Guidance on the role of the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT) in the care and treatment of people under the Mental Health and Related Services Act 1998, and to document procedures required for Tribunal hearings.

Guidance for practitioners on the process of applying to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT) for an Assessment Warrant under the provisions of section 37 of the Mental Health and Related Services Act 1998 and the actions that arise following the issuing of a warrant.

Form to be completed to apply to the Tribunal for an Assessment Warrant under Sections 37 of the Mental Health and Related Services Act 1998

Burnside Operations Pty Ltd plan to commence mining at the North Point and Princess Louise mine sites, located in the East Burnside Project Area approximately 130km south-east of Darwin. The mining method will be open cut, with ore to be transported to Union Reefs Gold Mine for processing. Workers are to be housed at the mine camp at Cosmo Village. Mine sites have the potential to create or exacerbate mosquito breeding, potentially from the creation of water dams, wetland filters, borrow pits, sediment traps, dry season water discharge, waste water disposal, as well as the construction of roads and mine waste dumps. Mine sites also have the potential to introduce new mosquito species into the Northern Territory, such as the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti from North Queensland, if equipment was to be sourced from this area. As part of the environmental process, all major development in the NT is required to consider mosquitoes during the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements or Public Environmental reports, to ensure new development does not create new mosquito breeding sites, and also to protect the health of workers.

Matilda Minerals Limited (Matilda) proposes to develop sand mining operations at Andranangoo Creek West (Andranangoo) and Lethbridge Bay West (Lethbridge), Melville Island, Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory. The proposed operation will extract high grade heavy minerals (HM), specifically zircon and rutile, for export to China. It is estimated that a total of 99,000 t of zircon and rutile will be exported during the anticipated sand mining operation over three and half years. A proposal to mine both sites was submitted to the NT Government in the form of a Notive of Intent Document (URS, 2005). The NT Government determined the project is to undergo formal environmental assessment in the form of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS). Part of the EIS process is to conduct a biting insect assessment of the general project areas to determine any public health risks to workers and the potential for mining activities to alter the natural environment and create further biting insect breeding sites. The Medical Entomology Branch was commissioned by URS Australia on behalf of Matilda Minerals to undertake a biting insect assessment at both proposed sandmining sites.

The Blacktip Project consists of both offshore and onshore components. The onshore components include the construction and operation of an onshore processing plant, construction and operation of 3km of buried onshore pipeline, and the construction of access roads and construction camp. There were potential biting insect concerns associated with these onshore components of the Blacktip Project. EcOZ Environmental Services was commissioned by Woodside Energy Limited (Woodside) to assist in the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Blacktip Project. EcOZ Environmental Services then commissioned the Medical Entomology Branch of the Department of Health and Community Services to provide information on biting insects likely to affect the Blacktip Project.

There are many examples of development in the Darwin region that have led to enormous populations of a range of mosquito species, severely effecting residents in nearby areas and requiring costly rectification. To aid planners in their design of the proposed Newton development, the Medical Entomology section of the department of Health and Families has made collections of biting midges and mosquitoes form march 1984 to April 1985 in and around the proposed development area between the Elizabeth and Blackmore Rivers, south-west of Palmerston. Additional surveys of biting midge breeding areas were made in late 1987. This report analyses the result and suggest methods of minimising the adverse effects of the biting insect present in the proposed development area, and outlines some construction guidelines to avoid exacerbating the problem.

Mr David King, recreation development officer of the Department of Community Services Palmerston City Council, contacted the Medical Entomology Branch (MEB) in mid July 2003 in regards to reported pest problems from biting midges at the Archer Sporting Complex. Two officers from the Medical Entomology Branch, Peter Whelan and Allan Warchot, met with David King and Tony Shearer of the Palmerston City Council at the Archer sporting complex on 16 July to discuss the problem on site and conduct a site inspection. The MEB decided to conduct biting midge trapping around the sports complex to investigate the current level of biting midges and determine if there was an actual pest problem. This paper details the results of the investigation and makes some conclusions in regards to biting midges around the sports complex.

In April 1992 the Darwin City Council approached the Medical Entomology Branch, Department of Health & Community Services to conduct a trial to determine the efficacy of Enviroblox insecticidal blocks against blowflies and their larvae in wheelie bins. These blocks consisted largely of napthalene with 2% permethrin. Initial trials indicated that the insecticidal activity of the blocks was not adequate for effective control (especially of larvae). A second batch of Enviroblox insecticidal blocks containing 10% dichlorvos with napthalene were tested against blowflies and their larvae. Under the trial conditions these blocks killed blowflies within half an hour and larvae within six hours. Shelltox Ministrips which contain 18.6% dichlorvos were found to kill blowflies and larvae as effectively as the insecticidal blocks. Larvae feeding on organic matter within plastic bags may be protected from the insecticide vapour in the bin air space. However once larvae escape from the bags to search for pupation sites or more food they are likely to come into contact with a lethal dose of insecticide. The report concludes that a trial of the blocks in household wheelie bins in part of Darwin should be undertaken to confirm the trial results reported here.

Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) Ranger Mine is located in Kakadu National Park, adjacent to several arms of the Magela Creek and within flight range of mosquitoes from the extensive Magela Swamp. Weekly routine adult mosquito trapping in and adjacent to the nearby town of Jabiru consistently reveals very high numbers of pest and disease carrying mosquito species, generally in the post wet season and dry season months of April to August, and during a short period of a few weeks in the mid wet season. Low to moderate numbers of pest and disease carrying mosquito species are also encountered during most other months of the year. The presence of extended periods of high mosquito numbers translates to a significant potential for mosquito borne disease transmission in the Jabiru locality.The following report presents the results of brief field investigations in September and December 2005, a critical review of the nature and extent of natural mosquito breeding sites likely to affect Ranger Mine, outlines potential breeding sites at the mine site, outlines the adult mosquito and ovitrap program, and provides recommendations on how to manage potential mosquito issues at the mine site.

The aim of the Northern Territory Government’s Growth Assessment and Action (GAA) program is to improve the growth and nutritional status of children 0-5 years living in remote communities. GAA involves regular monitoring of growth and implementation of early action if growth falters. This report presents the results of the GAA data collection.

Terra Gold Mining Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of GBS Gold Australia Pty Ltd proposes to commence mining activities at the previously worked Maud Creek Mine site near Katherine, Northern Territory. The operation will involve construction of an underground decline, stockpile area, and associated infrastructure. Extracted ores will be transported to Union Reefs Gold Mine for processing (URS 2008). Mine sites have the potential to create or exacerbate mosquito breeding, from the creation of water dams, wetland filters, borrow pits, sediment traps, pit water discharge, waste water disposal, as well as the construction of roads and mine waste dumps. Mine sites also have the potential to introduce new mosquito species into the Northern Territory, such as the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti from North Queensland, if equipment is sourced from this area. Therefore, all major development in the NT is required to consider mosquito breeding during the Environmental Assessment process, to ensure development does not create new mosquito breeding sites.

The McArthur River Mine (MRM) is situated approximately 50 km south west of Borroloola in the Northern Territory. The objective of the project is to mine the silver-lead-zinc deposit adjacent to the McArthur River. The ore will be transported by truck along the Carpentaria Highway, through Borroloola, to a barge loading facility at Bing Bong Station situated on the shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria. This report summarises the results of the first 12 months of baseline monitoring and discusses the implications of the mosquito species, their relative numbers, and the spatial and temporal distribution of the mosquito species in the area. The results of a follow up field inspection on 19-20 September 1995 are also presented.

Nhulunbuy is situated in Arnhem Land on the Gove Peninsula, approximately 650 km east of Darwin. It is a mining community of approximately 3,000 people associated with Nabalco Mines. The Nhulunbuy Corporation is responsible for conducting mosquito control operations in the township and has extended this service to the Wallaby Beach area at the mines request. Mosquito control includes a combination of larvicide and adult fogging operations that are conducted by a pest control contractor (Mr Dave Suter). The primary aim of the current survey (20-23 March 1995) by two officers from the MEB was to review the location of the major existing and potential breeding sites of Ae. vigilax and the common banded mosquito Cx. annulirostris by larval survey. Both of these species were vectors in a previous epidemic of epidemic polyarthritis and Barmah Forest virus (Whelan and Hayes, 1992). Additional traps were also set on 22 March 1995 (particularly at Wallaby Beach) to supplement the routine adult monitoring program of that week.

The Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) recently released a parcel of land adjacent to Rosebery and Moulden to become the new urban residential suburb of Bellamack. Further land releases are proposed to create the new suburbs of Johnston, Zuccoli and Mitchell, as part of the Palmerston Eastern Suburbs. These proposed suburbs are potentially exposed to significant levels of pest biting midges. In particular, parts of Bellamack, Mitchell and Zuccoli are located in areas of potentially high biting midge abundance (Liehne 1985), because these suburbs are within 1.5km of tidal mangrove areas of Mitchell Creek, Brooking Creek and the Elizabeth River.