By SARAH PRICE

Victoria's interim report on unconventional gas – which includes coal seam and shale gas accessed by fracking –  reveals a deeply concerned community.

The Victorian Environment and Planning Committee, whose report was tabled this month,  heard from more than 57 groups and individuals, many of them strongly opposed to the practice.

Protest groups in Gippsland and surrounding areas have continually expressed their concerns over fracking and its harm to the environment. 

The State Government put moratorium on the practice in place in 2012. Last month Victoria's Auditor-General John Doyle, after an investigation into the risks and impact of unconventional gas, recommended the moratorium remain in force.

“Victoria is not as well placed as it could be to respond to the risks and impacts that could arise if the moratorium is lifted allowing unconventional gas activities to proceed in this state,” he said in his report, which was tabled in Parliament.

Toongabbie Township development liaison officer Tracey Anton said fracking would not benefit Gippsland or the world.

“It is a method that prolongs and destines the world to water scarcity and environmental degradation to financially benefit a few at the expense of many,” she said.

Coal seam gas (CSG) is an odourless and colourless gas from coal seams, which is used in gas-fired power stations. 

To extract the CSG, highly pressurised fluid is pumped down an exploration well into rock deposits containing the gas. The fluid then "fractures" the rock or coal deposits to release the CSG to the surface.

There are grave concerns about this process.

Landowners and farmers in Gippsland are dissatisfied with the underground rights miners are entitled to on their properties. 

However, most of the protests surrounding fracking relate to environmental issues – the most important being water

“Water is the new political imperative, but either government are negligently ignorant to this primary concern, or they are dangerously influenced by outside interests,” Ms Anton said.

“To add insult, the Government gives companies the right to dispose mine wastewater into our waterways, turning our rivers into sewered aqueducts that feed into the Gippsland Lakes ... if fracking is allowed, who will protect our drinking water?”

Submissions to the Victorian state enquiry voiced similar concerns.

Environmental Justice Australia lawyer Ariane Wilkinson wrote: “The extraction and production of unconventional gas can have greater impacts on the environment than conventional gas activities.”

Dedication of water resources to the development of unconventional gas activities could disrupt hydrological flows and have detrimental effects on the stability of the ecosystem.”

Frack Free Geelong members wrote: “Unconventional gas mining, extraction of coal seam gas, shale gas, tight gas and the rest with the use of hydraulic fracturing – ‘fracking’ – is a toxic and destructive method to create energy. Geelong citizens are deeply concerned and nervous over this issue.”

The CSG captive is close to, and in some cases in contact with, underground water supplies. 

Ms Anton said the fracking process could create cracks in the coal seams and the underground aquifers, which could cause contamination of the water supply.  Many towns in Gippsland receive their water supply through these underground aquifers.  

Fracking used for CSG, shale and tight gas extraction is a growing industry worldwide.  

Tight gas is trapped in rock/sandstone/limestone formations that are particularly "tight", which refers to the very small pore spaces in the rock. 

There is increased exploration of tight gas occurring in the Seaspray area of Gippsland. For decades, Gippsland has experienced environmental degradation and land sinking as a result of offshore oil and gas extraction in Bass Strait. 

The recent dewatering of open cut coalmines in the Latrobe Valley has also contributed to a depleted aquifer system.

Ms Anton said the community was unaware fracking was also creating tremors and could “potentially lead to another 5.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Gippsland in 2012”.

The Gippsland region has some significant fault lines, and since 2009 it has experienced an increase in small to mid-range tremors. 

Despite the environmental concerns with fracking, Ms Anton said there were currently no sustainable alternatives to extract gas.

“There are no sustainable ways to extract gas because it involves significant water use, the creation of subsurface voids and the degradation of agricultural land to access it,” she said.

The State Government's enquiry also heard from the gas industry.

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association’s submission said: “The risks associated with unconventional gas can be managed effectively through the creation of a robust regulatory regime, underpinned by effective monitoring and compliance.”

The Environmental and Planning Committee will table its final report in December this year.

Home page image of a local protest from the Auditor-General's report into unconventional gas.