D-DAY looms for the NSW Office of Coal Seam Gas (OCSG), with Metgasco’s case against the suspension of its licence to drill set for October 21 in the Supreme Court.
Metgasco’s licence to drill for gas at Bentley, near Lismore, on the NSW North Coast was suspended by the OCSG over community consultation issues. Metgasco’s operations have languished since the suspension was announced in May.
The company said the suspension was “unlawful and unjustified”, and recently announced it would prefer an out of court settlement, due to its expectation that a hearing could take as long as December to get underway.
A company spokeswoman has confirmed Metgasco will pursue court action if a settlement is not reached before the court date.
So far, the OCSG has declined to provide information to Metgasco detailing the reasons behind the May suspension, or as a brief of evidence for the legal proceedings. But following today’s announcement of the hearing date, the company looked set to pressure the OCSG to provide that information.
In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange, Metgasco said it “believes the request for information is no longer premature because the government has not included the information as part of its own evidence".
“Metgasco is hopeful that it will get a full and complete response without the need to pursue the release of the information formally through the courts.”
In May, when the licence was suspended, Resources and Energy Minister Anthony Roberts said the licence was shelved due to concerns Metgasco had not adequately consulted with the community.
On June 3, Metgasco launched a judicial review – which would be processed by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal - seeking a review of the suspension of its licence to drill.
Mike Foley
Senior journalist for The Land.
Senior journalist for The Land.
