The Middle Arm Precinct is a proposed 1,200-hectare industrial development that will be situated in Darwin Harbour, 13 km from Darwin’s CBD and within just 3 km of the major suburb of Palmerston.

Despite being labelled as ‘sustainable’, plans show that it will support:

● fossil gas processing and export

● the production of petrochemicals including ammonia, methanol, ethylene, ethane and urea, all of which rely on fossil gas as a feedstock

● the production of hydrogen — both fossil gas derived (blue) and green

● carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Moreover, the precinct is intricately tied to expansion of the fossil gas industry in the Northern Territory (NT), including fracking in the Beetaloo Basin and the controversial offshore Barossa gas-field.

DEA’s key concerns with the proposed Middle Arm development include the:

● ‘greenwashing’ of the project by both the NT and Australian Governments

● lack of transparency that has surrounded the project’s development

● potentially devastating health impacts on local communities due to the highly polluting nature of the industries the precinct will house

● health impacts that will flow from expansion of the fossil gas industry in the NT and nearby waters, enabled by the Middle Arm development

● potential harm the project poses to local biodiversity and cultural values

● absence of a health impact assessment

● public funding prematurely committed by the Australian Government to this fossil fuel project.

Click here to read our full submission.