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Insight: Sept 20

Next week Insight looks at what happens when coal seam gas mining comes to town.

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Next week Insight looks at what happens when coal seam gas mining comes to town. Jenny Brockie hosts a forum of local interests from the Queensland region of Chinchilla-Dalby where CSG mining has operated for many years.

But the guest list sounds like industry representatives may have been a bit shy in participating.

There have been a lot of headlines about the CSG industry, with fiery town hall meetings and protests in places where new mines are planned.

Insight investigates whether the fear is founded and asks whether some people are in fact welcoming the industry to their communities.

Insight focuses on the Queensland region of Chinchilla-Dalby, where CSG mining has operated for many years, to look at the impacts – whether environmental, social or financial.

Real estate agents, hotels, butchers, hairdressers and residents can’t agree on whether the boom is good for their town. Farmers are also divided, with some worried that extracting the gas will contaminate their land and use too much precious water. But others report no problems and say they are doing well out of the gas rush.

Industry representatives say coal seam gas mining is safe. But some farmers and residents want more evidence, and are pushing for greater regulation and monitoring.

Ray Brown, the mayor of the Western Downs Regional Council. He says although coal seam gas mining has brought its challenges, “it’s also brought our future” in terms of jobs. Ray believes some fertile agricultural land should be protected, even though there are not many mines on food-producing land.

Kel Gaske, the President of the Chinchilla Rugby League Football Club, sponsored by coal seam gas company QGC. Kel is happy that the gas companies support the local teams and club. However, he believes the club has lost volunteers because many people are now forced to work two jobs to cover rental increases caused by the gas boom. Kel says Origin Energy is planning to put two coal seam gas wells on his property.

Megan Baker, a cereal crops, beef and lamb farmer in Dalby. There are coal seam gas wells on her family’s farm. Megan says she’s unhappy about the way the gas company has treated her family and their land.

Gordon Allen, a cattle farmer in the Cecil Plains who is satisfied with the coal seam  gas mines on his property, and says he and his land have been treated well. Gordon works on the Baker farm and is friends with Megan and her husband David.

Gavin Mudd, a senior lecturer with the Department of Civil Engineering at Monash University. Gavin has done comparison studies between coal seam gas mining in Australia and Wyoming in the United States. He wants long term monitoring of ground water in order to be able to assess the impact of coal seam gas mining on aquifers.

Tuesday at 7.30pm on SBS ONE.

2 Responses

  1. It’s all big money, and those who reap the rewards of the short -to- medium term financial gains do not care about the longer term impacts to the environmental problems that may or may not follow in these rural areas? We should have much greater independent research and information on the impacts of the fracking proces and CSG extraction? We should be seeking the truth and then making the decision on this basis, we should be proceeding cautiously, the problem is if these companies can’t extract the CSG via fracking (the cheapest alternative for them…. then they whine it is too expensive… and they threaten to pull out)…. This is big industry and they want to make as much money as possible, stuff the farmers and the environment!! These energy companies are not held accountable by our governments -local or federal !!! The concerned farmers, the smaller landholders and the environmentally concerned do not have a strong enough voice (or deep enough pockets) to win against the multi billion dollar petroleum and mining companies. Why doesn’t the australian public care about what is happening out in the bush….. because everyone is worried about the Australian economy… they know we are riding the wave of the resources boom….. the regional areas are also enjoying the boom…… but can someone please think about the longer term impacts… this resources boom wont last forever ! the environmental imapcts will! The Australian public needs to make more noise….. and Demand action and social and environmental responsibility at all levels of government.

  2. I love watching all the CSG commercials on TV. It makes you wonder why they are trying so hard to convince us that its clean and costs less than coal. Does this mean the science is settled? I’ve often wondered why no one in Federal govt talks about CSG in detail? Even Milne and sometimes Joyce rant about it then they shut up? People that embrace this unregulated practice obviously benefit somehow…could it be financially? Gee I wonder. The Carbon tax wont save the “future generations” If you find out you are indeed poisoning your water table. CSG battles are happening all over the globe…why is Australia just rolling over on this issue? Why does everybody trust the govt so much?

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