Northern Territory plans to delete environmental water protection rules

The Northern Territory government plans to delete a legal requirement that water must be set aside for the environment, the Guardian reported. The move by the Country Liberal party administration under Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro will change the rules that govern how much ground and surface water industry is allowed to take. Conservation groups have condemned the proposed changes as a direct attack on nature. [1][2][3]

According to reports by the Guardian and Oz Arab Media, the decision to remove the environmental water reserve requirement has sparked widespread environmental backlash. Green groups stated that the legislative changes are extreme, even for the current Northern Territory government. Industry access to water resources will expand under the proposed regulatory framework. [1][3]

The Northern Territory is an internal Australian territory located in the central and northern regions of Australia, bordered by Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland. It achieved self-government on July 1, 1978, under the Northern Territory Self-Government Act. The territory has a sparse population density of about 0.2 persons per square kilometre across its vast terrain. [5][6]