Northern Territory Consolidated Acts Northern Territory Consolidated Acts23. Power of licensee
(1) Subject to subsection (2), an exploration licence authorizes the holder thereof, subject to the law in force in the Territory, and in accordance with the conditions to which the licence is subject -
(a) to enter and re-enter the licence area with such agents, employees, vehicles, vessels, machinery and equipment as may be necessary or expedient for the purpose of exploring for minerals in, on or under the licence area;
(b) to explore for minerals and to carry out such operations and works as are necessary for that purpose on the licence area including digging pits, trenches and holes, and sinking bores and tunnels in, on or under the licence area and ascertaining the quality, quantity or extent of ore or other material by drilling or other methods;
(c) to extract and remove from the licence area for sampling and testing an amount of ore, material or other substance reasonably necessary to determine its mineral bearing quality, or such greater amount as the Secretary, in writing, approves;
(d) subject to the directions of the Minister, to take or divert water from any natural spring, lake, pool or stream situated on or flowing through the licence area and to sink a well or bore on the licence area and take water therefrom and to use the water so taken or diverted for his domestic use and for any purpose in connection with exploring for minerals on the licence area; and
(e) subject to Parts V, VI, VII, XIA and XIB, to obtain an exploration retention licence, mineral lease or mineral claim in respect of the licence area or any part of it.
(2) Where an exploration licence is granted over land in respect of which there is an existing mining tenement, or in respect of which an application for a mining tenement or the renewal of a mining tenement has been lodged, the holder of the exploration licence is not to exercise any of his or her powers by virtue of the licence in relation to the land, holding them in abeyance until the application is refused or the existing mining tenement or the mining tenement granted or renewed under the application ceases to have any effect whatsoever in relation to that land, and nothing in this Act or any other law in force in the Territory is to be taken to permit the holder of the exploration licence to do so until that time.