Arabic version: مجالس الإقليم الشمالي تسعى إلى صلاحية تحديد رسوم التعدين
According to ABC News, the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT) is seeking legislative changes that would allow councils to set rates for mining tenements within their own local government areas. Under the Local Government Act 2019, the NT minister for local government currently sets rates for mining tenements and pastoral leases, while councils set rates for other properties.
LGANT president Peter Pangquee said councils should be able to rate mining companies in the same way as other ratepayers, based on property size. He said many NT councils had small populations and few rateable properties, limiting their revenue and making it difficult to upgrade infrastructure and provide services. Mr Pangquee said mining companies currently pay $1.6 million across the Territory to all councils.
The push has particular significance for Barkly Regional Council, whose mayor Sid Vashist said the current conditional rating system was not working well for councils. He said a gold mine in Queensland could pay between $130,000 and $250,000 in rates to a council, while mines in his region could potentially pay between $10,000 and $15,000. An Industry Capability Network NT report said mining operations in the Barkly region were expected to generate $35 billion by 2030.
Mr Vashist said Barkly Regional Council would need $155 million over 10 years to maintain its assets but would have only $5 million available over that period. He said the council was struggling to maintain roads, fleet vehicles and infrastructure, while damage to buildings caused by vandalism and antisocial behaviour could cost millions of dollars to repair.
The Minerals Council of Australia opposed higher rate payments. Its executive director of Northern Australia, Cathryn Tilmouth, said an increase could discourage mining operations in the NT and argued that mines did not receive local-government services such as rubbish collection, streetlights or roadworks. Local Government Minister Steve Edgington said he would make evidence-based decisions while balancing the issues associated with mining development against its benefits.
