Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to ignore the interjections, Mr Acting Deputy President. It is very hard to do so in the case of Senator Cash because of the volume of her voice. I did once call it something else and she got upset, so I will not repeat that.

Senator Sterle interjecting—

I will tell you privately, Senator Sterle. The coal seam gas industry creates jobs and creates opportunities, but, more importantly, both the state of Queensland and the federal government get benefits out of it. The process that Queensland is using to convert the coal seam gas to LNG provides for a much cleaner source of fuel than coal fired power. As I understand, it produces the same amount of heat but does not have the same carbon impact that coal does. In our attempts to reduce our carbon footprint, coal seam gas converted to liquid gas is going to be a very important part of that.

In terms of the role of the federal government, we have been actively involved in the approvals process for all of these developments. They have not happened overnight and they have not happened without the active interest of the federal government, in particular Minister Burke, who has responsibility for this area. Presently, the federal government have certain environmental responsibility if a project or activity has a potential to impact on matters of national environmental significance as defined under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Water Act 2007. Proposals assessed by the Commonwealth have been allowed to proceed only after careful consideration of the potential groundwater impacts. There is a mechanism in place under the two pieces of legislation that I have just mentioned to make an assessment of the environmental impact on groundwater, which is what the federal minister has been doing. Minister Burke has approved three developments, three coal seam gas to LNG gas projects, and has imposed about 300 conditions on those projects. It is a very significant number of conditions, all dealing with applying the environmental responsibilities of the federal government. The aim of those conditions is to ensure and protect the environment and the water resources but, at the same time, to try to progress an industry which we see as being of great benefit in this challenge of changing climates and all the problems we have as a nation and as a world in dealing with the issue of carbon pollution.

The EPBC Act decisions built on 1,200 conditions that the Queensland government imposed, a very good government.