MEDIA RELEASE : David Attenborough calls for ocean protection in new film screening in Darwin

Our submission raises significant concerns about the Territory Coordinator Bill, which grants sweeping powers to the Chief Minister and an unelected Territory Coordinator. These powers would override existing environmental laws, diminish community consultation, and threaten our coastal economy, environment, and cultural heritage. The Bill risks fast-tracking industrial projects without proper scrutiny, putting at risk over 6,000 jobs and the $2 billion economy supported by healthy coasts. It also weakens protections for water security and Traditional Owner rights, with the ability to exempt projects from 32 key laws. We call for the Bill to be amended or withdrawn, and replaced with a framework that upholds transparency, accountability, and long-term prosperity for all Territorians through sustainable and inclusive development. Read the full submission below to learn more, and click here to sign up for email updates.

The proposed Territory Coordinator Bill raises significant concerns for the future of the Northern Territory’s coasts, rivers, and fishing lifestyle. With the ability to override existing environmental protections and fast-track large-scale projects, this proposal risks sidelining community voices and compromising the natural and cultural heritage that defines the unique Top End. In this submission we urge the NT Government to amend or withdraw the Bill, guaranteeing a future where development aligns with principles of sustainability, equity, and transparency. Let's ensure the Top End remains a place where people, nature, and culture thrive together. Read the full submission below to learn more, and click here to sign up for email updates.

OPEN LETTER: Concerns About the Territory Coordinator Proposal

As Australia’s peak environment organisations across ocean conservation andcommunity sectors, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), EnvironmentCentre of the Northern Territory (ECNT) and Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC) havean active interest in ensuring the Northern Territory continues the transition to a circulareconomy, further reducing the plastic pollution entering waterways and threatening thestate’s iconic marine wildlife. As the second Australian jurisdiction to introduce a deposit scheme, the NorthernTerritory has a lot to be proud of. However, after over a decade of operation and withmarine plastic pollution rising, much can be done to expand the scheme and improve itsimpact.

Keep Top End Coasts Healthy (KTECH) is dedicated to preserving the unique and precious coastal ecosystems of Northern Australia. This submission highlights the significant risks posed by the Draft Mataranka Tindall Limestone Aquifer Water Allocation Plan (Mataranka Plan). We aim to emphasize the ecological, economic, and cultural implications of this proposed water resource development and advocate for sustainable management practices to protect the health of our coastal and marine environments.

MEDIA RELEASE : NT barra gillnet ban will help save dolphins, dugongs, turtles and sawfish.

Submission to the NT Government on the Proposed National Park at Casuarina Coastal Reserve - Section 14 report consultation  Keep Top End Coasts Healthy (KTECH), an alliance committed to the protection and sustainable use of the Northern Territory's coastal and marine environments. With a strong community base of 8,000 Territory supporters and the same number following our dedicated efforts on social media, we take pride in our decade-long history of advocating for the health of our coastal backyard and our treasured Top End way of life.

As the leading voices for marine conservation, we, the undersigned from Keep Top End Coasts Healthy, the Environment Centre Northern Territory, the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Humane Society International, are raising an urgent appeal for immediate action to safeguard the Northern Territory's precious threatened, endangered, and protected species (TEPS), including dugong, turtles, dolphins and sawfish. The onset of the 2024 barramundi season, marked by increased industry catch targets focused in fewer areas, significantly heightens the danger to the Top End’s threatened marine life. Our letter to the NT Minister for Agribusiness and Fisheries, Mark Monaghan, underscores the critical flaws in the current management strategies that fail to protect these species from the detrimental impacts of commercial gillnetting in Territory waters. We demand urgent and meaningful action to protect our TEPS, thereby securing not only the biodiversity of our waters but also the cultural and socio-economic fabric of the Northern Territory which depends on healthy coasts. We invite the public and stakeholders to join us in advocating for a future where our Top End coasts are healthy and are rich in treasured animals including dugong, turtles, dolphins and sawfish.

The capital city Darwin is surrounded by the waters of the Harbour, providing a beautiful backdrop to the daily lives of local and the centerpiece of the tourist experience. The scale of the proposed Middle Arm industrial development will dwarf anything we’ve seen before and this submission outlines concerns that we will witness unprecedented impacts and decline to the Harbour’s values. We must invite only clean, sustainable, and genuinely renewable industries into our coastal backyard and refuse the proposed petrochemical industries, not only for our Harbour, but also to not accelerate climate change.