End is nigh for NT environmental advocacy groups as funding runs out
Two environmental advocacy groups in the Northern Territory are set to close as government funding cuts announced last year start to bite.
The Environment Centre NT (ECNT) has told the ABC a number of staff were laid off last week and the centre has limited their operating hours from five to three days a week.
The organisation has led campaigns against uranium mining, pollution, gas exploration and water extraction licences.
ECNT chair Tony Young said he was worried there would be no-one to fight for environmental issues in the Northern Territory if the centre closed.
"If there is no independent voice to point these things out then the problems continue and they are exacerbated," he said.
"The range and complexity of the environmental problems the Northern Territory faces really deserves a properly funded, independent, science-based voice ... that's what is in danger."
The ECNT lost $185,000 in last year's Territory budget.
The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) is also struggling and has announced it will close on June 30, after it lost $450,000 in Federal Government funding.
EDO chair Kirsty Howey said the office could not operate without financial help.
"With the cutting of federal funding at the EDO, we are looking at shutting the doors on June 30 this year," she said.
"We just don't have the money to survive any longer."
NT Environment Minister Gary Higgins said he was unperturbed by the looming closures of the ECNT and the EDO.
"Now that we have an independent NTEPA we do not need an operational body out there simply advising government," Mr Higgins said.
"There is a crossover in roles between the NTEPA and those other bodies such as the ECNT."
On its website, the NTEPA lists itself as an "independent corporation established by the Country Liberals (CLP) under the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority Act".
The body is responsible for providing advice on the environmental issues in the Northern Territory such as waste management, pollution control, and sustainable practices.
The NTEPA is headed by Dr Bill Freeland.
Mr Higgins said the CLP came to government with a clear vision for a Northern Territory environment protection agency.
"When the Territory Government came into power, one of their election commitments was the establishment of an independent NTEPA," he said.
"We established that independent NTEPA so it's completely independent of government."
Labor spokeswoman Nicole Manison said both organisations were needed in the community.
"We need to have a full and independent voice for the government out there in the community," she said.
"They bring up some pretty tough issues for governments and a good government would actually listen to them."
Both organisations are still trying to secure independent funding that could delay their closures.
_Editor's Note February 26 2015: A previous version of the story incorrectly claimed Dr Bill Freeland was a former CLP member._
