The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) regards the Select Committee on Unconventional Gas Mining as an opportunity to place on the public record a comprehensive response to the numerous claims””factual and otherwise””made about unconventional gas.
APPEA’s views can be summarised as:
- Natural gas is an essential commodity for modern Australia. Natural gas is needed for power generation and is an indispensable feedstock for manufactured products such as fertilisers, plastics and chemicals.
- Gas demand in eastern Australia will continue to be strong and will increasingly need to be supplied from unconventional sources such as coal seam and shale gas.
- The technology used to extract unconventional gas has been widely used for decades.
- Experience in Australia and overseas, as well as independent assessments by leading expert bodies such as the CSIRO, the Australian Council of Learned Academies and the Royal Society, confirm that, properly regulated, unconventional gas developments do not threaten the environment or public health.
- The economic benefits to Australia and regional communities are significant and lasting. The industry generates highly skilled jobs, export dollars, and government revenue.
- Gas developments need not compete with other land uses. The industry’s footprint is relatively small and the industry is successfully coexisting with a variety of other activities including intensive cropping, grazing, and organic farming.
You can read APPEA’s full submission here.