Action item 12.7

Progress

100%

Complete.
Approved by decision makers.
Recommendation implemented.

That in order to operationalise an SIA framework in the NT, the Government must:

  • give the regulator power to request information from, and to facilitate the collaboration between, individual gas companies, government agencies (including local government), Land Councils, communities and potentially affected landholders;
  • establish a long-term participatory regional monitoring framework, overseen by the regulator, with secure funding from the gas industry and able to endure multiple election cycles; and
  • establish periodic and standardised reporting to communities on the social, cultural, economic and environmental performance of the industry through either the regulator or a specialised research institution. This includes information from the monitoring of key indicators, and an industry-wide complaints and escalation process.
Target completion date

Completed

Reform area
Respecting community and culture
Project action
Building a comprehensive framework for social and cultural baselines
Lead agency
Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security
Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet

Action item update

Implementation

The power for the regulator to request information on social impacts and require social impact assessment (SIA) and management is available to the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security under the Petroleum (Environment) Regulations 2016. This power is also available to the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority for proposals requiring environmental impact assessment under the Environment Protection Act 2019.

The ‘EMP Content Guideline – Onshore Petroleum Regulated Activities’ (on the DEPWS website) was revised in late 2022 to clarify SIA and social impact management plan requirements. Guidance prepared under the Petroleum (Environment) Regulations 2016 and Environment Protection Act 2019 will support industry proponents in undertaking SIAs when required by legislation.

The Strategic Regional and Environmental Baseline Assessment (SREBA) Framework (on the DEPWS website) was released in July 2020. The consultation draft was available for public comment from 9 December 2019 to 28 February 2020. This framework includes the requirement to undertake a cultural impact assessment of areas that require a SREBA.

As part of the SREBA studies, the Cultural Impact Assessment requires consultation with Land Councils, Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) and affected Aboriginal people and will be undertaken in the Beetaloo Sub-basin.

The Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet contracted the University of Queensland (UQ) to undertake the Social, Cultural and Economic (SCE) studies in the region.

During 2021, UQ developed a scope of works for the SCE study which was approved by the UQ Human Research Ethics Committee to provide oversight on the ethical conduct of the research. The scope of works (on the DEPWS website) was endorsed by the Minister for Environment in early 2022.

Approximately 40 key stakeholder groups, including Land Councils, AAPA, Northern Territory Government departments, regional councils, industry and business organisations, Native Title holders, pastoralists, interest and environment groups have been engaged in the study.

The development of the study included participatory workshops to co-design local relevant indicators, targeted stakeholder engagement to contribute to the data collection to build the community profiles in the Beetaloo region.

UQ conducted and finalised the SCE SREBA studies with a specialist team of experienced UQ researchers and (NT-based) local experts. The studies were undertaken in line with the approach set out in the SREBA Framework and the SCE studies of the Beetaloo Sub-basin SREBA: Scope of Works and comprises a baseline assessment report identifying the social, cultural, and economic characteristics of the region and a regional social assessment report that:

  • identifies regional development aspirations and potential outcomes
  • identifies and assesses the potential cumulative impacts of multiple projects over time
  • describes a monitoring and evaluation program.

The Minister for Environment accepted the SCE SREBA Final Reporting (on the DEPWS website) in February 2023, determining that the scope of works has been met and the SCE SREBA is completed.