Senator Lidia Thorpe Calls for Urgent Investigation into Gas Industry’s Manipulation of Traditional Owners
Canberra, 1 July 2025 — Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has slammed gas industry tactics aimed at manipulating First Nations communities, following explosive revelations published by The Guardian last week. The Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung senator has called for an urgent federal investigation into consultancy firms and land councils allegedly used to manufacture consent for fracking projects in the Northern Territory.
The Guardian investigation by journalist Lisa Cox uncovered that a little-known consultancy firm, Good Advice, has been working behind the scenes for gas company Empire Energy. Leaked documents suggest the firm acted as a go-between to secure gas sale agreements from Traditional Owners, in some cases without their full knowledge or genuine consent.
Senator Thorpe, who has been raising alarm bells about the issue for over a year through Senate Estimates and committee inquiries, said the revelations confirm what many in First Nations communities have long suspected: that industry and government are colluding to push gas projects through by sidelining or coercing local voices.
“This is only the tip of the iceberg,” Senator Thorpe warned. “Gas, mining and logging companies are using the same dodgy tactics to divide and manipulate our people all over the continent.”
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She said the practice violates the internationally recognised principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), which requires that Indigenous communities give voluntary and well-informed agreement to any projects on their lands — free from external pressure or deceptive influence.
“Gas and mining companies have become very effective at manipulating First Peoples, and dodging weak laws to continue plundering and polluting Country for profit,” she said.
The leaked documents reveal the Good Advice consultancy was working simultaneously for Empire Energy and a company called Katalis, while pushing Traditional Owners to sign gas agreements that were later used to secure $231 million worth of gas sales — despite the fact that some of the signatures were obtained under questionable circumstances.
The role of the Northern Land Council (NLC), a statutory body tasked with representing Traditional Owners in the Top End, has also come under scrutiny. Senator Thorpe is among a growing number of Indigenous leaders calling for a national inquiry into the governance and accountability of land councils and native title bodies.
“These dodgy corporations have a strong influence over many of our representative bodies and land councils — this is no surprise to mob who have fought against corporate corruption for decades,” Thorpe said.
While the NLC has said it is investigating the matter, Thorpe says more decisive action is needed.
“The Northern Land Council is a statutory body, and has an obligation to ensure that the council is accountable to its communities,” she said. “I would like to see the Northern Land Council take stronger action to address the influence of the gas industry over Traditional Owners.”
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Senator Thorpe said both major parties — Labor and the Coalition — have allowed gas companies to operate with near-impunity, prioritising fossil fuel profits over human rights and environmental protections.
“Gas companies can do just about whatever they like under both Labor and Liberal governments, without any punishment — even when their behaviour is clearly corrupt and violates human rights,” she said.
She reiterated calls for a full, independent investigation into how gas companies exert influence over First Peoples’ organisations and communities, starting with the Northern Territory but extending nationally.
“If federal Labor prioritised First Peoples’ rights over the interests of the fossil fuel industry, they would ensure that these matters get properly investigated and those responsible are held to account.”
The senator also reiterated long-standing demands for a broader inquiry into land councils and native title corporations, to ensure culturally appropriate governance and accountability structures are in place — ones that uphold Sovereign authority and truly reflect the will of families and clans on the ground.
As fracking projects continue to expand across the Beetaloo Basin and beyond, this growing scandal may yet become a major flashpoint in the national energy debate — and in the fight for First Nations justice.
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Further Reading:
Lisa Cox’s original investigation: The Guardian, 24 June 2025
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