In response to strong public opposition to gas and oil exploration in the Northern Territory, the council wrote to the minister in September with the request that the entire municipality, with the exception of existing leases at Maud Creek and Manbulloo, be declared an exclusion zone.

In his latest response to the council, which was tabled during the November 25 ordinary meeting, Mr Westra van Holthe stated that, while developing the region’s vast oil and gas resources would “not be done at any cost”, it was neither feasible nor possible to make the entire municipality an exclusion zone.

“Please be assured that both the Department of Mines and Energy and this government take our obligations to the community very seriously,” the letter reads.

The author of the government-initiated report into hydraulic fracturing in the Territory, Dr Allan Hawke, handed down “a number of recommendations” to Chief Minister Adam Giles on November 28, but remained tight-lipped on what they were.

“Irrespective of what future decisions the government makes with regards to onshore gas and hydraulic fracturing in the NT, I believe that building a shared understanding and knowledge base among the community and various stakeholders will be of benefit,” Dr Hawke said.

The government has not advised when it will make the report public but Shadow Environment Minister Nicole Manison said it should have been done immediately.

“The Giles government needs to release this report immediately, rather than hiding it from the public, when there are huge concerns across the Territory about fracking,” Ms Manison said.

“We need to see the full unsanitised Hawke report to thoroughly assess its recommendations.”