The Environmental Defenders Office has today been ordered by the Federal Court to pay Santos more than $9 million in relation to the Simon Munkara v Santos NA Barossa Pty Ltd case.
Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment Joshua Burgoyne welcomed the decision, which relates to Santos’ Barossa gas project in the Timor Sea, and said it had positive ramifications for the Northern Territory.
“This Government is committed to rebuilding the economy, and restoring our Territory lifestyle,” said Mr Burgoyne.
“This means sustainable economic development while protecting our environment.
“This decision calls out environmental ‘lawfare,’ where environmental groups seek to stall and stop proponents from continuing developments.
“We won’t allow activists and economic vandals to manipulate their way into halting or delaying key Territory projects with mistruths and false information.”
Mr Burgoyne added the Federal Court of Australia’s decision was testament to the Territory’s and Commonwealth’s environmental laws, showing they withstood strong scrutiny through the court system.
“We have strong, contemporary environmental legislation in the NT that facilitates economic development,” he said.
“We are reaffirming our election commitment that we will not be spending taxpayers’ hard-earned money on organisations such as the Environmental Defenders Office, who only seek to stop significant projects and limit the opportunities for the Territory.”
