THE National Farmers Federation has rejected moves by the federal Opposition to extend the federal “Water Trigger” legislation to include environmental protections for shale and tight formation gas projects.
The “Water Trigger” was driven by former Independent MP Tony Windsor and implemented in the previous parliament, under the former Labor government, to deliver federal protections for nationally significant water resources.
Labor Shadow Environment Minister Mark Butler has announced that those powers under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) that cover CSG and large coal mining developments, would be extended to shale and tight formation gas, in an election pledge.
Mr Butler said his party recognised community concern about the extraction of gas from shales and tight formations and a full assessment of those projects, under the broader “Water Trigger”, would come under the EPBC Act with approval from the Minister for Environment and also require the Independent Expert Scientific Committee’s assessment.
But NFF Natural Resources Policy Manager Jack Knowles said the NFF did not support the “Water Trigger in the EPBC Act, saying strong, scientifically-based regulations were required to ensure the sustainability of water resources wasn’t compromised.
Ms Knowles said State and Territory governments had always had that responsibility and “they should do the job and they should do it properly”.
“There is a real need for governments to continue their investment in the important science that underpins the approvals of mining and gas projects,” she said.
Ms Knowles said the NFF had been strong supporters of State and Commonwealth government partnerships in delivering the Bioregional Assessment Program that’s developing scientific knowledge to assist regulators in making decisions about coal mining and CSG developments.
She said since 2012, governments had spent nearly $90 million and thousands of hours of the country’s best scientists to develop up to date datasets and groundwater models so governments can make decisions on mining and gas projects, with the most up to date scientific information.
But that program will finish in the next 12 months she said and there was no plan to ensure these efforts don’t become like yellow pages, “chocking open the doors of the Department of the Environment”.
“All parties - Labor, Liberal, Nationals and Greens don’t seem to care that a better understanding of the science will lead to better outcomes for all,” she said.
“We think that this collaboration should be continued and extended beyond just coal mining and coal seam gas to cover all onshore gas resources.”
Mr Butler said Labor “wholeheartedly” believed it was the federal government’s responsibility to protect Australia’s most precious environmental assets.
“Malcolm Turnbull on the other hand has such little regard for Australia’s environmental values he’s throwing away this responsibility through his policy to delegate matters of national environmental significance to State and local governments,” he said.
But the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association said Labor’s proposal wouldn’t improve environmental protection and would only discourage much-needed investment in developing new gas supplies for Australian industry and consumers.
APPEA Chief Executive Dr Malcolm Roberts said the “Water Trigger” extension was “unnecessary and unjustified”.
“The Water Trigger was a political fix by the Gillard government to secure Tony Windsor’s vote in 2013,” he said.
“There was no regulatory impact assessment and no evidence that State regulation was deficient.
“While adding another layer of costly Commonwealth regulation, the trigger did not add any new scientific assessment or evidence.”
Dr Roberts said it also duplicated State regulation, applied to two industries only and discouraged investment in developing new gas supplies that Australia needed while being opposed by resources sector and NFF.
“The trigger serves no useful purpose – far from being extended, it should be repealed,” he said.
The Australian Conservation Foundation welcomed Labor’s policy saying it was an important step towards ensuring the federal government had the ability to protect water and the communities and landscapes that rely on it when at risk from fracking for shale and tight gas.
Labor has also promised to return water policy to the Department of Environment, and take it out of Agriculture, if elected.