The enormity of the role for the GasFields Commission crystallised more for me these past months. The expansion of the coal seam gas to liquefied natural gas industry is the biggest industrial impact regional Queensland has ever experienced, and with it comes many challenges and opportunities. The commission's objective - to improve coexistence and sustainability between rural landholders, regional communities and the onshore gas industry in Queensland - is a significantly larger scope than what I had previously worked on with the Surat Basin CSG Engagement Group. The commission itself has been met with high expectations from regional communities and government, and I relish meeting this challenge.
There is one question I have heard more than most in the past six months: 'Where is my region going to be in five or 20 years?' This question is one I plan to have the commission unpick, and at every chance maximise the opportunities for regional Queensland from the CSG industry and minimise its potential negative impacts and uncertainty.
In Queensland, we have always had two major uses of our land. We have the top of the land, which through freehold and leasehold tenures people cultivate, occupy and otherwise use.
Then we have the Mineral Resources Act 1989, and the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004, which give resource companies the opportunity to extract the resources underneath - resources owned by the state and its taxpayers. Both land uses contribute to our food, fibre and energy needs, plus the prosperity of our overall economy, so coexisting in an acceptable way is important.
The commission has worked hard to build trust with landowners and regional communities this year and progress solutions for pressing problems.
We've gotten CSG company senior executives out on the ground to hear coexistence issues and impacts directly from landholders. Touring the Wooleebee Creek section of QGC's gas collection header pipeline with managing director Derek Fisher is one example that comes to mind, and since that visit there has been some progress with construction.
I know the State Government's selection of commissioners Don Stiller, Ian Hayllor, Ray Brown, Rick Wilkinson, Shane Charles and Steven Raine has helped to build trust, too.
Directing commissioners' work into portfolios which capitalise on their individual experience and expertise with the CSG industry and regional communities, yet bringing all decision making back to the boardroom table monthly, has ensured commission initiatives are measured and take into account all parties' points of view.
Commissioner Stiller understands land access and conduct and compensation negotiations well, having spent time negotiating with 12 resource companies himself. He is working to improve land access and compensation processes in consideration of key strategies contained in the Surat Basin Engagement Group Landholder Priority Issues and Proposed Solutions report, collated by Basin Sustainability Alliance chairman David Hamilton, the Land Access Review panel report and the recently released Six Point Action Plan by government.
Analysing and communicating what water-related science and research activities have or are being carried out by universities, government agencies and CSG proponents have been priorities for commissioners Raine and Hayllor this year. Commissioner Hayllor prompted setting up the Condamine Stakeholder Consultation Committee also, through which the Queensland Water Commission will engage with parties on research processes and outcomes.
Local government and infrastructure impacts and solutions are well canvassed by commissioner Brown, and commissioner Charles is right across business and community issues and opportunities.
Commissioner Wilkinson has an in-depth knowledge of the onshore gas industry, and is crucial in examining the standards and codes that exist for industry performance and best practice.
He also provides a direct link to CSG proponents, ensuring our initiatives and positions are communicated.
Delivering the objective of the Commission has only just begun and next year we will be aiming to better engage with regional communities in central and north Queensland. Next year we will set up a Northern Gasfields Community Leaders' Council to effectively feed north Queensland representation into the Commission. The southern council met in Dalby in October. I plan to travel to regions in the Cooper and Galilee basins to hear first-hand what's happening on the ground. I want to ensure landholders in areas like this where onshore gas exploration is just beginning are well prepared and receive quality, scientific information on the activities occurring. I would like to see a continuation of the successful AgForward CSG Project information sessions and perhaps build on its foundation with more in-depth information on topics of concern like groundwater.
2013 is going to be a big year. Upstream gas field development will ramp up as companies work to ensure they can supply sufficient gas to their LNG facilities by the time they are completed. Some big ticket policy items will be occurring as well. The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection will be finalising and implementing its Coal Seam Gas Water Management Policy and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines will be carrying out its Six Point Action Plan. The Commission will be at the forefront, ensuring the CSG water management policy recognises treated CSG water as a resource and not a waste product and critical recommendations contained in the Land Access Review panel report are implemented. I welcome the government's decision to expand the Land Court jurisdiction to include conduct - it provides a clear signal that intimidating or bullying behaviour is not acceptable to the government or the Commission. I look forward to seeing industry policies of good social licence delivered through all levels of staff and an end to the numerous and many instances where landholders feel they are pressured and intimidated.
Water-related issues remain an area of serious community concern and the Commission will continue to play a role in identifying and addressing areas of contention in this space to ensure the sustainability of existing land uses and the onshore gas industry.
Early in the new year the Commission will publicly release a six month action plan to communicate our initial priorities for 2013. It is not intended to be a detailed planning document and will of course not preclude the Commission from working on your issues as they arise, but it will outline what we plan to focus on next year.
In wrapping up 2012, I can say I have seen some measure of progress in co-existence in certain areas. A few landholders openly supported the gas industry and I heard rural financiers were looking to recognise Conduct and Compensation Agreements as a property asset, providing long-term financial advantage and economic stability to the enterprise.
Roma farmer Peter Thompson provided an open and honest public address at a Rural Press Club breakfast at Ag Show in Toowoomba. He said he had been forced to do a lot of soul searching as he transformed from a landholder who vehemently opposed CSG development when first approached to someone now willing to host gas wells and infrastructure across his grain and beef-producing property. He said energy security was just as big an issue in the 21st century as food security and farmers should be willing to be part of the solution.
Miles farmer Simon Drury also publicly shared his experience at an Australia Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference. He said overlapping a new intensive industry, CSG, with another highly intensive industry, his feedlot and cropping operations, had been challenging but ultimately successful for his enterprise. I'm not saying every landholder's experience has been positive, certainly not, but there have been a few more encouraging stories enter the mix this year.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their contributions in 2012. I am grateful to the community members and organisations that made a submission on the Commission's role and helped to shape its legislation. I am particularly thankful for the work of Commissioners and General Manager Andrew Brier and the government for bringing the legislation into being in such a short period of time.
2013 will surely bring with it many more miles for me and I look forward to visiting regional communities further afield and hearing some different perspectives.
