FRACKING —
PETROLEUM LEASES
245. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the minister representing the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer to the Premier's
announcement last year that current petroleum leases in Western Australia will
be allowed to be fracked.
(1) Can the
minister please confirm whether the state moratorium on fracking has now been
officially lifted; and, if not, does this need to be gazetted?
(2) Will the
minister confirm whether the fracking implementation group has met; and, if so,
will the minister table minutes from all fracking meetings of the group?
(3) Can the
minister please confirm whether all fracking projects, whether under an
exploration permit or licence, will need to be assessed and approved by the
Environmental Protection Authority?
(4) Can the
minister detail exactly how the Dampier Peninsula will be excluded from
fracking exploration and licences, including maps of proposed exclusion zones,
and how stakeholders will be consulted in the process?
(5) Will special prospecting
authorities definitely remain under the fracking moratorium?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN
replied:
The Minister for Mines and Petroleum
has provided the following information.
(1) The state
moratorium on fracking has not been lifted. When amended, the regulations
providing for the lifting of the moratorium will be gazetted.
(2) As part of
the state government's acceptance of all the recommendations of the
report of the Independent Scientific Panel
Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracture Stimulation in Western Australia in 2018, an
implementation plan is being developed. The plan will be made public as
soon as it is approved by the government.
(3) All proposals
for hydraulic fracking will be referred to the Environmental Protection
Authority for formal assessment.
(4) The boundary
of the Dampier Peninsula as it relates to hydraulic fracking will be
established when the assessment of
Indigenous values, environmental values and stakeholder views has been taken
into account.
(5) Yes.