7 March 2022: Climate action group 350 Australia has slammed the Morrison Government for giving more money to companies for fracking in the Northern Territory.

Resources Minister Keith Pitt has today announced that the Morrison Government has issued $7.5 million in grants for Tamboran Resources subsidiary Sweetpea Petroleum for their fracking well in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin.

350.org Australia Senior Campaigner Shani Tager said: “It’s beyond belief that the Morrison Government is actually giving public funds to the gas industry to accelerate the climate crisis at a time when so many communities are cleaning up from record breaking floods, made worse by climate change.

“If the Beetaloo Basin is opened up for gas that will result in well over a billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions which is completely incompatible with a safe future.

“We can’t afford the emissions that come from opening up new gas basins and no more public money should be spent on such reckless endeavours.

“Traditional Owners and local communities in the Beetaloo Basin have been clear that they don’t want these fracking projects to go ahead.”

Since 2020, the Morrison Government has committed over $1.5bn in public money to subsidise the gas industry.

“The Morrison Government is throwing huge sums of money at a polluting and dangerous industry against the wishes of the local communities. These funds would be far better spent helping communities recover from worsening natural disasters,” said Tager.

ENDS

Notes – Greenhouse gas emissions numbers taken from the Reputex analysis of the Beetaloo Basin; public money spent on the gas industry is tracked here.