Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The following statement is from the Ali Curung community regarding the Singleton Station water licence:

We are saying no to the removal of our water. The Northern Territory government is using forceful and deceptive tactics to give Fortune Agribusiness our water. We don't want to give out the water. It belongs to the land. It is the most precious resource in the world that they are trying to take away from us. We don't want that.

We need to stop the Singleton Station Water License. We need to stop the Northern Territory government from granting the water license to Fortune Agribusiness. Leave this water alone, it is from the beginning. It is from the creation time.

We don't want money, we just want to protect this water for everybody … Water is scarce in the desert. We really need water for the future generations. The water license will have a big impact on the land. If the water level drops, it will soon produce salinity. It will be bad for the health of the people. Water is life and our lives matter … This water license will cause the biggest damage the Northern Territory government will ever create and there will be no way to fix it. Once water is gone, it is gone. It will be us mob who are going to suffer in the end, us mob who are really living on this land … We are saying no. If you destroy this land, it is just like you are ripping a page out of a story book and the story is not there to tell for the future generations. We need water for us and for our animals, for turkey, emu, kangaroo, cats. Don't leave us with no water. We will fight to keep our water. It is for the lives of everybody who lives here in Ali Curung.

That's our strong message to the government. Do not … take this water from us. We need it. We want the Federal Government to step in and work with us to protect our water. We are all saying no to Singleton Station Water License.