The decision to give the green light for fracking in the Beetaloo basin was no surprise, according to Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) Professor Alan Andersen, who was the terrestrial ecologist on the NT Fracking Inquiry.

Prof Andersen said: “Our Inquiry established 135 recommendations to implement if gas production were to go ahead.

“One of these was to undertake a baseline assessment to determine all potential risks and understand how these could be managed or mitigated, which has now been completed.

“No additional risks were identified.”

“Our Inquiry found that the primary concern with fracking was the impact on water quality, particularly the contamination of groundwater.

“The Beetaloo groundwater feeds into our iconic Roper and Daly rivers, but does so extremely slowly.

“Any risks of contamination can be appropriately mitigated.

“The baseline assessment report described the requirements for ongoing monitoring at the regional scale, covering aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, human health and wellbeing, and methane emissions.

“Such ongoing monitoring is critical for identifying and addressing any impacts of gas production.”