The Lawler Government has given a special reserve status to the Jabiluka area in Kakadu National Park which would disallow uranium mining but it will likely not come into effect as Energy Resources Australia has said it had applied to renew its Jabiluka mineral lease which would void the protection.

The NT Industry, Tourism and Trade Department senior executive director of mines Denise Turnbull published the declaration of the area becoming ‘general reserved land’ in the NT Government Gazette on Thursday meaning that if the Jabiluka mineral lease – referred to as MLN 1 – ceased from August 11 this year, there would be a ban on exploration and extraction of minerals generally, and no one in the future could be granted a minerals title there.

Subscribe or Log in to read the rest of this content.