Water experts and environmentalists are calling for the federal government to take action over the Northern Territory government's massive proposed ground water extraction plan that includes an allocation for gas fracking.

Nurrdalinji Aboriginal Corporation chair Johnny Wilson says new fracking laws do not allow Traditional Owners to protect and care for country.

Traditional Owners from the Beetaloo Basin are alarmed about new laws, introduced by the NT government and due to be pushed through by the end of the year, which will allow fracking companies to mine and sell gas at a large scale for up to 15 years at the exploration stage, in what amounts to production by stealth and which sidesteps the usual requirements to consult and secure consent agreements with native title holders for full-scale industrial development on their country (ABC today: Traditional owners slam NT government’s 'disgraceful' plan to allow fracked gas to be sold before full approvals are granted).

First Nations experts and Traditional Owners say the federal government must properly consult and share benefits with Aboriginal people in the development of the new green economy.

Gas company Santos has ended its sponsorship of the Darwin Festival following a campaign by environmental activists and traditional owners.

The Northern Territory government's management of water could "run rivers dry" and risk the livelihoods of future generations, a traditional owner has said during a major water conference in Darwin this week.

Nurrdalinji Aboriginal Corporation, which represents Traditional Owners from across the Beetaloo Basin, comments on the NT government’s plans to consult about a water charging framework so that fracking companies may start to pay for water by 2023. See page 27 of the Draft Territory Water Plan.

For the first time, major industries in the Northern Territory will be charged for the water they use, in a policy shift the Environment Minister says is aimed at "bigger industries", not "small businesses and small farmers trying to make a go of it".

With today’s Federal Court decision spotlighting Santos’ poor consultation with Tiwi people about its Barossa offshore gas project, Traditional Owners from the Beetaloo Basin say the judgment should act as a warning bell for all fracking companies seeking to consult with them in the hope of securing exploration and production agreements in their region.

A group of Traditional Owners and environmentalists have hailed Origin Energy’s withdrawal from the Beetaloo Basin and the Kimberley.

A company facing fines for refusing to front a senate committee investigating gas subsidies has overnight become the biggest player in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin.