Ministers face court heat over water licence

TERRITORIANS directly impacted by a 40,000 megalitres water licence may be able to testify against the extraction without making a 1160km journey north.

The Supreme Court is deliberating how a hearing to determine the legality of the Territory’s largest water extraction licence will proceed.

Arid Lands Environment Centre and the Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation launched their challenge against two Territory ministers over the licence regranted to Fortune Agribusiness for its Singleton Station in March.

Under the licence, the Central Australian fruit and vegetable farm would be entitled to extract 40,000 megalitres of groundwater.

ALEC and MAC are looking to overturn the government decision, claiming the licence could impact the community’s water security, damage sacred sites and the environment.

ALEC has previously argued hydrological modelling indicated the Singleton Station development could lower parts of the groundwater table by 50m over 30 years, posing huge risks to water-dependent ecosystems.

MAC has raised concerns the plans could threaten remote communities, such as the nearby Ali Curung, 400km north of Alice Springs.

On Thursday, representatives for Environment Minister Eva Lawler, Territory Families Minister Kate Worden and Fortune Agriculture appeared before Justice Meredith Huntingford, where the both sides proposed hearings split between Darwin and Alice Springs courts to allow the civil matter to be held closer to impacted communities.

Despite facing the prospect of a four-month gap between the two hearings, ALEC representatives proposed a two-day hearing in September.

Justice Huntingford said she had some concerns about securing dates.

“I have absolutely no knowledge of the availability of judges in Alice Springs for those days,” she said. “I would agree that the matter should be heard sooner rather than later and I am happy enough to put those dates aside and take steps to ensure that nothing else is listed then.”

Justice Huntingford ordered that the parties file and serve expert evidence, and to finalise any amendments by May 10. They will return to court on May 19.