High court blocks plan to extract two Sydney Harbours’ worth of groundwater from the desert

NT government had granted 30-year licence to grow fruit and vegetables but native title holders say it threatened sacred sites and the fragile desert environmentFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNative title holders have won a high court appeal, overturning the largest groundwater licence ever granted in the Northern Territory, which would have allowed an agricultural company to extract 40 gigalitres of groundwater – equivalent to draining Sydney Harbour twice – every year for 30 years.The massive water allocation was granted to Fortune Agribusiness for free by the NT government, to support a plan to grow fruit and vegetables in Singleton Station in the central desert. Continue reading...