Gas expansion in Northern Territory highlighted at Coburg Town Hall

On Saturday residents of Merribek and wider Melbourne heard directly from traditional owners and Territorians on the cultural, environmental and health impacts of gas expansion in the Northern Territory. The Coburg Town Hall

Speakers at the Coburg Town Hall were:

Miliwanga Wurrben is a Rembarrnga woman from Central Arnhem land, but now lives in Katherine. She describes herself as a traditional healer, weaver and midwife.
Mililma May is a Danggalaba Kulumbirgin Tiwi woman. She is a community organiser and freelance writer. She has supported grassroots movements across the Top End in the fight for Aboriginal self-determination and liberation.
Adam Gaston, Mangarrayi man and advocate for Country
Dr Louise Woodward is a Northern Territory paediatrician from Darwin who has been using her voice and expertise as a doctor to raise the alarm about the health impacts of the Middle Arm gas hub and Beetaloo fracking.
MC’d by Environment Centre NT’s Executive Director Kirsty Howey

A planned welcome to country smoking ceremony was cancelled due to the extreme heat conditions with temperatures exceeding 35C. These temperatures are more reminiscent of Darwin than Melbourne on 23 November. An acknowledgement of Country was done instead.

Didn’t make it along? We know many people are attending the Rising Tide blockade of Newcastle Coal Port this weekend. You can add your voice to the petition calling on Victorian Federal Labor MPs, to take action to stop fracking in the Northern Territory: https://www.lockthegate.org.au/dont_frack_the_nt

Read about the Middle Arm Industrial development for Darwin. Instead of providing a total of $1.9 billion in funding gas expansion the Federal Government could be funding renewables, sustainable jobs and training and addressing remote housing issues (all of which would help reduce indigenous communities inequity, poverty and social issues) The answers are in Recharging the Territory Report.

Check out this video of Dr Louise Woodward on the health impacts of gas fracking and a gas processing hub. Governments are ignoring the health impacts of oil and gas extraction and processing (The Conversation, 2023)

If you want a deeper dive into the climate implications of gas expansion in the Northern Territory, this forum with Professor Bill Hare from April 2024 provides extra detail. Bill Hare was one of the authors of a 2023 report by Climate Analytics (2023). Unpacking CSIRO GISERA Beetaloo fossil gas emission estimates (PDF)

Background in Merribek and Wills

In June 2023 we reported on the Federal Government $1.5 billion subsidy for the Middle Arm industrial hub development: When is a $1.5 billion fossil fuel subsidy not a subsidy? When the Federal Minister says it is not (Sic). And we have lobbied Federal MP Peter Khalil on Beetaloo Basin Gas, legislation and use of the water trigger and a climate trigger. Citizens of Wills have been raising issue of subsidies for NT gas expansion with Peter Khalil since the 2019 election campaign candidates forum.