Beetaloo Basin or bust

The Albanese Government is currently considering whether billions of extra taxpayers’ dollars should go to prop up the Middle Arm gas hub in the Northern Territory, which will facilitate the fracking of the Beetaloo Basin shale gas reserve, one of the world’s great carbon bombs.

$1.9 billion has already been promised to Middle Arm, and Treasury is currently considering submissions for and against the idea of billions more heading in the same direction, with the actual cost of the hub now confirmed to be more than twice the eye-wateringly large figure earmarked in the budget.

You can bet the fossil fuel lobbyists aren’t taking an extended Christmas break this year, with submissions closing on Thursday.

The decision in the short term rests with Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, although the Beetaloo buck ultimately stops with Prime Minister Albanese and his Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek, with Labor continuing to claim that Middle Harbour’s primary purpose is not to facilitate the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries.

Queensland all over again

The whole thing is a repeat of what happened with Curtis Island in Queensland, with the gas industry desperate to open up a new port close to their export markets in Asia.

In the time-honoured tradition of unconventional gas corrupting people and politics wherever it goes, the CSIRO’s gas industry-funded arm GISERA has provided a useful fig leaf, making the ludicrous claim that Beetaloo can be developed without adding to Australia’s net carbon emissions. Independent experts have found that the actual numbers at every stage have been massively fudged.

In fact, just one fracking company looking to make a motza from Beetaloo, Tamboran Energy (which had its licence terminated in Ireland after causing havoc there), has already made public its plan to expand their operations in the NT, to the extent of effectively adding 10-13 per cent to Australia’s 2021 emissions.

This would be the equivalent of putting another 30-38 million petrol cars on the road, effectively wiping out the potential carbon benefits of making every car in Australia electric by the mid-2030s, and making a mockery of Australia’s lip service to IPCC climate recommendations.

Without a taxpayer-funded place to process and export their ‘natural’ gas however, Tamboran will be unable to achieve any of their grand ambitions.

NT Chief Minister Fyles, who greenlit much of the gas production in the NT after Chief Minister Gunner’s sudden exit, has since resigned over undisclosed mining shares. Who will be next to go? If fracking history is anything to go by, we will only know how much damage has been done to the politics and environment of the Northern Territory when it’s far too late.

Triggered?

Late last year, changes to environmental law forced by the Greens have given Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek the opportunity to stop Beetaloo in its tracks, if she’s feeling very brave, by using new ‘water trigger’ legislation.

Because the Beetaloo Basin gas is buried deep in shale, there’s no way to get at it except by using fracking technology, which pollutes vast quantities of water, as well as being linked to earthquakes and fugitive methane releases.

Conservative estimates of water use suggest five billion litres of water will need to be used in the Northern Territory each year when the frackers get going, and the new water trigger amendment has closed the loophole that previously gave gas drillers the ability to do this sort of thing without federal oversight. Even if Minister Plibersek chooses not to pull the water trigger, the Greens say the existence of this law opens the door to litigation from traditional owners, communities and NGOs if and when water is damaged.

There are also echoes here of Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia, with some of the few remaining examples of ancient Larrakia rock art at Middle Arm Peninsula, along with other sacred sites, but so far these concerns have been swept aside, just like the thousands of submissions to the NT fracking inquiry from expert scientists, farmers, traditional owners and other people whose lives have been ruined by unconventional gas exploration and production.

At the time of approval, the NT government made much of the fact that the gas industry would have to abide by 135 strict regulations before it could proceed, but these recommendations have not been implemented in full, and never will be. This industry is its own regulator, and that’s exactly the way they like it.

The smaller the population where they operate, and the least oversight that exists, the better, which is why the Northern Territory is their perfect quarry, in both senses of the word. As a territory, it lacks even the meagre protections of a state.

Pre-budget submissions to Treasury regarding billions of government dollars for the Middle Arm gas hub close this Thursday, January 25.

If you want to join GetUp’s email campaign in opposition to the fossil fuel lobbyists, you can do so here.

After sustained pressure from the opposition, PM Anthony Albanese is today recalling his ministers early from their holidays to do something urgent about the cost of living crisis. Apparently the climate crisis is much less important, and will take care of itself. Either that, or it will take care of us.

Originally from Canberra, David Lowe is an award-winning film-maker, writer and photographer with particular interests in the environment and politics. He’s known for his campaigning work with Cloudcatcher Media.

Long ago, he did work experience in Parliament House with Mungo MacCallum.