Federal Labor is set to vote against a motion by the Greens to disallow a $21 million grant to Empire Energy for its fracking project in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin.
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It comes as an interim report for a Senate Inquiry into fracking in the Beetaloo Basin is set to be tabled in parliament this afternoon.
The motion to block the grant, recently awarded by resources minister Keith Pitt, is set to fail after Labor confirmed it would vote against it with the coalition in a caucus meeting today.
Ms Waters slammed the move, saying they "had the chance to do things differently, and they folded."
"Let's be very clear what's happened here: in the middle of a climate crisis the Morrison government has gifted $21 million in public money to a major donor's company to frack the Northern Territory. And Labor today has said, 'Yes, we think that's fine," she said.
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"Unlike Sports Rorts and Pork and Ride, the Senate could stop this rort from the start. The disallowance would have terminated a $50 million slush fund for Liberal party mates to cook the planet, put groundwater at risk, and ignore the wishes of First Nations communities."
A number of people within the caucus opposed the move, including NT Senator Malarndirri McCarthy.
"I believe questions still remain about the process taken by the Morrison Government on the $50 million grant to fast track fracking in the Beetaloo," Senator McCarthy told ACM.
"It was important to me that the decision went back to the Labor caucus, as more evidence had become available due to the Senate Inquiry. Caucus listened to these concerns but ultimately decided it would vote against the disallowance motion.
"I urged the Caucus to rethink its position and vote against allowing $50 million in public funding being given, when parts of the grant process remain questionable and not transparent.
"The inquiry will continue its important work looking into this program."
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