Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present an interim report of the Senate Select Committee on Unconventional Gas Mining, together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee.

Ordered that the report be printed.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

One of the first issues I became aware of as a Queensland senator was the issue of CSG mining and the plight of Queensland families living with the scourge of this foul industry.

Over the last 18 months I have travelled throughout Queensland and other areas of the country affected by CSG mining.

I have seen firsthand the devastation this industry is having on people's lives, their health, their families, their livelihoods, the environment, water, livestock and pets, farms, local businesses and rural and regional communities.

I have met and become friends with Queensland families living with the hell of these gasfields.

I promised them that in my time as a senator I would do everything I could to publicise their plight—to make people aware of how our governments and the resource sector are allowing our people to be completely and utterly decimated by CSG mining.

It is not until you get out to the gasfields that you fully understand what is happening to our people.

They have no rights. They have no rights whatsoever.

Our people cannot say no to mining companies. They are not allowed—and, if they try, they are bullied, harassed, intimidated and threatened and told that they will be taken to the land court if they do not submit to the wishes of the mining company.

In the year 2016, in an age where we are supposed to have basic human rights, governments are allowing mining companies to simply come onto people's land, force them into land access agreements and commence mining on their land.

And what does CSG mining do to their land?

It depletes their land of water, contaminates and poisons what water is left—and completely erodes the value and useability of the land.

The toxic and harmful chemicals used in CSG mining cause health and medical issues.

Landholders not only have no right to say no to mining on their land—they become ill.

Families, including children, living in the Queensland gas fields are encountering nosebleeds, headaches, skin complaints, respiratory issues, heart issues and other medical problems.

Even more concerning, cancer clusters are now starting to appear.

When Queenslanders living in the Chinchilla gas fields go the doctor or a local hospital with medical issues, they are turned away.

They are told that because their health issue is a CSG health related issue they have to call 13 HEALTH.

When they do call 13 HEALTH, they are told to go to a doctor or hospital and the merry-go-round just continues on.

I believe what governments are allowing to happen to the people of Australia living with CSG mining is a form of genocide.

I believe because resource companies are paying political parties so much money in donations that governments are turning a blind eye to the damage being done to our people.

So it will come as no surprise to everyone that I, as the chair of this Senate inquiry, have to submit my own set of recommendations because the major parties including the Nationals—who have hung people of the land out to dry—are compromised due to the power and influence of the mining donors.

My list of recommendations is expansive, but most importantly they are designed to shed light on the injustice that is occurring in our own country, on the filthy corruption that is taking place across governments and the resource sector as both sectors collude to protect and take care of themselves, and on the urgent need for action to be taken to bring people to account.

I believe everyone involved in this filthy business should be held to account for what they are doing to the people and the environment.

Every politician and resource company executive in this country who has defended and stood up for CSG mining should be forced to drink the water and shower in the contaminated water that Queensland families are being forced to live with—for the rest of their lives.

I heard stories during the inquiry of CSG mining companies forcing subcontracting businesses to bury contaminated materials on Queensland family's land—to avoid the expense of treating the toxic products off site.

I heard stories of workers who had died and been severely injured while working for ruthless CSG mining companies—due to the companies cutting corners and putting profits before people and workers.

The challenge our country has in front of us is that the resource sector is donating to the major parties.

It is a powerful sector and it is a big sector.

But I do not underestimate the power of the people. If enough people vote for Independents and microparties in the coming election and future elections, we can bring about some change.

I call on every Australian—regardless of how you vote in the lower house, make sure you vote for the crossbenchers and microparties in the Senate.

Someone has to keep the majors accountable.

Because as we have seen, if no-one is holding them to account, they will continue to engage in and attempt to get away with murder.

In closing I would like to pay my respects to George Bender.

I table the committee's documents and my documents—in honour of George Bender.

He did not die in vain.

I would also like to thank Shay Dougall, the Nothdurfts, the Benders, Joe Hill, Anne Kennedy and many others who have opened up their hearts and their families to me to show me how CSG is impacting their lives.

While I have breath in me, I will keep fighting for you and everyone impacted by CSG mining.

Unfortunately, due to the imminent election, this report is an interim report and does not include a lot of information gathered in the NT.

But I hope it will assist the people of the NT to fight and fight like hell to stop the unconventional gas industry getting a foothold.

Daniel Tapp—keep fighting, mate.

To the staff of the committee, Toni Matulick and your team—you proved to be the most professional, considerate, helpful and efficient people I have dealt with and I sincerely thank you for your support.

To my committee members—I thank you.

While I appreciate you do not share my views and my passion to help people affected by CSG—I should say that certainly Senator Waters does support my passion for this issue—I am grateful for you at least giving me quorum to conduct the public hearings.

Without the hearings people would not have a voice.

I commend this report to the Senate.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have looked at this report. I do not think there is a great deal of merit in it. But what has attracted me to speak—and I am only going to speak very quickly because I know there is a lot of business to occur tonight, and there is not much time left—is that I just dislike the way that the previous speaker continuously attacks the Labor Party and the Liberal Party for accepting donations from miners and then suggests that that is why we come to certain conclusions here.

I just remind the Senate that the chairman of the committee was elected to this parliament on the money of Mr Clive Palmer, and that money of Mr Clive Palmer comes from the mining industry. It comes from the mining industry.

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You have a point of order, Senator Lazarus?

Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What has this got to do with the committee and—

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Do you have a point of order?

Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, relevance. What has Clive Palmer got to do with this—and the fact that I used to be a part of Palmer United?

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just let me seek some advice, please.

Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr Acting Deputy President: I clearly heard Senator Macdonald impugn the character of another senator in this chamber by alleging corruption, money, bribery.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just on the point of order, since we are discussing it—

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Senator Macdonald, on the point of order?

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The chairman, as part of his speech, said that the reason why Liberal and Labor people opposed his recommendations was that they accepted money from the mining industry. I am simply pointing out that the chairman—and, if this is impugning, I cannot understand this—was elected on the money of Mr Clive Palmer. That is an indisputable fact. Mr Palmer is an iron miner. He is a miner. And Senator Lazarus—

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Macdonald, resume your seat.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, sorry.

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order; it is a debating point. Continue, Senator Macdonald.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy President. For Senator Lazarus to accuse the Labor and Liberal parties of having a view on a report because they allegedly got donations from a mining company is the height of hypocrisy when the speaker himself was elected not only on the money of the iron ore industry, which Mr Palmer was involved in, but on the funds from the Queensland nickel industry workers in Townsville. If Senator Lazarus and Senator Lambie had any decency they would refund, to those workers, the money that was hived out of QNI into the Palmer United Party to get him and Senator Lambie elected.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will be very brief, because I understand there are a number of reports to be tabled.

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We Greens were really proud to support the establishment of this select committee into unconventional gas and, indeed, to expand its terms of reference so that it did look at shale and tight gas as well as coal seam gas, thus giving a platform and an ability to consider those issues right across the nation. We support the recommendations in the report and are proud that many of those recommendations endorse Greens bills that we have had before this parliament for many years, including bills to give landholders the right to know, bills to ban fracking and bills to ban donations from fossil fuel companies to political parties.

We will continue to stand with the community and listen to the science about the dangers of coals seam gas, shale gas and tight gas. It is an unnecessary energy source when we have clean-energy alternatives that do not threaten our land, our water, our climate or our communities. This is a big election coming up, and people have a choice between the big parties—who are in bed with the mining and gas companies—or parties like the Greens and other small parties who are, at least, listening to the concerns of the community and standing up to protect the environment.