Between 20 and 22 May 2025, First Nations clan members from across the Roper River catchment gathered for a groundbreaking forum to discuss the future of the Roper River.

This week we put the voices of the Territory on the national stage. Traditional Owners, experts and environment groups were in Canberra this week, raising the alarm about the threats facing the Territory’s rivers.

ABC Four Corners investigates cotton in the Northern Territory, and the impact it could have on the Roper.

We’re writing to you from the halls of Parliament in Canberra, where we’ve just delivered a powerful message to politicians from all sides. Our message is clear: water is life.

Traditional Owners from across 20,000 square kilometres of the Northern Territory have travelled to Canberra to ask for protection of the Roper River from threats posed by new water intensive industries in the catchment and to be at the forefront of decision-making for the river.

The Roper is one of our last free-flowing, tropical rivers but its future is under immediate threat – from cotton, fracking, land clearing, and mining. The Federal Government needs to act. Right now is a once in a generation chance to ensure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the Murray Darling. 

Traditional Owners along the banks of the Roper River are currently building a huge 13 metre long map of the songlines, sacred sites and dreaming stories all down the Roper River.