment process that applies to all other land."
The Greens are campaigining in 6 seats for this month's Territory election on a platform that includes banning gamba grass everywhere in the NT. They say the Maryfield plan encompasses buffel grass, another contentious pasture species.
"Plans after clearing are to plant a range of pastures, including buffel grass. Buffel, like gamba, has been declared a controlled weed elsewhere, but remains tolerated in the NT because of its value as pasture. These grasses present serious fire risks to the surrounding environment, and beyond."
"Current management plans for these weeds are letting us down. It's time we reconsidered the value proposition behind some of these exotic pastures, that includes the costs and risks of the intensified fire events they bring."