Trouble in the Daly - development by stealth

Aboriginal landowners have not been consulted over agricultural developments in the Daly River region, where large areas of pastoral lease and freehold land are currently being cleared of native vegetation.

The Daly River

The Government had previously assured the NLC that there would be six months consultation before further development would proceed, but earlier this year Minister Vatskalis gave the go-ahead for 8,000 hectares to be cleared without consultation or, indeed, any public announcement.

The Daly River is an NT icon, and is of immense value culturally to Aboriginal landowners of the region as well as an important resource base.

It is the largest river in the NT and is a habitat rich in turtles and fish, including rare and threatened species.

Historically, similar developments have led to long-term and irreversible problems such as pollution, silt build-up, reduced water flows and loss of wildlife for arguably most river systems in southern Australia.

The NT Government is saying the Daly developments will occur in an environmentally sustainable way.

But they have not talked with Aboriginal stakeholders or the NLC to explain how they will do this.

The Government has also not undertaken any study into the cultural impacts which changes in river health and flow might have.

To date, the Minister has not responded to the NLC's request for the Government to publicly release important planning documents about development in the Daly region. Mr Vatskalis has also not responded to the NLC's request to meet with him privately and discuss this issue.

However, the secret agricultural developments are believed to include pastoralism and various crops, including crops requiring irrigation.

Such developments would involve not only broadscale vegetation clearance, but also pumping large amounts of water from the river and watertable, the use of pesticides and herbicides and increased greenhouse gas emissions.

The go-ahead for vegetation clearing in the Daly region is effectively a green light for the Government's agricultural development proposals, the details of which continue to be kept secret from the public.