A major Northern Territory station at the centre of the cotton industry will be fined after being formally found to have committed land clearing offences.
Key points:
- Tarwoo Station will be fined $7,536 for clearing land before a permit
- A letter obtained by the ABC states the land clearing offences were considered as being at the lower threshold
- Environment groups say the penalty amounts to a government unwilling to regulate the industry
The findings follow an extensive investigation into cotton farming in the Northern Territory earlier this year, where satellite images obtained by the ABC indicated land clearing was taking place at multiple sites without a permit.
The probe triggered a federal government investigation and widespread calls from federal senators and the NT’s Northern Land Council to launch an inquiry.
The Northern Territory government also opened its own investigation into two stations following multiple complaints from environment groups and rangers.
Satellite images appeared to show almost 200 hectares were razed to the ground on the edge of an iconic river at Claravale station before a permit had been issued.
Further images showed that late in 2021, 4ha of land were cleared at Tarwoo Station before the approval of a permit.
In a letter to the complainants, obtained by the ABC, the NT government said it had finalised its almost two-year investigation into Tarwoo — where a cotton processing plant is being built to expand the industry.
Investigators from the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security found “offences were committed”.
“These offences when balanced against the seriousness is considered as being at the lower threshold,” the letter states.
“This is due to the clearing being mostly limited to an area that was subject to a development application and that the clearing of that land was unlikely to be of material environmental harm.”
This “was supported by expert advice”, it states.
Official who approved land clearing application oversaw investigation
The investigation was overseen by government official Joanne Townsend, the same person who originally approved Tarwoo’s land clearing application after receiving complaints that land had been cleared prior to a permit.
A fine of $7,536 will be issued.
The current owner of Tarwoo is the Western Australia Northern Territory (WANT) Cotton Company Pty Ltd.
A land title search lists WANT Cotton Company as the current owner of Tarwoo Station, and documents lodged with ASIC list David Connolly as a director of WANT Cotton Company from October 14, 2020.
Mr Connolly declined to comment when the ABC reached out, stating he is not connected to Tarwoo.
When the ABC put to Mr Connolly that he is listed in ASIC documents as a director, he did not respond.
Mitch Hart from Pew Charitable Trusts — a not-for-profit organisation that advocates on environment, conservation and social issues — said while the findings vindicate those who exposed unpermitted land clearing, the fine is not an adequate penalty for a clear breach of environmental protection laws.
“It amounts to a slap on the wrist,” he said.
Mr Hart said the fine would not act as a deterrent and showed a “lack of seriousness” in the NT government’s attempts to regulate the industry.
“What it does show is that the government is all too willing to facilitate the opening up of large-scale cotton,” he said.
Mr Hart said the findings also brought the industry’s social license into question.
“It’s a failure of the first test,” he said.
“What we need to see now is that [the NT government] has taken this on board, they can see that this is an industry that, without proper rules, without clear ways of protecting savanna and rivers, we’re going to see more of this kind of activity.”
The ABC also reached out to the president of the Northern Cotton Growers Association, Bruce Connolly, who declined to comment.
The NT Farmers Association said it was not aware of the investigation findings at the time of being contacted, and was not prepared to comment at this time.
NT Environment Minister Lauren Moss and Planning Minister Eva Lawler declined to comment.
An NT government spokesperson said the outcome sends a “strong message that regulations must be followed in the territory and breaches will result in penalties being issued”.
They also confirmed the investigation into Claravale is nearing completion.
A spokesperson from the federal government said its investigations into allegations of land clearing in the Northern Territory and potential breaches of Australia’s national environmental laws is ongoing.
