Protect Community Land: Ensure Transparency, Accountability, and Public Benefit
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
This petition, signed below, calls the attention of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to the matter of:
The increasing use of public land and public funds by government bodies for private profit rather than public benefit, without proper transparency, independent oversight, consultation, or separation of powers.
Why this matters:
Government bodies in the NT are acquiring freehold title to community land—land meant to serve the public interest—often without public awareness. Even with freehold title, this land remains public, held in custodianship for public benefit, not private gain.
In cases such as 7 Waratah Crescent, the Harry Chan site, and Little Mindil, government bodies act as landowners, private developers, and regulators simultaneously, blurring lines between public stewardship and private investment. This creates conflicts where public land and funds serve private profit instead of community benefit.
This concentration of roles breaches a core governance principle—the separation of powers—undermining transparency, limiting meaningful community consultation, and weakening accountability. Public assets must be managed in the public’s interest—not as opportunities for government bodies to act like private investors.
In many cases, land set aside for community purposes has been rezoned, converted to freehold without public notice, and either sold to private developers or retained for government-led private-style developments—without transparency, accountability, or legislated protections common in other Australian jurisdictions. Increasingly, development partnerships replace land sales, allowing government bodies to act as both landowners and private developers, with no requirement to show public interest.
These actions disregard the original public benefit purpose of this land and oppose social mandates in other jurisdictions that protect public land for community use.
The Petitioners therefore ask the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to:
Ensure public land and funds are used solely for genuine public benefit and that government bodies face clear rules, accountability, and community safeguards when disposing of or developing public assets.
Sponsored by
To:
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
From:
[Your Name]
This petition, signed below, calls the attention of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to the below matter:
The increasing use of public land and public funds by government bodies for private profit rather than public benefit, without proper transparency, independent oversight, consultation, or separation of powers.
Why this matters:
Government bodies in the NT are acquiring freehold title to community land—land meant to serve the public interest—often without public awareness. Even with freehold title, this land remains public, held in custodianship for public benefit, not private gain.
In cases such as 7 Waratah Crescent, the Harry Chan site, and Little Mindil, government bodies act as landowners, private developers, and regulators simultaneously, blurring lines between public stewardship and private investment. This creates conflicts where public land and funds serve private profit instead of community benefit.
This concentration of roles breaches a core governance principle—the separation of powers—undermining transparency, limiting meaningful community consultation, and weakening accountability. Public assets must be managed in the public’s interest—not as opportunities for government bodies to act like private investors.
In many cases, land set aside for community purposes has been rezoned, converted to freehold without public notice, and either sold to private developers or retained for government-led private-style developments—without transparency, accountability, or legislated protections common in other Australian jurisdictions. Increasingly, development partnerships replace land sales, allowing government bodies to act as both landowners and private developers, with no requirement to show public interest.
These actions disregard the original public benefit purpose of this land and oppose social mandates in other jurisdictions that protect public land for community use.
The Petitioners therefore ask the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to:
Ensure public land and funds are used solely for genuine public benefit and that government bodies face clear rules, accountability, and community safeguards when disposing of or developing public assets.