Australian Indigenous island community halts $3.6bn gas drilling - Al Jazeera

[TexasTowelie]

Australia’s Federal Court has ruled in favor of an Indigenous group’s challenge against a drilling permit for Santos Ltd’s Barossa gas development, in what the Santos company called a “disappointing” setback for the $3.6bn project.

Traditional landowners from the Tiwi Islands led by Dennis Tipakalippa had asked the court in June to overturn the drilling approval granted by the industry regulator – the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

Tipakalippa claimed that he and other Tiwi Islanders hold “sea country” rights including and beyond the Barossa Field, and its traditional land is closest to the gas field.

Al Jazeera’s Alexi O'Brien reports.