Preliminary Pages
Foreword
This inquiry has come at a time when Australian governments
and parliaments are dealing with the implications of the growing coal seam gas
(CSG) sector. As noted in this report, the exploration for and extraction of
CSG has increased greatly in recent years. Accompanying this increase has been
considerable community concern about the impact that CSG operations might have
on land and water resources.
Whilst this Bill is not explicitly drafted to single-out
CSG, it is nevertheless clearly designed to increase the regulation of CSG
operations around Australia. As discussed by the report, this would be achieved
by making the Australian Government the ‘consent authority’ for some mining
operations, many CSG projects included.
CSG operations have clearly aroused some valid concerns in
the community, and governments around Australia are currently working together
to improve the quality and uniformity of CSG regulation between different
jurisdictions. The context in which the Bill was originally drafted has
changed, and the regulation of CSG is, in some ways, in a state of flux. On
this basis, the Committee has not made a final judgment on the Bill.
I look forward to seeing the results of current work being
undertaken by Australian governments regarding CSG regulation, and the
Committee will keep a ‘watching brief’ on this issue, and may report back to
the Parliament in future.
Hon Dick Adams MP
Chair
Membership of the Committee
|
Chair |
Hon Dick Adams MP |
|
|
Deputy
Chair |
Mr Alby Schultz MP |
|
|
Members |
Mr Darren Cheeseman MP |
Mr George Christensen MP |
|
|
Mr Tony Crook MP |
Mr Geoff Lyons MP |
|
|
Hon Ian Macfarlane MP* |
Mr Rob Mitchell MP |
|
|
Mr Dan Tehan MP |
|
* Denotes supplementary member, appointed to the Committee
for this inquiry only.
Committee Secretariat
|
Secretary |
Mr David Brunoro |
|
Inquiry
Secretary
Research
Officer |
Mr Thomas Gregory
Mr Nathan Fewkes |
|
Office
Manager
Administrative
Officer |
Mrs Dorota Cooley
Ms Louise Goss |
Terms of reference
On 15 September 2011 the Selection Committee referred the
following bill to the Committee for inquiry and report:
n
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment
(Mining, Petroleum and Water Resources) Bill 2011
The Terms of Reference
were the text of the Bill.
Under Standing Order 222(e), the House is taken to have
adopted Selection Committee reports when they are presented