Australia: APPEA Replies to NSW Chief Scientist Draft Report

The report released by the NSW Chief Scientist raises complex issues regarding industry’s development, which will be considered more fully over the coming days.

However, APPEA notes that many of the recommendations are already part of the industry’s business processes and operations. The Association hopes this review’s final recommendations lead the NSW Government to urgently re-consider its energy policy that has so significantly damaged state investment and energy security.

The continued failure of the NSW Government to respond to increasing gas demand and facilitate the development of its gas resources will have unfortunate consequences in the form of lost jobs and foregone economic opportunity.

Reactive policies such as the blanket exclusion zones need to be replaced with regulation that is effective, transparent, and based on science.

APPEA notes that the Chief Scientist found concerns regarding the gas industry’s development “can be offset by ensuring engineering best practice; superb monitoring by industry; diligent and transparent compliance checks by regulators.’’

APPEA agrees with this assessment. This is what occurs in other Australian jurisdictions such as Queensland, where the gas industry has created about 30,000 jobs in recent years, is working in partnership with more than 4,000 landholders, and is today revitalising regional communities.

APPEA is committed to working with the Chief Scientist throughout the next phase of this process to find a solution to the state’s impasse, as NSW consumes almost a quarter of the east coast gas supply, but produces less than 1 per cent of that supply.

APPEA yesterday launched a national campaign to inform Australians that saying no to natural gas development is not without consequence, and nowhere is this more apparent than in NSW.