Back in 2008 there were major concerns by farmers re Access Agreements, FIFO workers, Environmental Damage, QGC Running rough shod over Farmers in the Surat Coal Basin aka The Darling Downs. Some four years later we were fully aware of what was happening.
The 1800 number on the sign above is not available even if there was an emergency.
From Hansard -
Tuesday, 25 November 2008 - Page: 11338Link to Hansard Page Mr BRUCE SCOTT (10:36 PM) —I rise to talk about the Surat coal basin, which lies largely in my electorate of Maranoa and floats up into the edge of the electorate of Flynn. I want to talk about a forum that was held in my electorate last week in the town of Dalby, that was organised by the Deputy Premier, Paul Lucas. I think that in a large part the Deputy Premier was responding not only to the calls of organisations such as AgForce and to those of local mayors but also to the forum that I held and had invited the Deputy Premier and Minister Wilson to in July this year.
Some of the concerns that landholders have in relation to the development of the coal seam methane gas and the coal industry—the mining exploration for coal in the Surat coal basin—are the issues of access to their land and, if there are resources below the soil, how those resources will be accessed. Quite apart from that, there are large environmental issues that many landholders are still concerned about. The Deputy Premier, Paul Lucas, did come to the forum. He addressed the meeting, as did the local mayor. He was welcomed in a very cordial manner, as were all the attendees at the forum, many of whom were perhaps not invited but turned up because of the real concern in our community with regard to the access arrangements to the coal seam methane and the resources below the soil, mainly coal.
The Deputy Premier did announce some changes that he would bring forward in relation to the access arrangements, including a code of practice. This is long overdue, but it will certainly make a difference in relation to negotiations between mining and gas companies and the landholders. Up until the last month it has in many ways been a bit ‘Rafferty’s rules’. There has been angst in the community. There has been a lot of anger expressed to my office and to me, and at meetings that have been organised by AgForce and other community groups there has also been real anger. It did appear to me that a lot of the companies felt that they had a divine right to go onto people’s land and that they had primacy over the title deed holders.
Whilst they might have a right to the mining of the resources below the soil, they certainly need to do a lot more in public relations and dealing with people’s property, particularly in relation to access arrangements when people are trying to conduct a business on that land and also in relation to any possible compensation that those landholders could gain from a negotiated outcome between the coal seam methane gas company and the landholder. So I look forward to seeing the results of that code of practice and I hope it will go a long way towards easing some of the confusion and anger that has been in the community.
The day before the forum I attended the Queensland Gas and Sunshine Gas installation just south of Chinchilla, which is now being taken over by British Gas. It is interesting. The CEO of British Gas was out here to meet with the workers and to look at the plans for the development of that coal seam methane gas south of Chinchilla. Their proposal is to prove up enough gas, take it to Gladstone and convert it to LNG for export. That is going to be a terribly important resource for the whole nation. It is interesting that British Gas are now a capitalised company on the publicly listed stock exchange in London and are actually worth more than BHP. That will give you some idea of this global company that has come into my electorate and has made a friendly takeover of Queensland Gas and Sunshine Gas.
One of the important aspects of the coal seam methane operation at that installation just south of Chinchilla is that the people who work in that industry are local people. They are people who live in the towns of Wallumbilla, Surat, Chinchilla, Miles and Roma. They are not fly in, fly out, so some of the wealth that is coming from below the soil is, through those wages and salaries, being felt and a benefit is coming to our local communities. I do not have time tonight, but I will return to talk about global food security and the issue of prime agricultural land. (Time expired)
FURTHER ON
HANSARD - Tuesday, 26 October 2010 - Page: 1642
Mr BUCHHOLZ (9:50 PM) —I rise in the House to draw the attention of my colleagues to some matters which affect my electorate. I note that I have received advice from the Queensland Farmers’ Federation and wish to acknowledge their contribution in this speech. The minister has recently announced approvals for liquefied natural gas facilities at Gladstone. This is the downstream outlet for the coal seam gas which will be extracted from my electorate of Wright and other electorates in regional Queensland. This decision will likely trigger other coal seam gas projects throughout the Surat Basin. The rapid expansion of the industry is outpacing science and frightening landowners on whom the properties and the well heads are being constructed. While the agricultural industry does not wish to stand against developments that support a diverse economy, concerns remain about the slow planning process surrounding coal seam gas, particularly in light of the myriad scientific details that remain still under debate.
Just last week, AgForce and other groups called for a moratorium on coal seam gas. The Queensland Farmers’ Federation raised the prospect of a moratorium six months ago, indicating there was a strong argument for government to adopt precautionary principles with coal seam gas development, given the government has been willing to quickly do this for other areas of state planning. The farming and rural interests want a fair policy for strategic cropping land in Queensland. Without appropriate safeguards there is potential for damage to farmland, underground water, and the environment. The risk is now heightened following the approvals for the liquid gas facility at Gladstone.
These concerns were exacerbated early last week with reports that testing in eight exploratory wells near Miles had revealed traces of BTEX chemicals—that is, benzene, toluene, ethylene and xylene. While these traces were small, it demonstrates the importance of protecting agricultural land and rural residents who rely on underground water for stock and domestic consumption. Repressurisation and connectivity of underground reserves cannot be guaranteed but need to be taken seriously.
We do not want to see a repeat of the proposed Murray-Darling Basin plan. The water minister has indicated in this place that he has ordered a review of the Water Act legislation in relation to the Murray-Darling overview and I would urge him to widen that review to include the impact of coal seam gas on regional Queensland’s underground water resources. We need to know whether the Water Act can actually deliver on the triple bottom line aspirations that good policy would require.
It seems curious that at the very time the minister has approved the coal seam gas projects we have also seen the launch of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, which I will refer to as the alliance. As I said in my maiden speech, my electorate contains some of the most productive agricultural land in Australia—the Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim districts. Given its close proximity to major markets, this farmland represents a strategic resource which goes to the heart of our food security.
The alliance has been launched with a view to cementing Queensland’s position as an international leader in tropical and subtropical agriculture and food research. The alliance is a new institute of the University of Queensland, which runs its Gatton campus in my electorate. We need to know whether the minister’s approval for coal seam gas projects has taken this initiative into account. Under the alliance, plant, animal and food scientists will work together to develop new technologies and practices to benefit these important industries.
It is hoped that the alliance will strengthen Queensland’s collective capacity to deliver high-impact research and development outcomes in areas that will not only benefit Queensland industries, but will also put Queensland on the map as a world leader in tropical and subtropical agriculture and food research. The range of research to be undertaken at the alliance is extensive and highly industry focused The outcomes are expected to return millions of dollars to Queensland agriculture and food industries in the future. Therefore, I urge the minister to take these matters seriously and provide some assurance to my electors that their interests are being considered. In summary, I would urge the minister to widen the review of the Water Act legislation in relation to the Murray-Darling overview to include the impact of coal seam gas on regional Queensland’s underground water resources.
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