Group says Beetaloo Basin exports could drive major pollution
The first flow of fracked gas from the Beetaloo Basin has drawn a sharp response from the Climate Council. On 1 September 2026, the Northern Territory government described the milestone as a “turning point”.
However, the Climate Council argued the basin’s trajectory is mass export. The group said gas from the Beetaloo could unleash climate pollution more than three times Australia’s annual domestic pollution over the next two decades.
Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said: “Declaring the Beetaloo’s first gas flow a turning point is a sick joke. This is a climate bomb.”
McKenzie tied that warning to the scale of emissions the group expects from the basin over 20 years. She said the project would worsen climate risks while multinational companies export gas overseas.
Top End communities face heat and floods
Territorians are already dealing with worsening heat, floods and climate-fuelled disasters, according to McKenzie. She said Top End communities are being hit hardest.
McKenzie said: “Territorians are on the frontline. Worsening heat, floods and climate-fuelled disasters are already hitting Top End communities hardest, and this project makes that worse so multinational companies can export gas overseas.”
The Climate Council also pointed to alternatives in the Northern Territory. It said solar and storage are the cheapest new power in Australia, while the Territory has more sun than almost anywhere on earth.
As a result, the organisation argued the region does not need more gas supply. McKenzie said Territorians deserve cleaner, safer and cheaper energy, not more polluting and expensive gas.
The Climate Council is an independent, community-funded organisation. It said it provides evidence-based information on climate change impacts and solutions to journalists, policymakers and the wider Australian community.
