Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Water is a most precious resource. Without water we cannot sustain life on this planet and, as with all natural resources, we have the responsibility of wise stewardship. That is why I rise to speak on the bill before the House. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development) Bill 2012 establishes an Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development as a statutory body.

Coal seam gas has gained significant attention in recent times as farmers, landowners, environmentalists and other members of communities across the nation raise their concerns at potential risks to water tables and aquifers, health risks, the capture of prime agricultural land and the loss of property rights. The prime concern is pollution of water through underground aquifers.

Coal seam gas is a more recent type of mining activity where methane gas is extracted from deep coal deposits. While the technology to extract gas from coal seams has been in existence for decades, it has only been in the last 15 years or so that this type of mining has developed in Australia. The challenge is that coal seams store both gas and water, and they are deep—usually around 700 metres. The extraction methodologies use a process called hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking', and it is this process that has raised concerns within the community.

There are increasing and disturbing reports of aquifers becoming polluted by coal seam gas mining processes. It is quite understandable that everyday Australians are concerned. When we see ordinary Australians, people who have never been involved in protests or the political process before, march in the streets or defy authority by refusing access to properties for the purposes of mining exploration, you know there is an issue that we as parliamentarians need to address. As decision makers we must hear the voices of our communities, and any action that can inform our body of knowledge and advance the wise management of this nation's natural resources is a step in the right direction. The coalition supports an approach that balances protecting the environment, protecting the rights of landholders and the need to protect food security with acknowledging the economic benefits that mining brings to the nation.

The government has allocated $150 million to establish the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development. This committee will provide scientific advice on relevant coal seam gas and large coalmining projects, and commission and fund water resource assessment for priority regions.

The coalition supports the establishment of this committee because it is an additional resource in the development of informed decision making. The committee can, for example, advise on research priorities and provide expert scientific advice to the environment minister or the appropriate state or territory minister on coal seam gas developments or large coalmining development proposals that are likely to have a significant impact on water resources. It can provide advice to the environment minister about bioregional assessments in areas of high potential impact and/or areas of large coalmining development either underway or proposed. It can also provide advice to the environment minister about priority areas in which bioregional assessments should be undertaken or about bioregional assessments commissioned by the minister. In addition, it can provide advice about the priorities for research projects to improve scientific understanding of the impacts of coal seam gas developments and large coalmining developments on water resources. It can also research projects commissioned by the minister in relation to the impacts of coal seam gas developments and large coalmining developments on water resources, and collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate scientific information in relation to the impacts of coal seam gas development and large coalmining development on water resources. Importantly, the committee is accountable and, in general terms, is to make public its advice and findings of all research undertaken.

Section 131AB of the bill provides that the minister must obtain advice from the committee before making a decision to approve the taking of an action, if the action involves coal seam gas development or large coalmining development and the minister believes that taking the action is likely to have a significant impact on water resources and may have an impact on matters of national significance protected under part 3 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The bill to establish the committee goes some way to strengthening the oversight of coal seam gas mining. For our nation's sake, there must be a rigorous process that builds our scientific knowledge and provides expert advice. However, the bill falls short as to the make-up of the committee. We have to ensure that the committee is not hijacked or dominated by sectional interests.

The coalition proposes an amendment to the bill. The amendment ensures the integrity, relevant expertise and independence of the committee. The proposed amendment encompasses that: 'Each member of the committee, except the chair, is to be appointed on the basis that they possess scientific qualifications that the minister considers relevant to the performance of the committee's functions, including but not limited to ecology, geology, hydrology, hydrogeology, natural resource management and health.'

The committee's fundamental purpose is to advise on scientific issues relating to water associated with coal seam mining and coalmining. It is reasonable to propose that the majority of the committee's members have advanced qualifications and expertise in the key fields of geology, hydrogeology or hydrology.

A strong mining industry generates significant economic benefits for Australia, through investments and through jobs and taxes. It is an important industry for providing energy to homes, businesses and to the nation's industries. Water, farming land, the local environment and communities are significant and equally important. In this particular issue, we need to make sure that decision making is scientifically based. It is only in that way that we can have confidence in matters where so much is at stake.

It is vital to our nation's future that prime agricultural land, clean, unpolluted water and mining all have a place in our economy. We need the benefits and jobs that mining can bring. We need to find a way to ensure that the best scientific knowledge is available to inform the decision-making process until we know all the impacts. There has to be and can be a balance, and this bill provides an approach to important decisions that lie ahead. I commend the bill to the House.

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