Meeting to clear the air

By Danielle Galvin
A SERIES of community information sessions about the exploration and mining for minerals and gas will be held across regional Victoria but the shire has been snubbed.
Last week, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) announced it would host sessions in early August in Sale, Wonthaggi, Leongatha and Bacchus Marsh.
DPI’s Executive Director of Earth Resources Regulation Doug Sceney said the sessions would give residents a chance to speak directly to regulators and policy experts about the regulatory process.
“DPI recognises there is strong community interest in finding out more about these issues and that, as regulator, we need to engage with local residents, landholders and other stakeholders,” he said.
But Cam Walker, the campaigns manager from Friends of the Earth, said there was still a lack of information about the exploration licences active in West Gippsland, including two exploration licences heading towards Warragul.
“In the Otways, the local council got active which is why the DPI held a community information session there to set the record straight, as they saw it,” he said.
“In West Gippsland, the community campaign has quietened down from earlier this year.
“That’s probably why the DPI is holding a session in Sale because there are a range of projects being proposed there, with a huge outcry from the community.
“It’s good that the DPI are sharing that information, however, they will always have to run a government line – it’s important that communities also seek independent advice.”
Gerald Leach, the Victorian Farmers Federation Land Management Chair, said the VFF was also conducting meetings on the same days in Sale and Wonthaggi.
“What we are trying to do is to provide information to our members as to what their rights are,” he said.
“We will be making booklets available to people on the day.
“Part of the problems in relation to mining is that people are unaware of what their rights are as landholders – miners can’t just come onto their land and start drilling.”
Mr Leach said that often landholders were unaware of the regulatory framework.
“The other issue is that, particularly with coal seam gas, there are important environmental issues,” he said.
“For example, under the Mineral Resources Act, the miners have to put up a bond and they have to rehabilitate the land back to its original agricultural production.
“With coal seam gas, there is a new dimension because up until now, with mining in Victoria, the impact tended to be specific to the property on which the mining was occurring, now it’s quite easy to have off-site impacts.”
Mr Walker said that the organisation had attended community meetings in the area earlier this year and had also worked with communities in Queensland.
“If the companies aren’t being transparent or communicating their intentions – it is understandable that the level of fear will continue to grow and that’s to be expected,” he said.
“We’ve been working in Queensland and what we’ve seen there is that the coal seam industry is a mitigated disaster.”
A spokesperson for the DPI said the current sessions in Gippsland and Bacchus Marsh were planned in response to a high level of community interest in relation to some exploration proposals in those areas.
“DPI will continue to respond to requests for advice and information wherever possible,” the spokesperson said.
“Department planning for further information sessions will take into account feedback from the current round and the degree of interest from other communities.”