Coal Seam Gas

Overview

In Queensland, the industry is partly regulated under the Minerals Resources Act 1989and partly under the Petroleum and Gas (Safety) Act 2004. Large CSG projects may be designated ‘state significant' in which case a streamlined and very favourable assessment process will apply under the Queensland State Development and Public Works Organisations Act 1971.

Prior to 2004 Coal Seam Gas mining was under the jurisdiction of the Petroleum Act of Qld 1923.

Latest developments

07 Dec 11 Drew Hutton fined in Dalby after being charged with obstructing a coal seam gas company without reasonable excuse, under section 805 of the Queensland Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act, which carries a maximum $50,000 penalty.

30 Nov 11 Govt appoints five (5) Person panel to report to government in Feb 2012 land access

29 Nov 11 Gov’t proposes changes, contained in the Resources Legislation (Balance, Certainty and Efficiency) Amendment Bill 2011 – buffer zone of 2km urban areas.

23 Nov 11 Mining to subsidise “From Mines to Minds: A proposal to establish a Queensland Education Trust”

27 Oct 11 Brisbane gas Short Term Trading Market (STTM) is set to start from December 1

18 Oct 11 Cougar Energy suing Qld gov’t & 3 senior public servants.

17 Oct 11 Arrow Energy will continue to explore in the Hillsborough Basin in the Whitsunday region in northern Queensland, despite finding little gas from the four holes it's drilled.

15 Sept 11 Qld Labor Govt announces a levy on CSG companies that will fund the Queensland Water Commission’s management of groundwater resources and has given the public until 14 October to respond.

August 2011 Gladstone Housing Quarterly report

Suggested issues arising from current legislative (poor environmental/social protections)

  • long term impacts on farming communities, groundwater, food security, climate change, the Great Barrier Reef, Wild Rivers, 

 

Qld Greens’ position

see policy: responsible mining and coal seam gas development + energy and climate change policy

www.qld.greens.org.au/policies/responsible-mining-and-coal-seam-gas-development

www.qld.greens.org.au/policies/climate-change-and-energy

Summary position

  • a moratorium on new CSG approvals
  • precautionary approach based on rigorous scientific research.
  • concerned about long term impacts of the industry on our groundwater, food security, rural communities, threatened species, the Great Barrier Reef, Wild Rivers and the climate

 

Qld Greens recommended legislative changes are

  • To include coal seam gas development in the provisions of the Wild Rivers Act to prevent exploration and development of CSG in areas that are currently protected by Wild Rivers Act.
  • To ensure that the coal seam gas industry is subject to the same usage restrictions and compliance mechanisms under the Water Act.
  • To ensure that mining and coal seam gas developments are subjected to the Vegetation Management Act. 
  • To ensure that no mining or gas field developments take place on agricultural or grazing lands, rural residential estates and townships, in sensitive environmental areas or where it will harm groundwater or the Great Artesian Basin. 
  • To halt construction of coal ports and LNG expansions which require massive dredging and are situated along the narrow coastal plain of the Great Barrier Reef or Dugong Sanctuary waters.
  • Give greater rights to landholders with regard to access, negotiation, appeal and compensation rights in their dealings with resource companies
  • Amend the Environmental Protection Act 1994 and the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 Mining Act so that mining activities are not exempt from the state’s existing water, vegetation management and pollution laws

 

Old parties’ position

Both support  expansion of coal and gas industries  tempered by “strategic cropping land” proposed legislation.  This is an attempt to  minimise  dissent from farming communities where coal and gas exploration and production is taking place.

ALP: Labor policy is all the policy/prodecures that are on the DERM/DEEDI and various government websites concerning CSG. Bligh government announced several "compromises" to their expansion and wholesale permit to explore with "strategic cropping" and 2km exclusion zones for town populations over 1,000 people.

LNP: Have released both a coal seam gas and agricultural policy discussion paper that deals with conflicting competing land uses.  The LNP have proposed to set up a “gas fields land and water” Commission to manage the co-existence of rural landholders, regional communities and the CSG industry.  The policy shows a lack of understanding about water use, aquifers, and extraction process, salinity and salt waste, and the cumulative impacts. In order to try to look like they are protecting water they LNP have announced a proposal to establish an equivalent to the Water Commission to monitor coal seam gas development on the Darling Downs.

Other Parties

K Australia Party: make good bond, royalties for regions program, restore property rights, protecting the Great Artesian Basin and no underground combustion are the cornerstones of policy. Further policy development with further consultion.

last updated 07 Dec 2011