Image: Erick Gustafson
The Victorian government has made an Australian-first announcement that it will impose a permanent ban on the exploration and development of all onshore unconventional gas in the state’s jurisdiction, including hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) and coal seam gas.
The practice of drilling for these gases has been an extremely contentious and controversial issue because of the potential environmental impact of extracting these natural resources, which has been known to result in contamination of water, air pollution and increased seismicity, among others.
But after years of debating and political infighting about the practice, the Daniel Andrews Labor government has announced that it will introduce a permanent legislative ban to State Parliament later in 2016.
According to the government, the ban will protect the ‘clean, green’ reputation of Victoria’s agricultural sector, which employs more than 190,000 people, and ‘will provide much-needed certainty to regional communities’.
The government’s decision to impose a state-wide ban on fracking comes as a response to the 2015 Parliamentary Inquiry into Onshore Unconventional Gas in Victoria.
Out of the 1,600 submissions made to the Inquiry, an overwhelming amount were opposed to onshore unconventional gas, leading to a clear sign that people in Victoria aren’t all that enthusiastic about fracking.
‘The Government’s decision is based on the best available evidence and acknowledges that the risks involved outweigh any potential benefits to Victoria,’ a release from the Victorian government said.
The government will make exemptions on the ban, however, which will remain for other types of activities that are not covered by the current moratorium, such as gas storage, carbon storage research and accessing offshore resources.
‘Exploration and development for offshore gas will also continue,’ the government said in a statement.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the state’s farmers produce some of the world’s cleanest and freshest food – “we won’t put that at risk with fracking”.
“Victorians have made it clear that they don’t support fracking and that the health and environmental risks involved outweigh any potential benefits,” Mr Andrews said.
Victorian Minister for Resources Wade Noonan said there has been a great deal of community concern and anxiety about onshore unconventional gas – this decision gets the balance right.
“We have carefully considered the Parliamentary Inquiry’s key findings and recommendations, consulted widely and made our decision on the best available evidence,” Mr Noonan said.
