Senate Inquiry on Unconventional Gas Mining in Australia

What are your thoughts? What is your experience of the Unconventional Gas Industry?

In November 2015, the Senate established a Select Committee on Unconventional Gas Mining. The Committee is responsible for conducting a review and questioning “the adequacy of Australia’s legislative, regulatory and policy framework with respect to unconventional gas mining including coal seam gas (CSG) and shale gas mining”. 

The Committee is calling for landholders, community members and interested parties to make a submission by 14 March 2016. The Committee will then prepare and provide a final report to the Senate on or before 30 June 2016.

Your thoughts and what to submit

Submissions may be made with respect (but not limited) to the following:- 

1. the social, health, environmental, agricultural and economic impacts of unconventional gas mining; 
2. the current laws and regulatory frameworks and whether they protect your water resources and rights as a Landholder; 
3. compensation and insurance agreements that you have with gas companies; 
4. the current taxation agreements in relation to unconventional gas mining; and, 
5. the establishment of a national approach to the conduct of unconventional gas mining. 

Making a Submission

If you plan to make a submission, we encourage you to include the following on your submission:- 

1. Your contact details and whether you would like your submission to remain confidential or be made publicly available; 
2. Who you are, what your connection to the unconventional gas mining is and why you are making a submission; and, 
3. Your thoughts and any information that you have with reference to the above points and the Terms of Reference. 

To access the Terms of Reference, to gain additional information on the Senate Inquiry and Select Committee on Unconventional Gas Mining or to lodge your submission, please see:-http://www.aph.gov.au/Home/Parliamentary%20Business/Committees/Senate/Gasmining/Gasmining.

The Mining, Rural and Gas Team at Rees R & Sydney Jones are preparing a submission to the Select Committee on Unconventional Gas Mining. If you would like help in making your submission, we would be happy to assist. 

Please call Mining and Gas lawyer Melanie Findlay or one of our other Mining and Gas Lawyers at Rees R & Sydney Jones.

Gates being left open?

This video showed up in our Landowner Lawyer's newsfeed and it was too good not to share - definitely, one way to make sure resource companies close your gates!

SIGN HERE: Petition to the Turnbull Government to Establish a Royal Commission into the Human Impact of CSG Mining

Senator for Queensland, Glen Lazarus is seeking public support to call on the Turnbull Government to establish a Royal Commission into the Human Impact of CSG mining.

In relation to coal seam gas mining (CSG) in Queensland, Senator Lazarus has expressed that "the resource sector is an important industry for Australia, but as a country, we can not allow the health of our people to be compromised" and that "all levels of Government have let the people of Australia down allowing the unfettered growth of an industry which is known to be harmful to the environment, human health, communities and ultimately our future."*

To show your support for establishing a Royal Commission, you may like to sign the petition at the following link:- https://www.change.org/p/the-abbott-government-establish-a-royal-commission-into-the-human-impact-of-csg-mining

For more information on Senator Lazarus's stance on CSG mining and what he is campaigning for, see the following link:- http://senatorlazarus.com/csg-inquiry/.

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*Senator Glen Lazarus, 'Establish a Royal Commission into the Human Impact of CSG mining' <https://www.change.org/p/the-abbott-government-establish-a-royal-commission-into-the-human-impact-of-csg-mining>.

Solar Projects: The Prospecting Race & ARENA Funding

UPDATE: The Solar Race

The “solar prospecting race” is continuing to heat up with in Central Queensland. Farmers and landowners are being approached by solar and renewable energy companies interested in building large-scale solar farms on their land.

Solar Projects – On-farm Income

Solar projects and farms are an opportunity for farmers and landowners to earn a different form of “on-farm” income. In addition to directly benefiting the farmers and landowners, solar projects and farms can have a wider impact on rural communities in Queensland. These projects offer a relatively reliable energy source and create job opportunities during the construction of the solar farm.

Australian Renewable Energy Agency

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has recently announced that 10 large-scale solar projects in Queensland have been selected to proceed from the proposal stage to the full application stage. The projects selected are able to bid to secure Federal Government funding. A full list of these solar projects can be found on the ARENA website.

The Federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt has said “the shortlisted proposals were chosen from a very strong field, demonstrating Australia is ready to invest in utility-scale renewable energy options suited to the 21st century”.

If Federal Government funding is received by solar and renewable energy companies, we are set to see large-scale solar projects located in Dalby, Proserpine, Oakey, Hughenden, Longreach, Baralaba and Ipswich.

If you have been approached by a solar or renewable energy company or have questions about the potential opportunities, including the use of your property for clean energy or renewable projects, our Rural, Mining and Gas Agribusiness Team can help.

Please contact either Melanie Findlay or Emma Kime of Rees R & Sydney Jones for further information. 

You may also be interested in reading other articles written by Melanie Findlay such as Solar Farm Opportunities for Landowners.

Tips on Measuring Bore Levels

Emma Kime from our Agribusiness Rural Law Team found this instructional video online for Landowners. Here are some tips in regard to measuring the standing water level in your bores. 

The more information you have in regard to the status of your bore before any mining or gas activities the better. Especially if there is an argument later on about any Make Good requirements.

The Rees R & Sydney Jones Agribusiness Rural Law Team, is lead by Partner Melanie Findlay and can be contacted on 07 4927 6333 or via email at enquire@reesjones.com.au 

What's all this Paris stuff?

Last year COP21 occurred in Paris. The 196 Parties agree to the terms of an Agreement which is to be signed in New York in April this year. If it gets signed the parties to the Agreement will be required to action their goals that were set at the Paris conference. Australia promised to reduce GHG emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030. We promised to do this using the Emissions Reduction Fund which purchases emission reduction credits and we also promised to increase our Renewable Energy Target to 23% by 2020. 

What this will mean for our agricultural clients is that there are new investments in reforestation projects and forestry offsets. Carbon projects could become tradable internationally and so projects through the Emissions Reduction Fund will become popular. Landowners can benefit from approved method projects like Beef Herd Management, sequestering carbon in soils in grazing, feeding nitrates to cattle, avoiding clearing of native regrowth and Savanna fire management projects just to name a few. Perform these in accordance with the rules and credits or money could be earnt.

The signals are that reliance on fossils fuels will reduce (these can still be offset using sinks, CCS etc) and there will be an accelerated growth in clean energy and renewables. ARENA for example funded over $22M towards the Barcaldine Community Solar Farm. Some projects like this could be located on private land and agreements reached with private companies who wish to construct these renewable projects.

Grazing may still be grazing, but what if you just grazed a little differently and were paid to reduce your GHG omissions or the GHG omissions of some other polluter in another country?”

Uncertainty over Rockhampton’s Beef Loop Road

In 2011 planning and studies were done in regard to the Fitzroy River Floodplain and Road Planning Strategy (the Rockhampton Ring Road or Rockhampton By-Pass). The idea was to push trucks away from the centre of town via a bridge over the Fitzroy at Pink Lilly and around town rather than traffic going through town. Stage 4 of the plan included the third bridge.  No funding announcements or any construction date has been provided. 

There is now a renewed push for a connection to allow larger trucks to connect the new bridge to Lakes Creek Road so as to provide a better route for beef trucks to access the meatworks.

Although the projects would have great benefits for the cattle industry, landowners in the vicinity of the proposed routes are left in limbo waiting for movement. It is difficult for people in this position to decide whether or not to sell their properties, to improve them or to attend meetings with government departments. Compensation discussions can be intimidating and emotional. There are very few things as daunting on a person as the possibility of losing their home or property. The plans do include the resumptions or the taking of land and houses and some other properties for ramps for example. 

You are entitled to receive your reasonable legal fees reimbursed to you if your land is resumed or your land is taken by a government department. You are also entitled under the law to receive an advanced payment once you have lodged a claim to assist you to move and carry on with your life. If you are approached by any government department or council about the taking of your land for any purpose it is important to seek legal advice at an early stage so that you can make informed decisions about moving on or achieving the best result possible. 

Melanie Findlay is a Partner in the Rural, Mining & Gas Division of local law firm Rees R & Sydney Jones.