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  • ABOUT (current)

    About

    Our Values

    Climate Justice

    Our Team

    Jobs

    Contact

    News

  • CAMPAIGNS

    Our plan to stop fracking

    Petition: Polluters Must Pay

    Don’t frack the NT - protect water now!

    Petition: No Public Money for Middle Arm

  • Get Involved

    Events

    Welcome Meetings

    Join a local group!

    In-School Workshops

    People of Colour Climate Network

  • 2025 Election

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  • Merch
  • Volunteer
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What is Middle Arm

Middle Arm is a proposed industrial precinct and gas exporting hub, planned for Darwin Harbour, propped up by over $1.9 billion in funding from the Federal Government.


Located just 3km outside Palmerston city, the facility would include petrochemical processing and carbon dumping, alongside expanded gas exporting designed to open up the NT for fracking. 

Map of Middle Arm from ABC News

Source: ABC News

From the inception of this project, it was designed to facilitate the opening of gas basins in the Beetaloo and Barossa. Gas extraction in these basins has faced strong opposition from Traditional Owners, and would release significant amounts of methane and CO2. 

The Middle Arm Gas Hub would be the NT’s single largest emitter, raising the territory’s emissions by 75%, and would increase particulate pollution by over 500%,  resulting in $75 million in additional health costs, equivalent to 15 additional premature deaths per year.

In the 2022 budget update, we saw a commitment of $1.9 billion for Middle Arm by the Albanese Labor Government. After pushback against public money for gas, the funding was moved off budget to be managed by Infrastructure Australia. By moving Middle Arm’s funding off-budget, Labor has reduced the amount of transparency and public scrutiny that the funding gets. This led to a senate inquiry into the project, which will hand down recommendations in August 2024.

Sign the petition calling for no public money for Middle Arm here!

Where’d the idea for Middle Arm come from?


Back in 2020, in the midst of Covid led economic fears, the Morrison Government and the NT Government both put together commissions to look at ways to strengthen the economy. Both commissions were stacked with fossil fuel executives, including one key man: Andrew Liveris.

Liveris is a former Dow Chemical CEO, helped shape Trump’s manufacturing policies, and currently sits on the board of the world’s most polluting company in history, fossil fuel giant Saudi Aramco. 

Both fossil fuel exec filled commissions recommended the government invest heavily in gas. Instead of putting public money into long term, climate friendly projects like renewables, they wanted the government to help their mates in the gas industry squeeze out as many profits as they could, as quickly as possible. 

A big part of their plans centred on opening up the NT for fracking, where 70% of land is covered in gas exploration licences. There was just one barrier; a lack of export facilities to send the fracked gas overseas.

Enter: the Middle Arm Gas Hub - a project with facilities to process and prepare gas for export overseas. This facility would make gas expansion in the Beetaloo and Barossa possible.

Unsurprisingly, Liveris and the Morrison Government weren’t too fussed about the potential climate and health impacts of such a project. They announced the initial funding for the project despite having not done an environmental or health impacts assessment, a crucial step in planning.

AYCC's work on Middle Arm


What has AYCC been doing on Middle Arm?


AYCC volunteers across the country have been pushing back against the funding of Middle Arm through:

Meetings with decision makers like Treasurer Jim Chalmers

AYCC volunteers meeting with Jim Chalmers

 

Public actions at MP offices and collecting signatures for our petition (sign it here!)

Middle Arm actions outside Tanya Plibersek and Chris Bowen's office, and a large chalk mural reading disarm middle arm.


Collaborating on a creative video

video preview

 

Participating in the Senate Inquiry - AYCC Darwin made a submission and appeared at the hearings to voice opposition to the project.

AYCC submission artwork, photo of AYCC volunteers with a banner reading young people against Middle Arm

Health Impacts


The Petroni report also found the industrial development at Middle Arm would have significant climate and health impacts, including increasing air pollution and cancer risk several times over [7]. According to a 2020 review of 16 epidemiological studies, communities living within 5km of petrochemical facilities had a 30% higher chance of developing leukaemia [8]. 

These risks increase dramatically for young people. Studies have shown that children living near gas operations in the US have higher rates of low birth weight, birth defects, childhood cancers, and respiratory conditions [9]. Palmerston is just 3km away from Middle Arm, with more than half the population aged under 29 [10].

In Darwin, almost 50 medical specialists have raised the alarm on the Middle Arm Gas Hub, delivering a joint letter to the NT government. 

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2023 Gas Beetaloo

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203/59 Great Buckingham Street, Redfern, NSW, 2016

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Wherever we are in this country we respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land and their elders past and present. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived sustainably and in harmony with the land for tens of thousands of years and together we are striving for the future of the land, air and waters that make up this beautiful country. We also acknowledge the work of Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, and their leadership in the youth climate movement.

Authorised by G Vegesana, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Redfern

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