Greens leader sees coal seam gas concerns firsthand
06 July 2010
During a visit to farmlands near Dalby today, Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown announced that he would be calling for a moratorium on coal seam gas mining and exploration until adequate environmental protections are in place.
Mr Brown met with landholders and representatives from the Basin Sustainability Alliance to see first hand local landholders’ concerns about the unrestrained development of the coal seam gas industry in Queensland.
Wayne Newton, who hosted the meeting at his property at Kupunn, is one of many landholders who has raised concerns about the coal seam gas industry being developed at an alarming rate without correct monitoring and research.
He said it was encouraging to have high profile politicians take a genuine interest in the issue.
“We are currently having briefings with senior staff and politicians from all sides of politics and at local, state and federal levels to ensure that these critical issues are taken seriously.”
He said the Basin Sustainability Alliance had serious concerns about the uncontrolled amount of water being taking out of the Great Artesian Basin.
“It’s so ironic that the coal seam gas industry is growing so rapidly because of the need for our country to be more environmentally responsible and reduce greenhouse gases, and yet developing the industry so rapidly is damaging our environment,” Mr Newton said.
“The Coal Seam Gas industry will potentially extract something like two-thirds of Sydney Harbour out of the Great Artesian Basin every year.
“What people may not realise is that there are about 200,000 people – farmers, business owners and townships – who rely on the Great Artesian Basin.
“Everyone else who accesses groundwater from the Great Artesian Basin must operate under the strict guidelines of the Resource Operations Plan – but the coal seam gas companies are exempt from this,” he said.
“There is no law or government policy to stop the coal seam gas companies from taking out as much water as they like.”
Mr Newton said the Basin Sustainability Alliance also had concerns about the risk of inter-aquifer transfer affecting quantities and quality of water, the management of salty water and brine, environmental safety risks with practices like fracking and the social and economic impacts on landholders and communities.
One of the BSA’s key concerns is the governments’ “make good” provisions which Mr Newton describes as a band aid solution.
“The ‘Make Good’ provision essentially means that if the coal seam gas companies stuff up the water levels they have to fix it up. But what if there is no water left to fix it? We view the make good provisions as extremely inadequate.
“Why wait until it’s broken. Why not get the development right in the first place.”
Mr Newton stressed that the BSA is not anti-mining.
“We recognise that the coal seam gas industry provides benefits to the state, but we must ensure that development is done in a way that we do not destroy water resources for our communities and our chance of producing food and fibre for future generations.”
