View source for Beetaloo

{{Short description|Pastoral lease in the Northern Territory}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Location map|Northern Territory|label=Beetaloo
|position=top
|lat_deg=17.216|lat_dir=S
|lon_deg=133.802|lon_dir=E
|caption=Location in the Northern Territory}}
{{coord|17.216|S|133.802|E|type:landmark_region:AU|name=Beetaloo|display=title}}
'''Beetaloo''' is the name of a [[pastoral lease]] that operates as a [[cattle station]] in the [[Northern Territory]], known as '''Beetaloo Station'''. It is also the name of an area in the [[Sturt Plateau]], known as the '''Beetaloo Sub-Basin''' or '''Beetaloo Basin''', around {{convert|500|km}} south-east of [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], between [[Mataranka, Northern Territory|Mataranka]] to the north and [[Elliott, Northern Territory|Elliott]] to the south. This area is rich in [[natural gas]], which can be exploited by [[fracking]], which has caused controversy.
==Beetaloo Station==
Beetaloo Station is situated about {{convert|48|km|mi|0}} north east of [[Elliott, Northern Territory|Elliott]] and {{convert|295|km|mi|0}} south west of [[Borroloola, Northern Territory|Borroloola]]. The property is surrounded by other pastoral leases including Hayfield, [[Amungee Mungee]] and [[Tanumbirini]] Stations to the north, Hayfield and [[Newcastle Waters Station]] to the west, Tandyidgee, [[Ucharonidge Station|Ucharonidge]] and Mungabroom to the south and the Mambilya-Rrumburriya Aboriginal Land Trust to the east. The [[Carpentaria Highway]] crosses the property through the north east corner and the Newcastle Creek flows through a good portion of the lease from east to west.<ref name=NTG>{{cite web|url=http://pitac.org.au/wp-content/documents2/Part_B_Checklist/4._NT_Pastoral_Map_June_2013.pdf|title=Northern Territory Pastoral Properties|year=2003|access-date=9 April 2015|publisher=[[Northern Territory Government]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409202959/http://pitac.org.au/wp-content/documents2/Part_B_Checklist/4._NT_Pastoral_Map_June_2013.pdf|archive-date=9 April 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
The property currently occupies an area of {{convert|10500|km2|sqmi|0}} and was purchased by the Dunnicliff-Armstrong family in 2002 for {{AUD}}20 million.<ref name=Land>{{cite web|url=http://www.theland.com.au/news/agriculture/cattle/beef/making-water-work-at-beetaloo/2696151.aspx?storypage=0|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150410035608/http://www.theland.com.au/news/agriculture/cattle/beef/making-water-work-at-beetaloo/2696151.aspx?storypage=0|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 April 2015|title=Making water work at Beetaloo|author=Matthew Cawood|work=The Land|date=29 April 2014|access-date=10 April 2015|publisher=[[Fairfax Media]]}} at a cost of {{AUD}}20 million.</ref>
The station was established in the 1890s by Harry M. Bathern, who had [[overlanding|overlanded]] cattle to many other properties in the Territory including Brunette Downs, [[Anthony Lagoon|Eva Downs]] and Emu Downs. When Bathern died in 1928 the property occupied an area of {{convert|3000|sqmi|km2|0}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90417521 |title=A northern pioneer |newspaper=[[The Chronicle (Adelaide)|The Chronicle]] |location=Adelaide |date=21 April 1928 |access-date=10 April 2015 |page=21 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
Several bushfires in 1951 burnt out a total of {{convert|5000|sqmi|km2|0}} across Beetaloo and neighbouring Newcastle Waters stations, with Beetaloo reported to be one of the worst affected.  Compounding the immediate loss of stock and grazing pasture, drought followed the fires, leading to further losses of the surviving stock.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49001837 |title=Toll Of Fire In Northern Territory. |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |location=Perth |date=26 November 1951 |access-date=10 April 2015 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52819996 |title=Bush Fire Threat To Stations. |newspaper=[[The Examiner (Tasmania)|The Examiner]] |location=Launceston, Tasmania |date=25 June 1951 |access-date=7 May 2017 |page=8 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The manager, Wally Bathern, expressed concern that when the wet season arrived, bogs would form around waterholes and the weakened cattle were at risk of becoming stuck.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130918219 |title=Heavy N.T. stock loss. |newspaper=[[The News (Adelaide)|The News]]|location=Adelaide |date=27 November 1951 |access-date=10 April 2015 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
==Beetaloo Sub-basin==
The Beetaloo Sub-basin, is situated in the Sturt Plateau region, between Mataranka to the north and Elliott to the south. It covers an area of approximately 2,800,000 hectares about 500 kilometres south-east of Darwin. The Beetaloo Sub-basin is a structural component of the greater [[McArthur Basin]]. The McArthur Basin covers a range of Proterozoic sedimentary rock formations that range from the northern part of the Northern Territory from north-east [[Western Australia]] to north-west [[Queensland]].<ref>Geoscience Australia. Geology of the Beetaloo GBA region. Technical appendix for the Geological and Bioregional Assessment: 2020</ref>
The Beetaloo Sub-basin is prospective for [[Unconventional (oil & gas) reservoir|unconventional hydrocarbons]]. It is estimated to contain significant amounts of recoverable [[shale gas]], [[tight gas]] and [[shale oil]] resources. Petroleum exploration in the Beetaloo area first began in 1984 when CRA Exploration Pty Limited took up acreage in exploration permits EP4 and EP5 (since lapsed), north of the core of the Beetaloo. Exploration for shale resources was revitalized in 2015 when [[Origin Energy]] drilled two vertical exploration wells (Kalala S-l and Amungee NW-l) and one horizontal well (Amungee NV/-IH).
On 14 September 2017 the Northern Territory Government announced a  scientific inquiry into [[hydraulic fracturing]] of onshore unconventional reservoirs in the Northern Territory under the ''Inquiries Act (NT)''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://frackinginquiry.nt.gov.au/ |title=The Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory |date=2016 |access-date=16 August 2021|website=frackinginquiry.nt.gov.au}}</ref> This inquiry was led by Justice Rachel Pepper and supported by a panel of independent experts. Following 15 months of investigating the issue, the inquiry found the risks of fracking could be reduced to acceptable levels if 135 recommendations were implemented in full.
Economic modelling by the industry found that the development of the Beetaloo basin could "create more than 6500 full-time jobs and positive economic impacts of up to $2.8 billion for the Northern Territory and over $9 billion for Australia as a whole over 25 years".<ref>{{Cite news|date=18 April 2019|title=Onshore gas drilling to boost NT economy|work=[[Seven News]]|url=https://7news.com.au/politics/onshore-gas-drilling-to-boost-nt-economy-c-67693|access-date=11 April 2021}}</ref> However, many members of the community, pastoralists and traditional [[Aboriginal Australian|Aboriginal]] caretakers of the land continue to raise concerns that rivers and water sources in the region could be polluted by the waste produced by hydraulic fracturing.<ref>{{cite news | last=Judd | first=Bridget | title=The battle for Beetaloo: The basin at the heart of the fracking debate|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] | date=15 April 2018 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-15/beetaloo-basin-at-the-heart-of-the-nt-fracking-gas-debate/9652390 | access-date=1 March 2020}}</ref>
The [[Indigenous ranger]]s working in the new [[Mimal]] [[Indigenous Protected Area]] are very concerned about the level of [[greenhouse gases]] that would be released by the fracking work, potentially jeopardising Australia's [[Paris Agreement|Paris emissions reduction target]].<ref>{{cite news | last=Bardon | first=Jane | title=The gas field so big it could knock Australia off course from our climate target | newspaper=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=29 February 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-29/beetaloo-basin-gas-field-could-jeopardise-paris-targets/12002164 | access-date=1 March 2020}}</ref>
In June 2022, Beetaloo [[traditional owners]] shared their frustration at anti-fracking activists who they believe are "interfering" on country, stating they "want to work together with (Northern Land Council) and this mining company to protect our country, and our sacred sites."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zaunmayr |first=Tom |date=2022-06-19 |title=Beetaloo Traditional Owners reveal frustration at anti-fracking activists 'interfering' on country |url=https://www.nit.com.au/beetaloo-traditional-owners-reveal-frustration-at-anti-fracking-activists-interfering-on-country/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=National Indigenous Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
A Strategic Regional Environmental and Baseline Assessment report released in 2023 found that the basin contains one of the world's richest ant populations and threatened species, including the [[Gouldian finch]] and the [[yellow-spotted monitor]].<ref name="ntg">{{cite news |last=Fitzgerald |first=Roxanne |date=19 April 2023 |title=Northern Territory government completes SREBA study, flags final decision on fracking industry weeks away |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-19/nt-sreba-beetaloo-basin-fracking-study-complete-/102238532 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=3 May 2023}}</ref>
On 3 May 2023 the Northern Territory government announced the finalisation of the recommendations of the independent Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing of Onshore Unconventional Reservoirs in the Northern Territory. This paves the way for companies to apply for the approval of full-scale production in the basin.<ref name="ntga">{{cite news |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=Roxanne |last2=Spina-Matthews |first2=Sarah |date=3 May 2023 |title=NT government announces fracking in the Beetaloo Basin can go ahead |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-03/nt-government-fracking-decision-beetaloo-basin-gas/102295762 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=4 May 2023}}</ref>  On the same day the Australia Institute published an open letter with 100 scientists and prominent people in national newspapers urging the Northern Territory government not to allow fracking due to climate change risks.<ref name="ntga"/>
== Back Beetaloo campaign ==
"Back Beetaloo" is a campaign movement established online in early September 2021. Back Beetaloo's aim "is very simple – Tell the Federal and Territory Governments to unlock the Beetaloo Basin to benefit all Australians."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Mission |url=https://www.backbeetaloo.com.au/our-mission |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=www.backbeetaloo.com.au}}</ref> The website domain for Back Beetaloo was registered by Nick Palmer and his company Campaign Digital from [[Cherrybrook, New South Wales|Cherrybrook]] in [[Sydney]]'s north-west. The website has since been accused of [[astroturfing]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Caitlin |date=2021-10-23 |title=‘Astroturfing’: Experts say fracking website is fake grassroots campaign |url=https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/astroturfing-experts-say-fracking-website-is-fake-grassroots-campaign-20211021-p5920g.html |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref> It was reported that the group was reprimanded by the [[Australian Electoral Commission|AEC]] for not providing official authorisation on its political advertising in accordance with ''Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Australian Parliament House |first=Canberra |title=Authorising online political communication |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2019/April/Authorising_online_political_communication |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=www.aph.gov.au |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-17 |title='Couldn't believe someone would stoop to that level': CLP-endorsed pro-fracking campaign attacks pastoralists |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-18/back-beetaloo-fracking-ads-attack-cattle-station-family-/101069882 |access-date=2022-05-18}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[List of ranches and stations]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Stations in the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Sedimentary basins of Australia]]
[[Category:Geology of the Northern Territory]]