The Northern Territory government is facing two separate lawsuits over a land clearing permit its critics say could damage important habitats and jeopardise sacred Indigenous sites.
The permit was granted in November by the Pastoral Land Board, allowing the clearing of about 900 hectares on Auvergne Station south-west of Darwin near the Western Australian border.
The land will predominantly be used for cattle grazing and fodder, but land clearing documents show about 250 hectares of that land is intended for a cotton growing trial.
The Environment Centre NT (ECNT) is seeking to have the permit revoked, arguing in documents filed in the NT Supreme Court on Friday that clearing land to grow cotton is not allowed under the type of permit that was granted.
"Right now, land clearing is skyrocketing in the Northern Territory, spurred in part by the cotton industry's huge expansion plans," ECNT director Kirsty Howey said in a statement.
"Land clearing is the biggest threat to biodiversity in Australia, and clearing for cotton will decimate local wildlife, impact rivers and add to greenhouse gas emissions."
The powerful Northern Land Council (NLC), which claims the rights of native title-holders were overlooked in the decision-making process, also announced it had launched legal action on Friday.
"The land that is being cleared across the Northern Territory is not forgotten land that no one cares about," chief executive Joe Martin-Jard said in a statement.
"It belongs to Aboriginal people.
"There are legal rights over that land that must be respected."
The NLC says it is concerned that sacred sites are being put at risk by land clearing, claiming the land board doesn't require applicants to obtain sacred site clearances.
Application records show the sacred sites watchdog was consulted about sites on the cattle station, and confirmed sacred sites are registered on the parcel of land.
NT Chief Minister defends approvals processes
Represented by lawyers from Environmental Justice Australia, the ECNT claims this is the first time the territory's pastoral land clearing laws will be tested in court.
They say a successful lawsuit could set a precedent for more rigorous environmental assessments of the NT's nascent cotton industry.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles this morning defended her government's decision-making processes, saying the government struck the right balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
"We need to have economic growth so that we have the revenue to fund the services we need in the Northern Territory and to have jobs to keep people here in the territory," she said.
"But our environment is absolutely a priority and that is shown whether it's water, whether it's land management, a range of areas.
"We have done a significant amount of work around environmental legislation and we'll continue to do so."
Labor's goal of achieving a $40 billion economy by 2030 by growing the private sector has been hampered by multiple lawsuits, with recent challenges brought against a large outback water licence and a multi-billion dollar offshore drilling project.
The November permit was approved after parliament passed laws intended to streamline the land clearing application process.
The station's owners, Clean Agriculture and International Tourism (CAIT), declined to comment.
