Impact snapshot  

Nature  

• We exposed mass conflicts of interest and mismanagement of water and land across the Northern Territory on ABC’s Four Corners program. 

• We worked with First Nations communities to establish the Ropa Woda Governance Council as the cultural authority for the Roper River. 

• We supported Traditional Owners travel to Canberra to advocate for stronger protections from fracking and cotton for the Roper River. 

• We worked with the community to hold the bulldozers at bay at Lee Point, exposing unlawful clearing that resulted in federal enforcement action. 

• We launched the landmark State of our Savanna report highlighting the threats to our precious savanna in collaboration with Charles Darwin University, Wagiman Traditional Owners, The Wilderness Society and the World Wildlife Fund. 

• We launched the Save our Springs challenge to the Mataranka Water Allocation Plan in the Northern Territory Supreme Court. 

• We revealed that two iconic species could be locally wiped out at Middle Arm if the planned gas and petrochemical hub proceeds. 

Standing together to challenge the Mataranka Water Allocation Plan in the Northern Territory Supreme Court.

Climate  

• We obtained explosive FOI documents showing that Santos’ gas export hub in Darwin - one of Australia’s major gas export facilities and a gateway for fossil fuel exports to Asia - has been leaking methane for nearly 20 years and there’s been a massive cover up. 

• Our investigations on the Middle Arm gas hub revealed the complete blowout of anticipated timelines, rejection of the project’s business case by Federal authorities, and threats to critically endangered species.  

• We released a report by Dr Bruce Mountain showing that Middle Arm is an economic white elephant which could cost the Northern Territory billions. 

• The Report of the Senate Inquiry into the Middle Arm gas and petrochemical hub exposed major concerns among committee members about the impacts of the project on the rights of Traditional Owners as well as health, climate, the economy, and the environment.  

• We filed an unprecedented legal challenge to the largest ever fracking proposal approved in the Northern Territory, utilising novel “third party merits review” laws, on the basis of impacts to water from fracking.  

• After ECNT and Traditional Owners travelled to Canberra to meet with federal Ministers, MPs and Senators to discuss threats to the Territory’s iconic free-flowing rivers, the Environment Minister announced an inquiry into food and water security in Northern Australia and requested advice from scientists on whether fracking will impact our water resources.  

• ECNT and community engagement in the referral process for the Adelaide River Offstream Water Storage project (AROWS) lead to significant expansion of the ecological values to be assessed.

Environment Centre NT made national and international headlines by revealing a 20-year methane leak at the Santos gas export plant in Darwin.

 Mobilising community

In 2024-25 we:

• 35 submissions on policy and project proposals. 

• 4943 urgent support calls to action to NT and Federal decision makers 

• 19,000 mailing list subscribers 

• Reached 419 members 

• Held or presented at over 120 events, reaching over 12,000 people. 

• Letterboxed over 1600 homes. 

• Over 60 meetings with key stakeholders and decision makers 
• Thousands mobilised in opposition to the Territory Coordinator laws. 

• 29 stalls in Palmerston and the rural area, reaching over 8000 people through events like the Berry Springs, Freds Pass, and Palmerston Market, as well as the Mango Festival, Christmas, Daminmin Festival, Darwin Show and Seabreeze festival. 

• fortnightly meetings in Darwin and monthly meetings at the Noonamah Tavern and presented at numerous meetings held with Traditional Owners, politicians, rural clubs and Churches.

Community action calling on nature to deliver stronger protections for the Territory's nature.