A map showing coal and gas titles across Australia has highlighted the Northern Territory as having the highest concentration of fossil fuel exploration titles of any jurisdiction.
Produced by a specialist consultancy called Energy and Resource Insights, the map shows 84.9 per cent of the Territory’s land mass covered by petroleum permits (30 per cent) and applications.
The map was produced as part of the Lock the Gate Alliance’s new campaign Water4Life, which urges a focus on water issues in the lead up to the federal election.
Principal researcher on the project Adam Walters told NT News the government is showing a willingness to allow almost all of the state to be industrialised, and the issue needs a national perspective.
“Things like prime agricultural land, ecologically significant areas and water tables don’t recognise state boundaries so it’s only by looking at the national level that we can truly understand the extent to which we’re prepared to industrialise otherwise untouched areas of this country,” he said.
“Are we prepared to allow vast amounts of Australia to be industrialised when we’re not even sure there’s going to be a market there in the future?”