Fracking has been approved for the Northern Territory, and thousands of wells could soon dot an area covering many Aboriginal Nations.

Exclusive: Traditional owners in the Beetaloo basin say they are not being effectively represented in the battle against a major gas industry expansion. The Northern Land Council denies the claim.

When I heard the news that fracking would go ahead on my grandparents’ country, I felt my spirit and heart were breaking.

Traditional owners and a cattle station company are alarmed at the environmental threat of fracking on their land after the Northern Territory government lifted its moratorium on the controversial practice.

The Northern Territory is on the cusp of developing what could be one of the world's largest shale gas developments, but critics say a recent incident in the Beetaloo Basin has raised questions about the Government's ability to protect the environment.

The gas industry's promise of fracking-related jobs in the Beetaloo Basin has divided Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, leaving some feeling hopeful and others suspicious.

When announcing the decision to allow commercial gas production to go ahead in the Beetaloo Basin this week, NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said Indigenous people had the power to stop a gas development.

Onshore fracking has been given the green light in the Northern Territory’s gas-rich Beetaloo Basin, clearing the way for a controversial expansion of wells and production in a move that has dismayed traditional owners and environmental groups.

Traditional Owners of the Beetaloo Basin, located approximately 500 kilometres south-east of Darwin, have called for a halt to plans for large scale fracking production in the region until proper consultation occurs with Native Title holders.

The Northern Territory government has decided to allow a full-scale onshore gas industry to go ahead in the Beetaloo Basin about 500 kilometres south-east of Darwin.