Top End graziers take on Origin in fight over fracking their pastures

Cattle station owners are suing Origin in a bid to stop the gas giant from expanding its fracking operation on their property.

The owners of a Top End cattle station are suing Origin Energy in the Supreme Court in a bid to stop the gas giant from expanding its fracking operation on their property.

THE owners of a Top End cattle station are suing Origin Energy in the Supreme Court in a bid to stop the gas giant from expanding its fracking operation on their property.

Origin began fracking the Amungee well in the Beetaloo Basin in 2016, after getting approval from the Country Liberals, narrowly avoiding the incoming Labor Government’s moratorium.

Now the owners of the Amungee Mungee cattle station are seeking an injunction to stop Origin from further gas exploration in the wake of the Pepper Inquiry.

The court action seeks to prevent Origin from submitting an environment management plan and Environment and Natural Resources Minister Eva Lawler from accepting it.

The owners — billionaire businessman Brett Blundy and Katherine poly pipe manufacturers Emma and Adrian Brown — say Origin has failed to carry out its stakeholder engagement under the Petroleum (Environment) Regulations act.

In documents submitted to the court, the trio accuse Origin of failing to provide information about the environmental risks associated with fracking or the consequences it could have for their business for them to respond to.

The Browns and Mr Blundy also say a finding of the Land Access Arbitration Panel that Origin can submit an environment management plan “without any, or any further, stakeholder engagement” is invalid.

“(The finding) was made with no evidence or other material justifying a finding that (Origin) has carried out stakeholder engagement under regulation seven of the regulations,” the documents read.

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NT Cattlemen’s Association chief executive Ashley Manicaros said while he couldn’t comment on the case before the court, the NTCA would watch the outcome with interest.

“What we really need to see as a matter of urgency is the land access legislation recommended in the Pepper Report to be delivered by the NT Government as soon as possible,” he said.

The Pepper Inquiry found current land access guidelines in the NT were not binding and called for signed agreements between pastoralists and gas explorers to be mandatory.

“It is the panel’s strong view that, prior to any access to a pastoral lease, a signed land access agreement (statutory land access agreement) must exist between the pastoral lessee and the

gas company and, moreover, that the obligation to finalise such an agreement must be statutorily mandated,” the report reads.

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An Origin spokesman said the company had “been talking to this pastoralist for almost 12 months for this year’s activity.”

“Origin previously reached agreement to access the same property, for similar activities, and had no issues either in reaching an agreement or in the execution of our work,” he said.

“Our desire is always to work constructively to finalise an agreement about access to the property.”

Ms Lawler was contacted for comment.