What is the NT's territory coordinator bill and what laws could it override?
A controversial bill to establish the territory coordinator passed NT parliament on Wednesday morning. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
The Northern Territory's Country Liberal Party (CLP) government has passed what it's called the territory's "most important piece of economic reform" in a decade.
The territory coordinator bill was debated in parliament on Tuesday and became law in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Leader of Government Business Steve Edgington says it will give the NT a "competitive edge against other states", which have "not undertaken the level of reform we have".
Here's what the new legislation will do and what the reaction has been.
Stuart Knowles, a former NT Inpex boss, is the interim territory coordinator. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
What is the territory coordinator bill?
The bill establishes the role of the territory coordinator, a statutory officer with a broad range of powers to "consolidate regulatory processes" for projects of "economic significance".
In November the government appointed Stuart Knowles, a former gas heavyweight, as the interim territory coordinator.
The territory coordinator minister, who is Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, also gains the power to issue "exemption notices" to "modify or exclude the application of a scheduled law on specific grounds".
Both the coordinator and the minister now have the ability to issue "step-in notices" and take over some assessments from other approval bodies.
Lia Finocchiaro, as territory coordinator minister, now has a broad range of powers to fast-track and approve projects. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
Which laws will it impact?
The territory coordinator and minister have the power to override dozens of Northern Territory laws, which the legislation lists as scheduled acts.
Why did the government create the territory coordinator?
The Northern Territory has a lot of debt. Almost $13 billion of it.
With by far the highest levels of net debt per capita of any Australian jurisdiction, the government is determined to grow its own-source revenue.
It's hoping the territory coordinator will help attract and facilitate major private developments in the NT that would see money flow into the government's coffers and create jobs for Territorians.
What consultation went into this?
The first draft laws were released for public consultation in November and discussed in a series of town hall forums across the territory.
More than 550 public submissions were made during the two-month consultation process.
Another draft of the legislation was then introduced to parliament in February with "unexpected changes" the Northern Land Council and other groups feared would weaken Aboriginal land rights and heritage protections.
Northern Land Council chair Matt Ryan says the government has moved like a "big bulldozer" to establish the territory coordinator position. (ABC News: Hamish Harty)
The draft laws then went to the Legislative Scrutiny Committee, which is made up of five MLAs — three of whom are from the CLP.
The CLP used its numbers to endorse the bill's passing but the committee made 25 recommendations.
The government only accepted eight of those in full, and two in part.
What's the reaction been?
A wide range of stakeholders including land councils and environmental groups have been fiercely opposed to the territory coordinator position, with concerns it would erode Indigenous land rights and fast-track gas exploration.
However industry groups including the Minerals Council of Australia and the Chamber of Commerce have thrown their support behind the changes.
The government report after the consultation period made no comment on whether the majority of the 559 public submissions supported the bill or not.
However, it said the process "underscored the need for a balanced approach that aligns economic growth with social and environmental outcomes".
The Legislative Scrutiny Committee received another 302 submissions last month, "with the majority of submissions either opposing the bill entirely or opposing the bill as introduced".
"Only two submissions [supported] passage of the bill as introduced," the committee's report reads.
Chansey Paech has concerns about the bill. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
The opposition did not formally oppose the bill, but Gwoja MLA Chansey Peach, the Labor member on the committee, described it as an "overreach of power".
"I've heard firsthand from people … to say how damaging and how disastrous this bill will be," he said on Monday.
Independent MLA Justine Davis, the committee's fifth member, opposed the bill entirely.
"I cannot support the bill in its current form and I believe it is not in the best interests of the Northern Territory to proceed with it as is," she said.