The Federal Court will review a decision by Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt not to assess plans to clear 2722 hectares of tropical savanna for industrial agriculture in the Northern Territory.
The Environment Centre NT argues the minister should have rejected the referral because it represents only one stage of a three-stage clearing project.
In February 2025, Minister Watt decided not to assess Top End Pastoral company's proposal to bulldoze 2722 hectares of savanna at Claravale Station and Farm near the Daly River, north of Katherine.
Environment Centre NT, represented by Environmental Justice Australia, has filed a challenge in the Federal Court seeking a judicial review of the minister's decision.
The Centre argues the minister should have rejected the referral because it represents only one stage of a three-stage clearing project, with nearly 6000 hectares of savanna potentially cleared for crops.