Tiwi Island elders have applied to have an emergency declaration made to temporarily stop Santos constructing a pipeline for its Barossa gas project, while also preventing the company from building the pipeline on the planned route, the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has confirmed.

Environmental Defenders Office special counsel Alina Leikin, speaking on behalf of the Tiwi Islanders, said Santos had announced it intended to begin work on the pipeline as soon as this Wednesday, despite being aware of Tiwi concerns that it will go through an area of significant underwater cultural heritage.

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