Central Land Council, Arid Lands Environment Centre want water allocation plan to be scrapped

The Central Land Council and a peak environmental body are calling for a draft water allocation plan to be scrapped, accusing the NT government of not properly consulting Traditional Owners. Read why here.

The Central Land Council has backed calls for a Central Australian water allocation plan to be scrapped, as an environmental group labels it “an assault on the environment”.

The draft Western Davenport Water Allocation plan was released earlier this year and dictates the management of groundwater in a 24,500sq km area south of Tennant Creek.

The area includes Singleton Station farm, a proposed 3500ha horticultural project 380km north of Alice Springs that is expected to grow mandarins, avocados, table groups and other fruits by extracting up to 40 billion litres a year from the Western Davenport Control District.

CLC chief executive Les Turner said the twice-rejected plan followed “pretend-consultations” with Traditional Owners and disrespectsed their concerns about site protection and rights and interests in water.

Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner said Traditional Owners were not sufficiently consulted in the development of the draft plan. Pic: supplied.

Mr Turner said the consultation process consisted of “two misleading presentations” by government water planners that “spruiked out-of-date information”.

“The draft Western Davenport water allocation plan it has released for public comment offers no protection for our sites and the environment,” he said.

“Traditional Owners might as well have stayed away since the plan only pays lip service to the concerns they raised.”

A Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security spokesman has refuted these allegations.

“Water allocation planning involves the collection and analysis of data and scientific information and will necessarily evolve or develop over time,” he said.

“The cultural values considered as part of licence decisions is a new requirement specific to this plan that will be a commitment that applies to future decisions.

“It is a positive and protective outcome that can only be met with the active assistance of the land council.”

The CLC said under a new draft plan Aboriginal cultural values had to be “considered” as one set of values among many others when issuing water licenses, whereas the previous water plan had an objective to protect Aboriginal cultural values.

“This is unacceptable because many sacred sites and practices in the region depend on groundwater and the ecosystems it sustains,” Mr Turner said.

“Any drop in the water table risks irreversible damage to sacred springs, soakages and trees. Our country and culture will be sacrificed if water extraction is not carefully managed and limited.”

The plan covers a vast area of land north of Alice Springs including the Singleton Station. Pic: Supplied.

The call was echoed by the Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC), Central Australia’s peak environmental organisation, which labelled the plan “an assault on the environment”.

ALEC chief executive Adrian Tomlinson said the plan was “gutted of rules” and “characterised by ecosystem degradation”.

“This plan cruelly relies on lowering the water table beyond the reach of the plants and animals that rely on it over vast areas,” Mr Tomlinson said.

“Groundwater defines the flourishing vegetation in central Mparntwe Alice Spring.

This is underpinned by a sustainable water allocation plan.

It is hypocritical to allow groundwater dependent ecosystems to be lost over vast areas near Ali Curung and Wycliffe Well.”

ALEC claims the estimated sustainable yield within the plan is too high and allocates too much water, which would result in the destruction of groundwater dependent trees in a more than 100km stretch of land.

The draft document stated the estimated sustainable yield would be 87,700ML (megalitres) of groundwater per year, with 25,677ML per year of that reserved for Aboriginal water reserve for Aboriginal economic development.

ALEC policy officer Alex Vaughan said the plan would have “catastrophic impacts” on groundwater dependent trees.

“It is unacceptable to destroy 30 per cent of the ghost gums, coolibahs, river red gums, ti trees, corkwoods and bloodwoods that rely on the shallow groundwater just below the surface in the Western Davenports,” Mr Vaughan said.

Originally published as Central Land Council, Arid Lands Environment Centre want water allocation plan to be scrapped