Council seeks CSG moratorium while concerns heard

Toowoomba Regional Council has called for a moratorium on approving new CSG activities in the local area and stressed the need to closely consider potential subsidence issues. At a meeting this week, the council resolved to provide a submission in response to the Queensland Department of Resources consultation paper 'Coexistence institutions and CSG-induced subsidence management framework'. It will set out expectations including that there will continue to be meaningful engagement with landholders, that priority agricultural land is not negatively affected as a result of CSG extraction and that research-based decisions are made in regard to the potential subsidence issues. The council also calls for concerns about the potential negative impact of CSG activities on the Condamine Alluvium to be considered and mitigated. Related: Spotlight on CSG industry impact on farming land It also resolved to call for a moratorium on new CSG activities in the Toowoomba Regional Council area to allow time for the critical consideration of council’s submissions on the consultation paper. The department is yet to formally receive the motion made by the Toowoomba Regional Council. A spokesperson said the state’s resources sector operated within a coexistence framework which balanced the interests of resource companies and landholders, managed environmental impacts and provided economic benefits to the people of Queensland. "Any resources project must stack up environmentally, socially and financially," they said in a written statement. "The department has released a consultation paper in relation to a proposed framework to manage and mitigate impacts from coal seam gas-induced subsidence. "Since the release of the consultation paper on 27 September 2023, Queensland Government officials have been briefing a range of stakeholders on the proposed framework, including officers from the Toowoomba Regional Council. "So far, five formal responses have been received on the consultation paper.” Toowoomba Mayor Geoff McDonald said TRC had adopted its position after engaging local landholders. “At council’s recent Cecil Plains Community Barbecue and Engagement event, those councillors present received a briefing from a group of concerned landholders about the development of CSG projects in the area, particularly over priority agricultural land," he said. “The group were invited to present as a deputation to council, and this occurred at the ordinary meeting on Tuesday, 24 October, 2023." He said the motions passed on this issue were a direct response to the information presented at the deputation. Cr McDonald said they also aligned with the council's corporate plan 2024-2029, which stated ‘We value our environments, our natural assets, and our rich agricultural land'. “Council encourages the State Government to properly take into consideration submissions from landholders," he said. “This includes landholder views of the impacts of CSG-subsidence to their livelihoods, the sustainability of farming practices on their lands, and their perception of suitable and appropriate remedies and regulatory mechanisms."

Council seeks CSG moratorium while concerns heard

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