The Alice Springs mayor has acknowledged he "made a mistake" in writing a letter on behalf of council supporting the controversial Singleton project without consulting other councillors first.
In the letter to the NT Environmental Protection Authority (NTEPA), Mayor Matt Paterson said he was "writing on behalf" of the Alice Springs Town Council to "provide support" for the Singleton Horticulture Project.
Fortune Agribusiness, which owns Singleton Station, is proposing to develop a horticultural precinct south of Tennant Creek — growing crops on 3,300 hectares using a staged water licence of 40,000 megalitres a year.
Supporters say the project would boost jobs and invest millions of dollars into the region with 30 per cent of produce remaining in Australia.
But traditional owners fear this water licence — one of the largest ever granted in Australia — could significantly lower the region's watertable, in turn damaging sacred trees, soakages, and water holes.
Mr Paterson said he met with Fortune Agribusiness chair Peter Wood in February, when he was asked to write a submission in support of the proposal.
In the letter, Mr Paterson said he had reviewed extensive documentation around the project, and was convinced it would "have a positive effect on Alice Springs".
While the letter is publicly accessible on the NTEPA website, five councillors contacted by the ABC said they did not see the submission in council papers, which is standard practice.
Similarly, none of the councillors recalled the mayor bringing the topic of the Singleton project to council.
Mayor apologises for error
After being approached by the ABC, Mr Paterson apologised for the wording of the letter, which he said was a "simple error".
"I acknowledge that I've made a mistake and I've rectified that," he said.
"I've since contacted the NTEPA and the submission has been amended on the website and … is from Mayor Paterson, not the Alice Springs Town Council."
But Councillor Kim Hopper said this incident showed a need for more transparency around letters of support from the mayor's office.
"We want to be best practice and I would say that this is probably not best practice," she said.
"It opens us up to all sorts of nepotism and abuse of power.
"If people can just contact the mayor directly seeking a letter of support, then that brings up a whole lot of concerns for me and I'm sure it does for other people in the community."
Environmental impact statement required
The mayor's letter was among 98 public submissions to the NTEPA on the Singleton project.
The authority said after reviewing the submissions, along with the station's referral, it decided the project required an environmental impact statement — the highest level of environmental assessment and a first for an NT horticultural project.
NTEPA chair Paul Vogel said this was because of some "key uncertainties" around the extent of groundwater-dependent ecosystems.
He added there was a "paucity of information" about the potential impact the project could have on Aboriginal cultural values.
Councillors concerned by letter
Some Alice Springs councillors said they had serious concerns about the Singleton project.
"I can say the [mayor's letter] doesn't reflect my point of view," Councillor Marli Banks said.
"I would hope that process would be followed if it was to reflect all of council, which would look like ensuring that council is notified of the request to make a submission and then given the capacity to form a position of council.
"What we run the risk of is reputational damage."
Councillor Allison Bitar echoed these concerns.
"I'm not sure whether all the people of Alice Springs would be happy with the mayor going off and [writing the submission] from a council perspective," she said.
"Maybe the mayor will be a little more cautious in future before he puts his personal views out there."
