Senator Lidia Thorpe has welcomed this thorough report, which provides strong evidence on the tactics used by the gas industry to influence First Peoples in the Northern Territory. These tactics manipulate land councils and create division amongst communities to smooth the way for expanding gas projects. 

Senator Thorpe has been pursuing this issue for over a year, through various Senate inquiries and Senate estimates. This reporting raises serious questions about land councils’ conflicts of interest, and governments’ inaction to remove corporate influence. This routine manipulation by corporations is a breach of Free, Prior and Informed Consent. Thorpe has called for a proper investigation into the issue – and for governments and land councils to urgently take action. 

Quotes attributable to Lidia Thorpe, Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung independent Victorian Senator:

"I have been asking about this issue in multiple Senate estimates and inquiries for over a year, and it is relieving to finally see the shocking conduct of gas companies exposed.

"Free, Prior and Informed Consent is an important legal concept for First Peoples enshrined in international law – it means consultation must be free from any corporate influence, which is clearly not what is happening here.

"Gas and mining companies have become very effective at manipulating First Peoples, and dodging weak laws to continue plundering and polluting Country for profit.

"These dodgy corporations have a strong influence over many of our representative bodies and land councils – this is no surprise to mob who have fought against corporate corruption for decades.

"The processes in place are supposed to ensure proper consultation with First Peoples. But this reporting reveals how gas companies manipulate these processes to manufacture consent, violating our peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

"This is only the tip of the iceberg – gas, mining and logging companies are using the same dodgy tactics to divide and manipulate our people all over the continent. These companies, and the governments that enable this corruption, must be held to account.

"We need to remove toxic corporate influence from all First Peoples’ representative bodies, hold those responsible to account, and fight to ensure First Peoples’ Sovereign authority over Country is upheld.

"Gas companies can do just about whatever they like under both Labor and Liberal governments, without any punishment – even when their behaviour is clearly corrupt and violates human rights.

"There must be a proper investigation into these matters so we can understand just how much of an influence gas companies have over First Peoples and our representative bodies, in the NT and elsewhere.

"If federal Labor prioritised First Peoples’ rights over the interests of the fossil fuel industry, they would ensure that these matters get properly investigated and those responsible are held to account.

"There also needs to be an inquiry into First Nations land councils and native title corporations, which myself and First Peoples across the country have been demanding for years. 

"We need to properly scrutinise these organisations to ensure that all First Peoples are represented in a way that respects the cultural authority of every family – and in a way that adheres to the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

"The Northern Land Council is a statutory body, and has an obligation to ensure that the council is accountable to its communities. 

"I would like to see the Northern Land Council take stronger action to address the influence of the gas industry over Traditional Owners."