A Greens senator and an independent are hoping to urgently close a legal loophole that allows fracking corporations “a license to drill without regard for rivers”.

Sarah Hanson-Young today gave notice she’ll be introducing a private senator’s bill to expand the national “water trigger” to ensure all gas fracking projects are assessed by the federal environment minister for their impact on local water resources.

As it stands, only coal seam gas projects are required to be assessed and approved under Australia’s national environment legislation — the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act).

At a press conference at Parliament House on Monday, Senator Hanson-Young said changes to Australia’s environment laws were “desperately” needed as the possibility of full-scale fracking production approaches reality in the Northern Territory’s gas rich Beetaloo Basin.

“There is a water trigger in the current laws, but it is very narrow and doesn’t take into consideration unconventional gas and fracking,” she said.

“We’re worried this loophole is going to mean the big gas corporations who want to frack in the Northern Territory can get environmental approval without any consideration of the impacts those gas projects are going to have on the water they take and the land that they are on.”

In May, NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles gave the green light for fracking operations to commence in the Beetaloo Basin, despite facing fierce criticism that a number of the Pepper Inquiry recommendations had not been implemented.

That included recommendation 7.3, which requires the commonwealth to amend the EPBC Act to include shale gas projects under the water trigger laws. 

At the time, Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the recommendation would be implemented before the end of the year. 

But Ms Hanson-Young says she’s yet to see “any real commitment to change”, today telling media she wants the bill passed before December 31. 

“We know that communities in the Northern Territory are nervous and worried about the impact these big fracking projects are going to have on their water table, on their quality of drinking water, and on their environment,” she said.

Broad support for bill amid threat of drought

Independent MP Dr Sophie Scamps said her bill, which will be introduced in the lower house, has support across the board from pastoralists, NT communities, traditional owners and the crossbench.

“This is a simple change to the EPBC Act that the government has already committed to, and which a Senate committee report said must be done by the end of this year,” she said.

“With the threat of drought again looming large and the approval of new shale fracking projects in the Beetaloo Basin imminent, it is urgent that we act now to protect our water resources.”

Warringah independent MP Zali Steggall, who seconded the bill, said First Nations communities around the Beetaloo Basin had long been pleading for the government to protect water resources.

“It cannot be that fossil fuel interests for fracking gas goes above and before the rights of First Nations communities,” she told media on Monday.

The bill comes as some traditional owners and First Nations activists escalate their opposition to fracking in the Beetaloo.

Among them is Ray Dimakarri Dixon, a Mudburra elder from the Marlinja community in the Northern Territory, who travelled to Canberra last month and performed for MPs and their staff at Parliament House, calling on the government to commit to broadening the water trigger.

“The changes being forced on us in the Northern Territory at the moment are just like the blowing up of Juukan Gorge,” he said.

“The dollars don’t mean anything to us. Land is our life. Water is our life. We’ve got nowhere else to go.”

Ms Plibersek said consultation on the federal government’s draft environment laws began this month and would include an expanded water trigger.

“We would welcome support, across party lines, to expedite our strong new laws through the parliament next year,” she said.