The Australian Government’s White Paper for Developing Northern Australia is focused on realising the full economic potential of the north, including a plan for implementing these policies over the next five, ten and twenty years. Development in northern Australia has had bi-partisan political support for many years and thus receives significant policy and funding profile. However, the agenda is widely considered to have under-achieved against its aspirations, operating in a heavily contested space and resulting in poor outcomes for development and the environment. With little strategic regional planning effort across the landscape, disputes over environmental issues are central to this contestation, impacting development proponents, government agency decision-makers, Traditional Owners and affected communities. Our research is designed to make a positive contribution to easing (often known as de-risking) this contested landscape.
