Fortune Agribusiness is again the controversial winner in the Western Davenport Water Allocation Plan 2024-2027 announced by Environment Minister Kate Worden yesterday – a day before her government entered caretaker mode ahead of the election this month.

The government’s decisions about the use of groundwater from the 24,500 square kilometre basin 350 km north of Alice Springs have vehemently been opposed by the Arid Land Environment Centre.

It lost a court case but the decision is being appealed by the Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation. 

CEO Adrian Tomlinson says the case highlighted that plans are non-binding: “We need an urgent amendment to the Territory’s water laws to ensure water allocation plans are binding.” 

He says while the new plan has marginally reduced the allocation to businesses like Fortune but they have a freer hand in how to take the water.

Two-thirds of the resource is set aside for industrial use, to 92 per cent of which the  Chinese backed  company, at Singleton Station, now seems set to have the rights for the next three years.

This is about 1.4 times Darwin’s annual water supply, says Mr Tomlinson.

The remaining one-third is used for smaller existing agricultural ventures and for the Aboriginal Water Reserve which can be used or traded.

Mr Tomlinson says the licence, which is still subject to environmental impact assessment, “needs to be stopped.

“It will result in the widespread destruction of groundwater dependent trees, soaks and wetlands which depend on shallow groundwater.

“Sacred sites are at risk and salinity impacts the long-term viability of the water.”

This article appeared on Alice Springs News on 1 August 2024