On 25 March 2024, the Senate referred an inquiry into Glencore’s proposed carbon capture and storage project for inquiry and report by 1 May 2024, with  the following terms of reference:

On 4 April 2024, the committee presented a progress report requesting an extension until 2 July 2024. 

The closing date for submissions is 2 May 2024.

The implications of Glencore’s proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) project by its subsidiary, Carbon Transport and Storage Corporation (CTSCo), in the Great Artesian Basin, with particular reference to:

(a) the environmental impact assessment process and the adequacy of the project’s approval by federal and state regulatory bodies, including the decision not to classify the project as a controlled action under national environment law;

(b)  the potential risks and impacts of the project on the groundwater quality within the Great Artesian Basin, especially concerning the findings related to the dification of groundwater and mobilisation of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic;

(c) the scientific basis and transparency of the data supporting the project’s safety claims, including the robustness of fieldwork, data, and analysis presented by CTSCo and critiques by independent hydrogeologists and aqueous geochemists;

(d) the potential socioeconomic impacts on agriculture and regional communities, relying on the Great Artesian Basin for water, including an assessment of the project’s impact on existing and future water use rights;

(e) the consultation processes undertaken with stakeholders, including farmers, Indigenous landholders, environmental groups, and the broader public, and the adequacy of these processes in addressing stakeholder concerns;

(f) the potential precedent set by allowing CCS projects within the Great Artesian Basin and its implications for future projects, considering Australia’s strategic interests in preserving its largest groundwater system;

(g) the role of CCS technology in Australia’s broader climate change mitigation strategy, including an evaluation of its efficacy, risks and alternatives; and

(h) any other related matters.