NT Labor fracking stand-off emerges as caucus members voice opposition

The majority of Territory Labor's caucus have contradicted the party's official position on fracking as set out by Opposition Leader Selena Uibo, telling the ABC they personally oppose the controversial gas extraction technique.

MLAs Dheran Young, Manuel Brown, Yiwarr McGrath and Chansey Paech all confirmed they personally oppose the practice, despite Ms Uibo saying last week Territory Labor supported a "strictly regulated" industry.

While in government, Labor imposed a moratorium on fracking before allowing the industry to proceed following the outcome of an independent inquiry led by Justice Rachel Pepper.

Last week, Ms Uibo told the ABC "the Territory Labor opposition believes that the onshore gas industry should be strictly regulated, ensuring the strongest possible environmental safeguards".

"This includes adhering to all recommendations from the Pepper Inquiry," she said.

"The Territory Labor opposition also believes the rights, voices and decisions of traditional owners must be paramount in all resource development, through free, prior and informed consent on all approvals."

The ABC subsequently contacted each of Labor's other five caucus members directly, with Mr Young, Mr Brown and Mr McGrath each providing statements outlining their personal opposition to fracking.

Mr Paech, meanwhile, has long been personally opposed to fracking and confirmed to ABC Radio Alice Springs earlier this month that his position remained unchanged.

Deputy Opposition Leader Ed Smelt did not respond to a request for comment, but when previously asked for his views on fracking, said gas was needed as part of the energy transition.

Fracking production already underway

The internal stand-off within Labor comes two years after it was comprehensively booted from government, having bled votes to the right and left.

Earlier this month, the first fracked gas from Tamboran's Beetaloo Basin fracking project flowed into the NT energy grid, with Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and federal Labor Resources Minister Madeleine King holding a media event to celebrate the milestone.

The projects of other companies with interests in the Beetaloo Basin are yet to reach the production phase, with the NT's Country Liberal Party government spruiking the gas reserve as key to the territory's economic future.

Mr Young, Territory Labor's former deputy leader until he was dumped and replaced by Mr Smelt in June, said he did not support fracking, mainly due to concerns over climate change.

"We need to protect our water and our environment and we need to take climate change seriously," he said.

"Labor's platform is to cut emissions by 75 per cent below 2005 levels by 2035. 

"Fracking gas from the Beetaloo Basin will generate emissions at a scale that will make it very difficult to meet that target."

Mr Young pointed to record flooding in his electorate as one reason reducing emissions was important.

"From Darwin River to Douglas Daly there are people who have lost everything," he said.

"I need to be able to look my constituents in the eye and tell them I am doing what I can to make sure they have a safer future."

Mr Brown, the shadow environment minister, said his opposition was due to concerns over water contamination, regulation and a lack of absolute veto rights for traditional owners.

"Our ecosystem is too fragile for any stuff-ups," he said.

"We need to make sure traditional owners have the right of veto when it comes to decisions for them, about them, regarding their traditional ancestral lands.

"If they want fracking after all the information, pros and cons, then I think it is their decision to make."

The recently-elected Member for Mulka, Mr McGrath, said "what we do now affects the future" and therefore he also did not support fracking.

"At this stage, given where the climate is, I think it's very important to be cautious," he said.

"I think we also need to understand the potential impacts at a global scale.

"A lot of traditional owners are quite vulnerable, particularly when promises are made, so there needs to be greater protection and education to ensure traditional owners are properly informed."

Speaking with ABC Radio Alice Springs earlier this month, the shadow health minister, Mr Paech, said although he remained personally opposed to fracking, "you can't beat around the bush, fracking is happening in the territory".

"We need to make sure ... the regulation is as strong as it can be," he said.

"[There are] recommendations in the Pepper Inquiry that are not being honoured, we need to keep pushing so that Territorians can have that guarantee and that assurance that regulation is as strong as it can be."