In March 2012, the Northern Territory (NT) Government implemented a moratorium PDF (39.7 KB) on seabed mining activities in NT coastal waters.
Seabed mining is a diverse and evolving industry focused on exploiting mineral deposits on and under the sea floor. There is limited information available on the impacts of seabed mining on the environment, methods for appropriately managing those impacts or methods for rehabilitating the seabed following mining activities.
The purpose of the seabed mining moratorium was to provide the NT Government with the opportunity to undertake a review of the actual or potential impacts of seabed mining in NT coastal waters to provide a basis for the assessment of the possible future development and sustainability of the industry.
The moratorium operated in conjunction with two reservations declared under the Mineral Titles Act 2010:
Under the moratorium the Minister requested the NT EPA prepare a report on the following matters:
- the actual or potential impacts on the environment and other resource industries
- methods for managing the impacts
- other matters outlined in the letter to the NT EPA from the then Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage.
View the complete terms of reference PDF (1.3 MB).
NT EPA Advice and current status
The Interim Report: Seabed Mining PDF (4.1 MB) was released in November 2012.
The NT EPA released a draft final report for community consultation in September 2020. Comments closed on 9 November 2020.
In December 2020 the NT EPA finalised and delivered its Final Report - Review of Seabed Mining in the NT PDF (4.9 MB) and the Consultation Report PDF (957.4 KB) to the Minister for Environment.
On 4 August 2021, the Minister for Environment declared seabed mining to be a prohibited action in accordance with section 38 of the Environment Protection Act 2019. To view further information on the process, visit the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security’s Declaration to prohibit subsea (seabed) mining page.
On 9 August 2021, the Minister for Environment provided formal written response PDF (1.2 MB) to the NT EPA’s Final Report advising of her decision to prohibit seabed mining.
Documents
- Final Report – Review of Seabed Mining in the Northern Territory PDF (4.9 MB)
- Executive Summary of the Final Report PDF (675.1 KB)
- Appendix 1 – NT EPA terms of reference PDF (1.3 MB)
- Appendix 2 – EPA interim report – Seabed mining in the Northern Territory PDF (4.1 MB)
- Appendix 3 – Legal Framework PDF (591.3 KB)
- Appendix 4 – Coastal and marine environments PDF (14.5 MB)
- Appendix 5 – Social and cultural impacts (2017) PDF (2.0 MB)
- Appendix 6 – Underwater cultural heritage (2017) PDF (904.4 KB)
- Appendix 7 – Seabed mining in the NT (2017) PDF (2.5 MB)
- Consultation Report PDF (957.4 KB)