David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday the University of Sydney released a new report on what we know today about the impacts of oil and gas development on human health. We now know a lot. We have incredibly rich evidence from the US, where over 17 million people live near at least one fracking well. What we see in these communities is a long list of harms—more severe asthma in children; higher hospitalisation and death rates due to heart attacks, heart failure and respiratory disease; increased depression and anxiety, especially among the young and pregnant women; higher rates of miscarriage and stillbirth; higher rates of severe birth defects; and increased risk of childhood leukaemia.

The evidence could not be more clear, yet the government is giving $1.5 billion to enable a petrochemical processing facility on Darwin Harbour, just three kilometres from the suburbs of Darwin. It does so knowing that it will open up fracking in the Beetaloo basin, exposing an even greater more remote population to health risks. From the evidence yesterday, it looks like we're paying for new cases of childhood leukaemia—taxpayer money is going to a project that will increase the risk of leukaemia if you live in Darwin. It is time we had an inquiry to look at the evidence and look at what taxpayers are buying for this $1.5 billion investment. We must look at the evidence in the interests of people and future generations. I urge the Labor government to put the future of young people and future generations ahead of short-term profits for the gas industry.