Final Hydraulic Fracturing Implementation Report

Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing Final Implementation Report

Government has released its Final Implementation Report in response to the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory (NT).

Over the last 4 years, the Territory Government has been working to implement the 135 recommendations from Justice Rachel Pepper’s Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing by developing multiple safeguards for the regulation and monitoring of an onshore petroleum industry.

The Final Implementation Report and relevant supporting information can be found at Final Implementation Report.

This work has been overseen by an Independent Overseer, Dr David Ritchie, who was a member of the original Inquiry panel, operating at arm’s length from government.

Dr Ritchie has provided his final advice to Government on implementation. This advice can also be found at Independent oversight.

The role of Independent Overseer has now officially ceased at the completion of implementation.

A significant part of the government’s response to ensuring evidence-based decision making has been the Strategic Regional Environmental and Baseline Assessment (SREBA), which is the most comprehensive series of regional scientific studies ever conducted in the Northern Territory. These studies can be found on the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website.

NT Government will now move its focus from system reform to ongoing regulation, monitoring and evaluation of the onshore petroleum industry.