Coal Seam Gas Mining

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John (WA), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) on 27 November 2018, the West Australian Labor Government lifted a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (known as fracking) in all but the Perth, Peel and South-West regions of the state, meaning the practice will now be allowed on existing petroleum titles,

(ii) existing petroleum titles cover 5.1 million hectares of Western Australia, a vast area almost the size of Tasmania, and threaten the ecologically-fragile Kimberley region, the Pilbara and Mid-West,

(iii) the final report of the Independent Scientific Panel Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracture Stimulation in Western Australia 2018, handed down on 26 November 2018, stated: "Western Australia is the only Australian jurisdiction that has experienced a significant increase in GHG emissions since 2000, largely due to the predominance of the State's extractive industries (particularly conventional gas) ...",

(iv) a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that we have just 12 years to halt the worst impacts of climate change and keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5C, and

(v) on 27 November 2018, WA Greens MLC, Mr Robin Chapple, gave notice he would urgently introduce a bill to the Legislative Council to ban fracking in the wake of the WA Labor Government's decision to lift the moratorium; and

(b) condemns the West Australian Government for lifting the moratorium on fracking, and failing to acknowledge that development of this toxic industry will only further worsen the state's ability to mitigate and adapt to the damaging impacts of climate change.