The Northern Territory’s Country Liberal Party on February 11 announced it will stop funding the Environment Centre NT (ECNT) and the Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC).
These non-government organisations have, for decades, been watchdogs, ensuring NT governments and corporate interests do not ride roughshod over the environment and peoples’ livelihoods.
Hannah Ekin, ALEC anti-fracking campaigner, told Green Left: “This is a government that punches down. Cutting our funding will not stop our advocacy, nor will it stop affected communities from protecting their Country and resisting unjust development.”
As part of its crackdown on “lawfare” and environmental activism, the CLP plans to restrict the ability of community groups to seek a merits review on decisions relating to environmental and water resources.
“The CLP wants to bulldoze the community’s ability to have a say on issues that directly affect us,” Ekin said.
“It’s vital the community is able to legally scrutinise the decisions that, effectively, give fracking companies a blank cheque to cause harm.”
In this context the Territory Coordinator proposal poses an even greater threat.
It would have the power to override laws so that the usual environmental and social approvals processes do not have to be followed.
The NT government intends to use the new powers to fast-track “onshore gas developments”.
On another front, the CLP is taking steps to privatise prisons by allowing the Corrections Commissioner to “appoint” private contractors.
The Correctional Services Legislative Amendment Bill 2025 could allow untrained staff employed by profit-hungry operators like Serco into a system already at breaking point.
Minister for Corrections Gerard Maley said on February 7 that due to the “sustained increase” in prisoner numbers, the “reforms” were necessary.
The CLP has lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 years to 10 among other bail and sentencing changes which have led to record numbers of people being imprisoned.
Independent Yolngu Member of the Legislative Assembly Yingiya Guyula recently took his protest about the cruel and degrading conditions inside NT prisons to the United Nations.
Mitch Rose, a member of Justice Not Jails, told GL he is alarmed by the CLP’s recklessness.
“I was a youth worker in the justice system and I have seen, first-hand, the detrimental impacts of having untrained and unqualified workers placed in such complex environments.
“Young people in custody often have complex, multi-layered behavioural and developmental issues. This requires skilled and informed intervention to manage, especially if the aim is to rehabilitate and help them re-enter the community.
“This approach by the NT CLP will lead to even more dangerous conditions for young people, workers and, ultimately, the community.”
In line with its attack on First Nations children and families, the CLP plans to give courts discretion not to adhere to the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle on child protection matters.
This directly counters the substantial body of reports and recommendations which stress the need to keep children connected to family, Country and culture to prevent the trauma of a future Stolen Generation.
“The CLP continues to demonstrate it has no interest in a therapeutic model of care for our children, whether in the child protection or youth justice systems,” said Nyikina woman and Justice not Jails member Natalie Hunter. “It does not want to support families.”
The CLP has also announced it is scrapping the minimum floor price for alcohol. Community members, health professionals and Aboriginal-community controlled organisations are concerned this will lead to further alcohol-fuelled harms and violence.