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Petiton to Minister Burgoyne: Protect Groundwater Stop Singleton

The Singleton Station water licence is one of the largest groundwater licences in Australia. An unfathomable amount of water could be given away for free to the company, Fortune Agribusiness. This is corporate welfare - a government subsidy for a private company that will provide little benefit in return. The High Court has already overturned the decision to grant the licence, but it could be reissued!

Water is precious in the desert. The site is full of life, with many plants and animals dependent on groundwater. Trees like ghost gums drink groundwater through their roots, keeping them alive and providing important habitat for birds. Groundwater is the lifeblood of the desert. The area also has many sacred sites and is culturally important to First Nations people. Some of the major issues with this licence are:

  • It will lower the groundwater table by up to 50 metres

  • It will put a 60 kilometre stretch of groundwater dependent habitat at risk of destruction

  • Native Title Holders oppose the project and have successfully challenged the decision to grant the water licence in the High Court

  • Local community members with cultural connections to the land oppose the project

  • There are up to 40 groundwater-dependent sacred sites at risk

  • The proponent, Fortune Agribusiness, still does not have their environmental approvals

 

Will you sign?

Dear Minister Burgoyne

The Singleton groundwater licence has already been opposed by Native Title Holders and overturned by the High Court. I am asking you to stop the controversial Singleton project once and for all. Do not give away up to a trillion litres of water FOR FREE to a project that will provide little benefit to the Territory. 

The Singleton water licence could use up two Sydney Harbours worth of water, destroying nature and cultural sites in the process. 

Whilst Territorians are under immense cost-of-living pressures, the Northern Territory government would be handing out this valuable water resource for free. This is a government handout to the tune of $70 million - $300 million.

This is a government subsidy for a project that is not in the public interest. It doesn’t add up:

  • No royalties will be paid; 

  • No guaranteed local jobs, will likely rely on a fly-in, fly-out workforce;

  • Seventy per cent of produce will be exported overseas;

  • An independent review found that the economic benefits, including jobs, are overstated by the company;

  • It puts nature at risk and is opposed by traditional owners and local community members;

  • Fortune Agribusiness is a company that has no other projects and has no experience in the Northern Territory

Water is life, and it is also a precious resource. It is the backbone of communities, environments and local economies. The colour and sounds of nature at Singleton rely on the groundwater beneath the surface. Don’t waste our water. Don’t let the Territory’s resources go down the drain. 

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