statement from mp dorothy pratt

A program of last night's meeting has been handed to me. I will share with you the statements prepared by Dorothy Pratt MLA Independent Member for Nanango & South Burnett Regional Council Mayor David Carter.

First the statement from Mrs Pratt.


IT'S A MATTER OF TRUST

Can we trust the company or the government, people with vested interests to tell us the truth in a timely fashion? Based on the current performance there is only one answer NO.

AS a person who was 98% in favour (albeit with reservations) of pursuing a mining industry which did not disturb the topsoil and was touted as being less invasive, greener and 'sold' as being so well monitored and regulated that the possibility of contamination was not a consideration I have some full circle and now oppose Underground Coal Gasification without reservation.

A pilot program is a prototype on which the future industry will be based, problems revealed and appropriate measures put in place. To that extent it could be expected that everyone involved would be extremely vigilant when it came to abiding by rules and regulations, would be very familiar with the complexity of the process and extremely precise with testing and reporting. On all levels this I believe is not the case.

The entire process from monitoring, testing to reporting to government and residents is far too slow. In the time that a sample is taken from the test site, tested and reported the potential timeframe for harm to be done to water source is weeks or as appears to have occurred in this instance, could be months.

The department employee who has been sacrificed is not necessarily the responsible person. Was he fully acquainted to the seriousness of the information received and if not why not, where was the department heads and the Minister?

The process has failed, the monitors have failed and the government has failed to protect the environment and the community. The counts may be low and well within drinkable limits now but we have no idea what they were or could have been months ago but the undeniable fact is there was no contamination before Cougar.


E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://pratt-mp.webs.com



Now the Statement from David Carter, Mayor of South Burnett Regional Council

As Mayor of the South Burnett Regional Council, I have always endeavoured to encourage residential growth within the region. To achieve this we need to expand our industrial base and create sustainable jobs. However, any growth and development in the South Burnett has to be for the general good and should not be detrimental to the enviroment and people's wellbeing. Our air, water and soil are so important to the South Burnett that we should protect our natural assets as this is the reason that most of us leave here. (LEAVE = LIVE???)

In the case of Cougar Energy, I have evisaged my role as one of facilitor, assisting in the flow of information between the company, landowners and the community in general. In the early stages of the project, the company was not effectively communicating with stakeholders. My insistence led them to sit at the table and be part of the Kingaroy Cougar Consultative Committee. I am angry that Cougar Energy did not fully utilise these avenues and was not forthcoming with information on the contamination incident earlier.

Even at this point I still feel that I have a role to play as a facilitator and chairing the public meetings. I was able to get Stephen Robinson, the Minister for the Department of Environment and Resource Management, to Kingaroy on 20th July and chaired his meeting with concerned landowners.

While the contamination is serious, it could have been a lot worse and we are lucky that the pilot project had only been running for a few days. I do feel for the affected landowners as these properties are their homes and they rely on them for income. Having this land contaminated must be very stressful on all family members. I can certainly understand them wanting this project stopped NOW.

The UCG industry has been operating for a number of years, but unless there were additional safety measures or superior technology introduced to this particular project, we have to ask - Why has it been allowed to proceed near a populated area and one so dependent on agriculture and groundwater? As the Mayor I will try to the best of my ability to assist the community through this difficult time.

ENDS