Stop the Slaughter at Newcastle Waters

Stop the slaughter: Halt CPC’s destruction of our iconic nature.

The Finochhiaro Government has greenlit the slaughter of up to 20,000 native corellas and galahs at a pastoral station part-owned by a British billionaire – and Australians are outraged.

Newcastle Waters Station sits alongside the vast inland lake known as Lake Woods – an internationally significant wetland that supports over 100,000 waterbirds during the wet season.

This permit is only the tip of the iceberg. For years, we’ve been keeping a close eye on Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) and their plans to rapidly industrialise huge swathes of the Territory for cotton and other crops.

They’ve managed to secure approval to bulldoze around 25,000 hectares of native vegetation from the Finocchiaro Government over the last few years. To put that in perspective, that’s over 80 times the size of Sydney’s CBD.

And they’re after our precious water as well, applying for around 10 billion litres of free water per annum earlier this year from the NT Government.

And all of this has happened without any federal oversight by Environment Minister Murray Watt. That means no scrutiny of the impacts to threatened species and their habitats.

Enough’s enough. The Finocchiaro Government has failed the NT’s nature – now it’s time for the Federal Government to act.

We call on Minister Watt to immediately take action, and investigate the culling of 20,000 iconic Aussie birds under our federal environment laws. He should also immediately take action to assess the impacts of CPC’s industrial-scale plans.

Australia already leads the world in species extinction rates. Our wildlife cannot be sacrificed so that absentee landlords can rake in offshore profits.

Our wetlands should not be drained so that a British billionaire can grow cotton in the outback.

Will you send a letter to Environment Minister Murray Watt urging him to investigate and rescind the permits before it's too late?

Dear Minister Watt,
Like thousands of Australians, I am shocked and appalled by the Finocchiaro Government’s decision to permit the slaughter of up to 20,000 native corellas and galahs at Newcastle Waters station – and I am calling on you to act.
This permit was issued to Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) - a UK-owned agribusiness with plans to rapidly industrialise the Territory for cotton and other crops.
Newcastle Waters Station sits alongside Lake Woods — one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Northern Territory and an internationally significant wetland that supports over 100,000 waterbirds during the wet season. Lake Woods is home to at least 24 species protected under international wildlife agreements, including migratory birds covered by treaties to which Australia is a signatory.
It is unclear whether federal environmental obligations were considered before these permits were granted - including protections for migratory birds and threatened species under the EPBC Act.
This could be one of the largest single permits for a native bird cull ever granted in Australia. It demands scrutiny.
The Finocchiaro Government has demonstrated a willing disregard to protect wildlife, water and nature. This is your opportunity to step up.
Australia already leads the world in species extinction rates. Our wildlife should not be sacrificed so that absentee landlords can rake in offshore profits. Our wetlands should not be drained so that a British billionaire can grow cotton in the outback.
That's why I'm calling on you to:
1. Rescind the permits.
Work with the Finocchiaro Government to immediately rescind the cull permits until a thorough environmental assessment has been completed.
2. Investigate federal jurisdiction.
Urgently investigate whether federal environmental law was triggered by the issuing of these permits, given the proximity of Lake Woods and the presence of internationally protected migratory and threatened species.
3. Assess the cumulative impact.
Use the full power of federal environment law to assess the combined impact of CPC's land clearing, water extraction and wildlife destruction on the internationally significant Lake Woods ecosystem.
 
Yours sincerely,

I would like to BCC myself