NT industry leaders heap praise on plan to scrap ‘merit’ based reviews

Industry has welcomed plans to make it harder to protest legitimate developments. Read what they say.

Cotton Katherine Northern Territory Picture Gary Shipway

Northern Territory industry leaders have backed moves by the NT Government to make it harder for green or heritage activists to block commercial developments.

The NT Government announced this week it would review issues around the weaponisation of third-party merits reviews, which in recent years had been linked with the delayed-approval of 20 projects totalling hundreds-of-millions of dollars.

A recommendation in the Pepper Inquiry into the Territory’s onshore gas industry, merit reviews allow for last-minute appeals against projects through the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Australian Energy Producers NT chief executive David Slama said merit reviews were another uncertainty along the shaky process towards project approval in the Territory.

He said the Territory had a different chief minister each year for the past four years, which further reinforced the need for stability and continuity.

David Slama is the Northern Territory Director of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA)

“It is crucial that we pursue our robust regulations in a streamlined and ethical way,” Mr Slama said.

“We have proven that we can navigate the fine line between environmental protection, land access and industry growth with integrity.

“The merits review system has allowed the Environmental Defender’s Office to introduce claims that unnecessarily delay vital gas supply projects.

“These delays impede job creation for Territorians, kill investment confidence and stall the tangible economic benefits that should flow to our communities. We support the Finocchiaro government’s plan to finally put an end to merit review laws.”

NT Farmers chief executive Greg Troughton also lent his support to the proposed changes.

He said common sense was needed to boost investment confidence to secure the future of sustainable agriculture in the Territory and to stop “skulduggery dressed up as environmental virtue”.

NT Farmers chief executive Greg Troughton,

“Farmers and agribusinesses need certainty when it comes to water and land

approvals,” Mr Troughton said.

“For too long, we have seen external groups misuse legal appeals to delay critical projects, threatening agricultural expansion and food production in the NT.

“This reform will ensure that approved water and land use decisions stand, providing

the confidence our industry needs to invest and grow,.

“Very few merit-based reviews are ever successful in anything other than delaying

and damaging the future of a prosperous Northern Territory. The merit-based process

should be reviewed and ultimately revoked removing the weaponisation of the process.

Judicial review processes should be the appropriate challenge mechanism open to all

stakeholders,”

Announcing the review, Mr Burgoyne said the Environment Protection Authority had already assessed environmental management plans long before individual project objections occurred.

A consequence was increased costs to proponents because the average review completion time was in excess of six months.

According to the Minerals Council of Australia, a one-year delay could reduce by 13 per cent the value of a major mining project.