Appendix 3


Appendix 3

List of recent inquiries and reviews into matters related to unconventional gas

The following is a non-exhaustive list of parliamentary and government-initiated reports that have considered issues related to unconventional gas.

  • Commonwealth:
  • Senate Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee, Management of the Murray Darling Basin Interim report: the impact of mining coal seam gas on the management of the Murray Darling Basin (2011).
  • Standing Council on Energy and Resources (now COAG Energy Council), National Harmonised Regulatory Framework for Natural Gas from Coal Seams (2013).
  • Productivity Commission, Mineral and Energy Resource Exploration (2014).
  • Senate Select Committee into Certain Aspects of Queensland Government Administration related to Commonwealth Government Affairs (2015).
  • New South Wales:
  • A committee of the Legislative Council conducted an inquiry into coal seam gas in 2011–2012.[1]
  • Between 2013 and 2014, the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Professor Mary O'Kane, conducted an independent review of CSG activities in NSW.[2]
  • In 2014, after being commissioned by the NSW Government to do so, Mr Bret Walker SC completed an independent review of the process for arbitrating land access arrangements for mining and petroleum exploration.[3]
  • Victoria:
  • In May 2015, the Legislative Council referred an inquiry into unconventional gas in Victoria to its Environment and Planning Committee. The final report is due by 1 December 2015.
  • The Victorian Government advised the committee that a parliamentary inquiry into onshore unconventional gas will be conducted in 2015.
  • In 2013, the Hon Peter Reith AM chaired a Victorian Gas Market Taskforce inquiry that considered gas supply issues.[4]
  • In May 2012, the Victorian Parliament's Joint Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee completed an inquiry into greenfields mineral exploration and project development in Victoria.[5]
  • Queensland—the Queensland Competition Authority has reviewed the regulation of the CSG industry, with its final report provided to the Queensland government in January 2014.[6]
  • Western Australia—the Legislative Council's Environment and Public Affairs Committee has been conducting an inquiry since August 2013 into the implications for Western Australia of hydraulic fracturing for unconventional gas.[7]
  • South Australia—the House of Assembly Natural Resources Committee is conducting an inquiry into the potential risks and impacts in the use of fracking to produce gas in the south-east of South Australia.[8]
  • Tasmania—the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment completed a review of hydraulic fracturing in Tasmania in 2015.[9]
  • Northern Territory—in March 2014, the Northern Territory Government appointed Dr Allan Hawke AC to conduct an inquiry into hydraulic fracturing. The report was released in February 2015.[10]

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