Court challenge of NT water gift equal to Sydney harbour drained twice

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Six native title holders from the Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation will attend tomorrow’s hearing in Canberra and challenge the groundwater licence of a horticulture company that wants to grow fruit and vegetables in the desert south of Tennant Creek.

The licence authorises Fortune Agribusiness to extract 40 gigalitres of groundwater at Singleton Station every year for 30 years once it's running at full capacity, making it the largest groundwater licence issued in the Northern Territory. After 30 years, this volume of groundwater will equal draining Sydney Harbour twice.

Experts value the water at between $70m and $300m, yet the NT government is granting the licence free of charge to Fortune. The company plans to use the precious water to grow crops, largely for international export.

The case marks a critical moment in the six-year legal battle by the region’s traditional owners, who say the project threatens sacred sites, cultural survival and a fragile desert water system.

The licence allows groundwater drawdown across thousands of hectares. The traditional owners warn that it risks permanently damaging an ancient aquifer, at least 40 groundwater-dependent sacred sites and community water supplies.

When groundwater levels drop below the reach of roots of sacred trees and plants, they die. Animals connected to dreaming stories disappear. Cultural practices that have continued for thousands of years are disrupted, causing deep emotional, social and physical distress for those responsible for this country.

Central Land Council

PHOTO courtesy CLC