Queensland Government’s nine new fracking gasfields being sold on the basis of lies, will cause climate harm

The Queensland Conservation Council has today slammed the Queensland Government over their announcement of nine new fracking gas fields across 16,000 sq km of land in the Cooper/Eromanga and Bowen/Surat basins.

Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave Copeman said

This announcement is devastating and deceitful.

If we are to give the Great Barrier Reef a fighting chance, this gas must stay underground. The Government should be ashamed to look Queenslanders impacted by climate fueled disasters in the eye, and pretend that they care while greenlighting new fossil fuel projects that will only turbo charge these impacts on our communities and country.

The Bowen Basin alone has up to 9510 Petajoule (PJ) of gas according to federal figures, which would release 1.17 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide when burnt. That’s more extra climate pollution than the total Queensland can release between now and 2035 if we are to meet our emissions reduction targets. And this is only one of the four basins mentioned in today's low detail announcement.

Around 80% of Australia's gas is exported. The Queensland Government should be honest, this climate polluting gas is intended for the international market. No company is planning to pipe gas from the Bowen basin to Melbourne. Lines in media reports that this will help guarantee domestic supply in southern states are just cynical and misleading.

Queensland already has more than enough gas for domestic consumption, and the price of gas is set by the international market, while billionaire gas corporations pay little to no tax or royalties. They profit while Queenslanders pay the price of increased climate disasters and insurance premiums.

The 16,000 sq km announced today is a greater area of land than all wind farms and solar farms that would be required to get Queensland to 100% renewable energy.

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