T Government must ditch 'destructive' Gunn Point Peninsula development: Conservation groups

NT Government must ditch ‘destructive’ Gunn Point Peninsula development: Conservation groups

by | Oct 6, 2020 | News, NT Politics | 3 comments

Gunn Point Peninsula, a favoured fishing spot, dotted with Indigenous sacred sites, land claims and untouched coral reef is in jeopardy of major and irreversible” environmental impacts, according to an alliance of Northern Territory conservation groups.

Massive industrial development at Gunn Point Peninsula is being proposed by the NT Government, including a deep-water port, urban expansion and extensive agriculture.

But an alliance of environment groups including the Australian Marine Conservation Society, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Environment Centre of the Northern Territory, locked in a battle with the NT Government for more than a decade, say they are concerned the unprotected area stands to be lost forever.

The alliance says the clearing of thousands of hectares of land, dredging a port, and installing heavy industry “would destroy what the Top End community holds dear about this place”, and have written a formal submission to the NT Planning Commission rejecting the proposal.

The NT Department of Environment and Natural Resources unveiled a development plan in July detailing the potential for irrigated agriculture, new mango and avocado crops and a new town, which could house up 36,000 people.

Amid heightened concerns among environmentalists, the submission states Kakadu World Heritage National Park, the Western Arnhem Land coast and the Tiwi Islands are all under threat of airborne and waterborne pollution that would cause “a national outcry”.

Rainforests on Gunn Peninsula, including Ginger Palmer’s Jungle, are at risk of permanent degradation and the popular fishing spot Leaders Creek stands to see extensive pollution, the submission states.

The Northern Territory Planning Commission is in the midst of sifting through community feedback on the proposed project.

“Increased interest” in Gunn Point Peninsula and the potential of recent natural resource investigations triggered a broad review of the land use structure this year, according to the NT Planning Commission, despite community groups shooting down similar proposals over a decade ago.

“The NT Government recognised [significant cultural importance] in October 2007 when, after a sustained period of broad community opposition to a similar massive land clearing and port dredging proposal, it designated the area public open space and protected it from more inappropriate development,” the submission states.

In their submission calling for the project to be terminated, the conservation groups, jointly called Keep Top End Coasts Healthy, say a port poses significant risks to the marine environment from shipping accidents and oil spills.

Despite very few current permanent residents, the proposed Murrumujuk township, expected to house 36,000 people would involve a “major sewage outfall” into Shoal Bay.

“The area is home to endangered plant and animal species, including many that warrant federal and Territory protection,” the submission states.

Keep Top End Coasts Healthy director Adele Pedder says the proposal has been fought off by the Territory community twice before, and the group is not ready to stand down.

“Reversing decades of listening to the community’s requests to protect this special area now is a mistake,” she said.

More than 40 sites of cultural and archaeological importance exist across the approximate 330sq km Ms Pedder said.

There are 18 registered indigenous sacred sites and nine recorded sites under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act in the Glyde Point area, as well as a myriad of Native Title claims.

“The ongoing use of the area by the Larrakia, Tiwi and Wulna people for hunting, teaching and ceremonial purposes would be compromised by the placement of fossil fuel and chemical-based industries that involve large scale clearing, highly toxic materials and processes, and emissions over surrounding areas,” Ms Pedder said.

In their submission, the group say they “cannot support the destructive proposal to develop” and instead call for the government to designate the Glyde Point region as an area for marine conservation and sustainable tourism.

They say expanded port activities should instead focus on sites at East Arm Wharf and Middle Arm, where infrastructure is already in place.

“We call on the NT Government to prevent the industrialisation of this special area, and instead reinvest its efforts into investigating the potential value of the site as a protected area, supporting well-managed tourism, cultural tourism and recreational industries,” the submission reads.

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3 Comments

  1. Hilarious, these idiots haven’t even been out there for a look around, the dry ground is one enormous gravel mine with bugger all rehabilitation and only enough ground water to keep a pot plant alive. They are only interested in stopping development. Have a look at the satellite shots on google earth.

    • whose the idiot?

      ‘only enough groundwater to keep a pot plant alive’ and yet ntgov announce it will become a city bigger than palmerston.

      heeheehee

      • You are of course the idiot, the major use they propose for the peninsular is farming that requires water that is not there, oh hang on they will pipe it in from?, since you Green idiots have intimidated Gunner not to build dams the whole idea is a crock.

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