Public concern over toxic leaks from gas plants near urban hubs has prompted new territory laws to boost air pollution monitoring, paid for by industry.
Northern Territory Environment Minister Josh Burgoyne has announced legislation to deliver monitoring of specific industrial pollutants in Darwin, Palmerston and surrounds.
The monitoring will be paid for by industry and the pollution data will be publicly available online, he told reporters in Darwin on Monday.
The proposed laws will be introduced later in 2026 and follow public concern over the under-reporting of emissions by gas giant INPEX at its Ichthys LNG plant on Darwin Harbour.
An assessment released in March by the NT's chief health officer found levels of benzene and toluene - volatile organic compounds linked to health risks - emitted from the Ichthys plant were within acceptable guidelines.
Current air-pollution monitoring only measures a limited range of common air pollutants focused on emissions from transport, dust and bushfire smoke.
The new laws would ensure that large emitters would be monitored, including for volatile organic compounds previously not measured, Mr Burgoyne said.
"We are ensuring that now and into the future, the air that Territorians breathe is safe to do so.
"Now we will have the certainty of the air quality monitoring which will be funded by industry," Mr Burgoyne said.
The territory could continue to grow the gas industry in a safe manner with "peace of mind", he said.
Upgrading the air pollution monitoring was estimated to cost $2 million, with the ongoing cost to industry being about $400,000 a year, the minister said.
The air monitoring plan has been welcomed by Paul Vogel, the chair of the NT's Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
''An expanded network measuring an increased array of air pollutants will provide the community with much greater confidence that their health is protected from air pollution," he said in a statement.
The Environment Centre NT has urged the EPA to hold a public inquiry into the operations of two gas giants on Darwin Harbour.
The centre's executive director, Kirsty Howey, has highlighted widespread community concern about under-reporting of cancer-causing chemicals by INPEX and two decades of methane leaks by gas giant Santos.
INPEX said in October it had identified "unintentional errors" in the way emissions from its Ichthys LNG plant were calculated.
