One third of Australia covered by fossil fuel tenements

LOCK the Gate is launching a campaign to coincide with federal election, focusing on mining and gas extraction’s impact on water resources and agriculture.

It commissioned  mapping that reveals 37 per cent of the Australian continent is covered by coal and petroleum tenements and applications, covering 285 million hectares – nearly 13 times the size of Great Britain.

Lock the Gate wants government to reform laws to require mining and gas companies to hold comprehensive environmental insurance against environmental damage.

Landholders and producers need to insure their property and enterprises to cover physical damage from gas and mining to property and for things such as loss of industry accreditation for food-producers, contamination and interruption to water resources.

Queensland parliament recently implemented laws that make resource companies foot the bill to remediate mining and gas operations - even in the event of administration.

The laws, referred to as the "Clive Palmer legislation", came in the wake of Queensland Nickel’s Yabulu nickel refinery in Townsville entering administration while carrying a $100 million environmental clean up bill.

Lock the Gate want the federal government to follow suit and hold an independent inquiry into mine site rehabilitation and legacy mine issues in Australia and beef up requirements for security deposits to cover remediation.

Also on the campaign hit list are community health impacts of mining, which Lock the Gate said need far greater focus from the Commonwealth. 

‘Water trigger’ laws to assess impacts from coal and coal seam gas developments, need to be extended to cover shale and tight gas industries developing in Central Australia.

State/Territory fossil fuel tenements 

(km2), % of total state area