Government response to the Inquiry
Statement about decision
The Northern Territory Government has determined that hydraulic fracturing of onshore unconventional shale gas reservoirs may proceed under very strict conditions and in tightly prescribed areas.
After careful consideration of the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory Final Report (the Inquiry's Final Report), including the nature and extent of identified risks and the 135 accompanying Inquiry recommendations, the NT Government supports, or supports in-principle, all recommendations.
Protection of our natural environment is paramount. The Inquiry's Final Report emphasises that a robust and trusted regulatory framework is the principal way by which NT Government can ensure any onshore unconventional shale gas industry can safely develop in a manner which protects the environment and meets community expectations.
Delivering the complex regulatory framework will take time and no hydraulic fracturing of unconventional reservoirs will occur until a required regime of recommendations have been implemented.
The recommendation about no-go zones has been supported and there will be no hydraulic fracturing in National Parks, Conservation Areas, Indigenous Protected Areas, towns, residential and strategic assets, and areas of high cultural, environmental or tourism value.
Response to recommendations
Find out more details about the NT Government’s support or in-principle support for each of the recommendations in the Government Responses to Recommendations from the Final Report fact sheet PDF (348.7 KB).
Implementation planning
Implementation of the Inquiry recommendations required careful management and coordination. The Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet established an implementation team to plan and coordinate all recommended actions required in the Inquiry's Final Report.
The Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing Implementation Plan Plan (the Implementation Plan) was released in July 2018 to clearly show how the recommendations would be implemented.