INPEX-led Ichthys Joint Venture – proudly partnering with Indigenous Groups in the Northern Territory
Joshua J. Corbett A * and Christopher J. Carle AA INPEX Operations Australia Pty Ltd, Perth, WA, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 62 S234-S237 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21193
Accepted: 23 March 2022 Published: 13 May 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.
Abstract
The INPEX-led Ichthys Joint Venture has established strong partnerships with the Northern Territory Government (NTG), cultural organisations and Traditional Owner groups in the Northern Territory to deliver social and environmental offset programs. The key governance model for delivery of the offset programs is the Ichthys Project Voluntary Offset Agreement (IPVOA), which commits $91 M AUD over a 40-year period through a suite of offset programs. This paper focuses on the journey to partner with the NTG-run Aboriginal Ranger Grants Program (ARGP). Through the IPVOA, INPEX and its Ichthys Joint Venture participants will contribute $24 M AUD over 22 years, to the ARGP, for Aboriginal Ranger programs addressing specific species and their associated habitat throughout the Top End. This is the first time where industry has contributed to the ARGP to deliver positive outcomes in the NT. This has been achieved by fostering collaborative, engaging and trustworthy relationships with the Commonwealth and NT governments; engaging with the Aboriginal Land Management Advisory Group; and meeting with Aboriginal Ranger groups. The key has been finding a common ground between the perspectives and the priorities of all stakeholders for how best to deliver conservation management on country in the NT. This common ground is likely to evolve over the next 22 years as the INPEX-led Ichthys Joint Venture and NTG deliver environmental outcomes, promote a connection to country and empower Aboriginal Ranger groups to better manage their country for future generations.
Keywords: Aboriginal, Aboriginal Ranger Grants Program, conservation management, environmental, Ichthys Joint Venture, INPEX, land and sea country, marine, Northern Territory, offset, Traditional Owners.
Josh Corbett is a Senior Environment Advisor at INPEX Operations Australia, working on Ichthys LNG for nearly a decade. Josh’s industry and technical experience spans over 15 years, implementing environmental monitoring and research programs for some of the largest LNG projects in Australia. Josh graduated from Murdoch University in 2007 with a BSc in Marine and Environmental Science. Josh was instrumental in the implementation of the Nearshore Environmental Monitoring Program to assess the impacts and adaptively manage the 16 Mm3 capital dredging program in Darwin Harbour between 2012 and 2015. More recently,Josh has applied his technical skills to collaborate with the NTG to implement numerous offset programs including the Integrated Marine Monitoring and Research Program (A$20 million over 40 years) and partner with the Aboriginal Ranger Grants Program to deliver conservation management of dugongs, cetaceans and marine MNES in the Top End (A$24 million over 22 years). |
Christopher (Jamie) Carle is the Environment Support Team Lead at INPEX Operations Australia Pty Ltd. Jamie has a Master’s Degree in Resource Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Management (Lincoln University, NZ) with 15 years of environmental management experience in the natural resource management and major infrastructure sectors. During his career, Jamie has managed diverse teams of consultants, scientists, modellers, engineers, SHEQ advisors, and complex workforces of contractors and subcontractors on major oil and gas development projects to deliver on critical project needs. This includes strategic planning and management of major capital dredging campaign (16 Mm3) to deepen and lengthen Darwin Harbour (Australia), which won two Australian Environmental Excellence Awards in 2014. In his role Jamie also manages the environmental monitoring commitments for the operations phase (onshore and offshore) and is responsible for delivering on the multi-million-dollar, long-term environmental offset programs on behalf of the INPEX-led Ichthys LNG. |
References
Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport (2011) Ichthys Gas Field Development Project, Blaydin Point: Assessment Report 65. (Environment and Heritage Division, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport: Darwin) Available at https://ntepa.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/287470/assessment_report_nretas.pdf [Accessed 22 March 2022]INPEX Browse, Ltd (2010) ‘Ichthys Gas Field Development Project: draft environmental impact statement.’ (INPEX Browse, Ltd: Perth) Available at https://www.inpex.com.au/media/vg1lrbdw/draft-environmental-impact-statement-complete.pdf [Accessed 22 March 2022]
INPEX Browse, Ltd (2011) ‘Ichthys Gas Field Development Project: supplement to the draft environmental impact statement.’ (INPEX Browse, Ltd: Perth) Available at https://www.inpex.com.au/media/aezpyaq4/02_eis-supplement.pdf [Accessed 22 March 2022]
