Price pressures push Coalition into gas backflip, page-6

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/c... Industry Resources and Energy (Roberts).pdf

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rrent issues. Anything historical is fine. Mr ANTHONY ROBERTS: Thank you, Chair. We have numerous office holders who have the delegated authority to make decisions within the department. I will refer to Ms Hargreaves to confirm the involvement of people from the Office of Coal Seam Gas. Ms HARGREAVES: The Director at the time was Rachel Connell, and she was the head of the Office of Coal Seam Gas. The Hon. ADAM SEARLE: Does she retain that position? Ms HARGREAVES: No. She was successful in being promoted to the Department of Primary Industries. The Hon. ADAM SEARLE: The Opposition requested that officers in the agency who have responsibility for coal seam gas be brought to the hearing. Apart from the Minister, would that be you, Ms Hargreaves? Ms HARGREAVES: Yes. As Deputy Secretary for the Resources and Energy Division, I oversee the operations of coal seam gas. The Hon. ADAM SEARLE: Why is the Director of the Office of Coal Seam Gas not here? Does that position no longer exist? Ms HARGREAVES: Through you, Chair, many of the functions of the Office of Coal Seam Gas moved to the Environment Protection Authority. The Environment Protection Authority is now the lead regulator in this area. The Hon. ADAM SEARLE: Has the Environment Protection Authority taken over the role of developing licence conditions or does that rest with your agency? Ms HARGREAVES: As the Minister indicated, the Environment Protection Authority is the lead authority for all compliance and enforcement activities, for approvals in relation to non-safety issues in coal seam gas. That means that the Resources and Energy Division retains the assessment and approval of title rights. The functions of the Office of Coal Seam Gas have been blended into the structure of the Resources and Ener