Doctors, nurses and midwives warn of public health risk from Middle Arm development
A group of Territory health workers gathered at parliament to warn of ‘highly toxic’ pollutants being released just kilometres from Darwin city.
Northern Territory
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A group of Territory healthcare workers have gathered at the steps of parliament to protest potential toxic health risks of the Middle Arm gas and green energy development.
It comes ahead of public hearings being held in Darwin on Wednesday and Thursday as part of a senate inquiry into the proposed industrial precinct 6km south of the city.
Darwin pediatrician Louise Woodward, one of 17 nurses, doctors, and midwives at Tuesday’s protest, said the medical community was deeply concerned about the expansion of gas projects and petrochemical manufacturing near people’s homes.
“Air pollution from gas processing is highly toxic, people exposed to this type of air pollution have increased risks of asthma or pregnancy complications like stillbirth, low birth weight and prematurity,” Dr Woodward said.
“Research shows that people exposed to petrochemical manufacturing as residents have an increased risk of leukaemia and other cancers.
“We call on the government to take these health risks seriously.”
Dr Woodward said despite speaking publicly posing a risk to their jobs, the group felt their “obligation” to warn the public was “more important than our employment”.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation representatives said the NT health system would struggle to cope if outcomes worsened.
“The Northern Territory has the highest rates per capita of respiratory and cardiac diseases as well as the most preterm births and neonatal deaths … it is an undeniable fact that poor air quality will intensify these issues,” NT branch secretary Catherine Hatcher said.
“As it stands, our health system is not coping – at the beginning of this year we had 444 full time equivalent nurse and midwife positions vacant.
“We ask the NT government to protect our safe working conditions above those as a meagre 0.7 per cent employed in oil and gas.”
It is not the first time health workers have called for an end to Middle Arm.
About 70 doctors from around the country converged at Parliament House in Canberra in August, urging the commonwealth to withdraw its $1.5bn stake in the development.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler said Middle Arm was a “cornerstone” to her government’s vision for the NT.
“My agenda is to get the Territory working,” she said.
“Middle Arm will bring work and opportunity for thousands of Territorians and the experts tell us will be a benchmark for similar future developments around Australia.
“We have undertaken some of the most exhaustive environmental, social and cultural assessments in Australia to progress Middle Arm.
“Middle Arm is being developed as a master planned precinct back by 200 technical studies assessing its impact.”
Australian Energy Producers NT director David Slama said gas had been safely operating at Middle Arm for a quarter of a century.
“The fish are flowing, the mangroves are green – if it wasn’t safe for humans we wouldn’t be doing it,” he said.
“We should always be concerned about air quality with anything and everything we do.
“There’s strong regulations that look at environmental and health impacts, if a project doesn’t meet high standards it won’t be approved.”
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