What is the inquiry?
In response to concerns raised by Traditional Owners on the frontlines of fracking in the Northern Territory, the Senate voted to establish a Parliamentary inquiry into Morrison’s $50 million hand out for big oil and gas corporations to fast track their plans for fracking in the Beetaloo Basin.
Why is it important right now?
This inquiry gives us a chance to shine a much needed light on the huge risks of fracking and the dodgy ways in which these corporations are trying to cash in on the government's promise of public money to rush ahead and frack more wells this year, despite Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities continually standing up and saying no.
Tips for writing your submission:
Anyone can write a submission but everyone has their own unique reasons for caring about these issues and it’s important that the inquiry hears these concerns rather than getting flooded with thousands of the same submissions.
But in saying this, we know that many of our concerns are connected and so we’ve included some more information below to help you craft your submission.
- Address the committee: "Dear Committee Secretary" or something to that effect!
- Introduce yourself and state why you're writing: Say who you are, where you're from, and that you're lodging a submission into the Industry Research and Development (Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program) Instrument 2021.
- Explain why $50 million of public money being handed out to gas corporations to fastrack fracking in the Northern Territory concerns you (see more info below)
- Sign off! Remember this is a formal government process, so sign off as you would any formal letter.
Once you’ve written your submission in our form, we will compile them all and submit them to the Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications.
More information you could include in your submission:
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Traditional Owners have continually said NO to fracking. It’s important to amplify the continued resistance of Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities on the frontlines of destructive gas fracking in the Northern Territory. For many years now, concerns have been raised about the lack of free, prior and informed consent gained from gas corporations such as Origin Energy, Santos and Empire Energy regarding their fracking plans. Instead, these corporations have so far ignored the concerns of Traditional Owners who are worried about the impacts of fracking on water, health, country and the climate
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Public funding should be spent supporting people, not profit. It is outrageous that in this year's Federal Budget, the Morrison Government announced $550 million in subsidies for the gas industry to destroy sacred country & water and threaten remote communities and our climate. If the Morrison government listened to the voices of communities instead of fossil fuel executives, they would be putting more money into education, health, housing, renewable energy and justice for First Nations people. Healthy country equals healthy people, it’s time for public funding to spent on the health of our communities rather than lining the pockets of greedy corporations.
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Water is life in the Northern Territory but fracking threatens the security and quality of water for many remote communities. The impacts of fracking on water and concerns regarding wastewater management was one of the biggest issues raised during the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory as captured in the 2018 Final Report. The NT Gunner Government promised industry regulations to mitigate any risk to water but these recommendations have still not been implemented, which means these fracking corporations could contaminate sacred water without consequence. If water is polluted in one area it will damage neighbouring language groups on country and the entire water system.
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Fracking the Beetaloo and McArthur Basins would be a climate disaster in the NT and beyond. Fracking in the Northern Territory will affect us all - but it’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who will feel this first and worst - from extreme heat waves, to water shortages and more extreme flooding, the impacts of climate change could force many communities off their country. Furthermore, this $50 million to fast track exploratory drilling is just a stepping stone for gas corporations to further develop their plans for hundreds of production wells which would ruin our chance of limiting global warming to the Paris target of 1.5 degrees.
Add in any extra information or personal reasons for your concerns. And remember you don't need to be an expert to make a submission, use the guide above and call on the inquiry committee to listen to Traditional Owners and Aboriginal community members calling for an end to fracking on their country.
If you would like more information about the inquiry head to their website here, or if you would like more information on the legislation, you can read about it here: Industry Research and Development (Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program) Instrument 2021.