Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise here in the Main Committee today to inform the House of an event I held in my electorate of Maranoa. Last month, I hosted the Meeting of Minds Forum in Dalby, on Queensland’s Darling Downs, to bring together representatives from the resource and agricultural industries.

Oil and gas companies have long had a presence in the western part of my electorate, and I applaud these companies for their efforts in supporting local communities. Often they will contribute financially to the upgrading of local roads as well as providing funding for important community infrastructure, alleviating some of the financial burden for local councils. Indeed, for the most part, the mining and agricultural industries in the west of my electorate have found a balance which allows them to work in partnership, with little negative impact on each other’s operations.

However, perhaps it is the sparsely populated geography of the western part of my electorate which allows this balance. In the east, the Western Downs and Darling Downs, in comparison, are much more densely populated areas. Farms are smaller and closer and the soil is far more arable. The Surat coal basin, which is tipped to be the next Bowen Basin, lies across the eastern part of my electorate, encompassing the towns of Roma, Chinchilla, Miles and Dalby, to name just a few. The fledgling development of the basin has seen a remarkable increase in activity and, in particular, a significant interest in the extraction of coal seam methane gas. Many farmers are confused with the sudden, almost overnight, changes and what seems to be a lack of owners’ rights when it comes to access to their land by mining companies for exploration. Aware that my electorate staff were receiving a number of calls from concerned constituents, I decided to host a forum to provide an opportunity for both sides to come together to alleviate some of these concerns and to discuss what needs to be done for the future of the Surat coal basin and its affected communities.

The forum was very successful. It was both inspiring and reassuring to see that the resource companies were enthusiastic in explaining their processes, particularly their efforts to limit their impact on the environment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Xstrata Coal, Queensland Gas Company, Peabody Energy at Wilkie Creek and Arrow Energy for making presentations at the forum which explained in detail how their processes worked, what they were hoping to find and how they cooperate with farmers and communities.

Presentations were also made by AgForce, the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and by Dalby producer Paul McVeigh as well as dairy industry leader, Wes Judd. It was through them that the mining companies were able to get an idea of the concerns faced by farmers and how they and their operations are perceived by landholders. After a robust question and answer session, it became clear to all in attendance that Queensland legislation is in urgent need of change to ensure that the rights of farmers and landholders are strengthened. Another message from the day was a call for a clearer, more direct path of communication between mining companies, state departments and farmers. Indeed, one of my constituents suggested a hotline which would allow producers to call in and get succinct and quick advice on legal issues, exploratory permits, process and other important information.

The communique from the forum at the end of the day was agreed to by all in attendance. However, the Meeting of Minds Forum was not just a one-day talkfest. A working group has been established, with representatives from all sides: farmers, the mining industry and local government and community leaders. They are currently working on addressing the issues that arose from the forum, and I certainly look forward to meeting with them again to discuss the group’s progress.

The Darling Downs and Western Downs in my electorate contain some of the most valuable agricultural land in Australia. It is highly fertile, arable land and it has a real place in the future for the security of the food of this nation and for the food that it produces for other communities around the world. With global food shortage discussed on the world stage today, it is imperative that the future of this agricultural land is secure. I believe it is time that the state government in Queensland values just as much our prime agricultural sector land and the capacity it has to produce food as it does the resource sector. We need to make sure we get the balance right so that one will not restrict the other’s activities.