More delays for Singleton orchard as CLC appeals water decision
An ambitious orchard project in Central Australia will be back before the courts after an appeal against a Supreme Court water ruling. Read what happened.
Northern Territory
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The Arid Lands Environment Centre has raised the white flag in its campaign to stop development of an orchard in Central Australia but the Central Land Council will continue to fight the project.
ALEC in partnership with the local Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation wanted to reverse a 2021 decision by the NT’s Water Controller to grant Fortune Agribusiness a licence to extract up to 40,000ML of groundwater a year from aquifers beneath Singleton Station.
The overall extraction is 0.03 per cent a year of the water stored in the aquifers below the Western Davenport Water Control District.
The $250m project could mean hundreds of permanent and seasonal jobs in the Northern Territory.
In January Supreme Court Judge Peter Barr ruled against the claim, finding there was “no requirement” that a water extraction licence decision accord with a water allocation plan for the area.
He said there were in-built controls in Fortune’s agreement with the Territory Water Controller which meant if conditions were not satisfied it would not be permitted to enter the next stage.
When Justice Barr handed down his decision, ALEC chief executive Adrian Tomlinson vowed to continue the fight, but announced by media release it had surrendered its legal battle to stop the process.
“Arid Lands Environment Centre will not appeal the decision made by the Northern Territory Supreme Court. The risks attached to a Supreme Court appeal are too great for ALEC, a small but mighty community organisation and not-for-profit.”
Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation through the Central Land Council flagged it will continue the court battle against the development.
Traditional Owner Heather Anderson said water extraction was at the heart of the issue.
“We want to keep on fighting for this water,” Ms Anderson said.
“We have got to keep going until the end, until they leave us alone — Until we win.”
If the project is approved, Fortune Agribusiness plans to begin staged water extraction at Singleton, about 120km south of Tennant Creek, eventually ramping up to potentially the full 40,000ML over nine years in four stages.
If the project goes ahead, the development will take place on nine plots about 400ha each producing a selection of fruits including mandarin, table grapes, onions, avocado and jujube.
Singleton Agribusiness chief executive Peter Wood said the company respected the legal process while acknowledging the delays are impacting the project.
“We were expecting to be at the second stage by now,” he said.
In the meantime, fruit trials a “going well”.
“It’s teaching us a lot and we’re learning what varieties and crops will give us the best results,” he said.
“The best news out of the trials so far is that our mandarins, which are our number one crop, are going great. They’re doing really well and confirming they’re suited to the area.”
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Originally published as More delays for Singleton orchard as CLC appeals water decision
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