Report of the Independent Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory
“The top dozen issues raised by concerned citizens in regard to Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory, in order of their frequency were:
- water contamination;
- social, cultural and environmental impacts;
- water use;
- rivers and aquifers;
- health concerns;
- short term benefits;
- long term impacts;
- moratorium;
- monitoring and compliance;
- fugitive emissions;
- chemical usage; and
- the regulatory regime.
These concerns, which mirror those found in other enquiries, are unpacked under the related Term of Reference in the Report.
At first blush, the level of distrust and hostility towards the unconventional gas industry might seem curious given the NT’s history of fracking in conventional reserves, without adverse consequences. That is not to downplay the need to manage risk which, like the possibility of human error, is always present, but advances in technology and techniques to manage risk have gone ahead in leaps and bounds over the last 40 years.
The relatively recent move to horizontal as well as vertical fracturing for unconventional gas resources seems to have triggered some latent community concerns. By way of an aside, the industry has not helped itself through the use of terms such as “unconventional”, “abandoned” wells and “fracking” itself, which provoke people’s emotional responses, confounding rational discussion of hydraulic fracturing technology and related issues.
It was apparent from submissions, public meetings and discussions that there is confusion or poor understanding within the community about some aspects of hydraulic fracturing. For example, there is considerable confusion between Coal Seam Gas (CSG) extraction (which frequently does not involve fracturing) and fracturing for the extraction of shale gas, which is the main target of hydraulic fracturing for hydrocarbons in the NT…
The Inquiry was informed by recent reports from overseas and Australian jurisdictions touched on below and dealt with in more detail in the Report.”