The Northern Territory's Department of Environment is facing mounting scrutiny over two draft water allocation plans that experts say could be "catastrophic" for the environment.
A government-appointed committee, leading academics, environmental groups and traditional owners are calling on the government to pull the existing documents and start again.
The draft Georgina Wiso Water Allocation Plan was released for public comment earlier this month and has been welcomed by the NT Farmers Association but roundly criticised by water policy experts and environmental groups.
Meanwhile, the draft Western Davenport Water Allocation plan was due to be released for public comment on November 7, but it has been delayed pending further consultation after it was revealed key stakeholders did not support it.
The plans cover a total area of 180,000 square kilometres — roughly the size of Cambodia — and are supposed to balance the needs of industry and the environment to ensure the two regions' groundwater is used sustainably.
But the government is under fire over the plans and has been accused of water mining.
Territory Environment Minister Lauren Moss declined to be interviewed for this story but acknowledged there were significant concerns about the draft plans.
University of Melbourne Law School water policy expert Erin O'Donnell said the plans were "completely out of step" with the National Water Initiative, a shared commitment by Australian governments to manage water.
"It's appalling. I cannot overstate what a backward, retrograde step this is in terms of water allocation and planning," she said.
Her comments follow the release of a letter penned by her and 17 other academics to Chief Minister Natasha Fyles and federal Environment Minster Tanya Plibersek, which outlined their concerns.
Les Turner, chief executive for the Central Land Council (CLC), which is representing the region's native title holders, called on the Territory government to "pull back the plan and conduct genuine stakeholder consultations".
He accused the government of rushing out the Georgina Wiso plan and said it made the government's commitment to water reform "highly questionable".
In a statement, a spokesperson for Ms Moss said the Territory continued to be a participant in the National Water Initiative.
Fears plans lack clear protections
The ABC has seen a draft copy of the Western Davenport plan, which covers an area south of Tennant Creek and includes Singleton Station, the site of Australia's largest water licence.
It takes on the same, new format as the Georgina Wiso plan, which is concerning to former Northern Territory government water planner and current Arid Lands Environment Centre chief executive Adrian Tomlinson.
He worked on the previous Western Davenport plan and knows the region well.
"It is catastrophic," he said of the new format.
Previous Territory water plans offered specific objectives around cultural values and environmental protections, alongside clear directions for how water should be extracted and risk assessments.
Looking at the Georgina Wiso plan, Mr Tomlinson said these clear protections were missing.
Committee 'backed into a corner'
Mr Tomlinson's concerns are echoed by members of a government-appointed committee tasked with advising the government over the Western Davenport plan.
Minutes from a committee meeting called by Joanne Townsend — acting in both her roles as Territory water controller and chief executive of the department — reveal deep concerns about the draft Western Davenport plan.
The minutes reveal the committee said it had not been consulted on the new format and had "received the current draft documents too late in the process to adequately consider and provide meaningful input".
The committee outlined 11 key points of concern about the draft plan, which it reportedly said failed to meet community expectations.
After nearly a year of meetings, the minutes said the committee "cannot see their influence and cannot see the values they have previously discussed extensively with the department expressed in the plan".
The minutes noted members of the committee, which included scientists, horticulturalists and environmentalists, felt "they were being backed into a corner".
Members of the department have defended the new plan, asserting it was "easier to read".
Planning continues
In an interview with ABC Radio Darwin, Ms Moss said she had delayed the plan's public release in line with the committee's recommendations and took committee members' concerns seriously.
"I've met with the CLC and I've met with the Arid Lands Environment Centre and am considering their concerns at present," she said.
Ms Moss said she understood the safety of sacred sites and the environment were high on their list of concerns.
"I've asked the department to do some further work with the water advisory committee," she said.
A statement from Ms Moss's office said the minister would not "foreshadow" the outcomes of her ongoing discussions with stakeholders and that the draft Georgina Wiso plan was "just a draft".
It said the final form of the plan would consider community concerns.
A spokesperson for the federal Department of Environment said it was working with states and territories to renew the National Water Initiative.
