A PROTEST rally is planned near the site of Beach Energy's exploratory drilling rig, south of Penola, tomorrow - one week after the District Council of Robe unanimously voted for a moratorium on unconventional gas extraction in the region.
This follows a growing level of opposition to shale and tight gas mining in the South East community with concerns mostly centering around the potential risks to groundwater from failing well integrity.
The protest has been organised by a newly formed alliance of farmers, vignerons, academics and environmentalists.
Industry insiders have previously said that if initial exploration was successful, up to 4000 wells could be drilled through two aquifers in the region to fracture shales and extract gas about 4 kilometres below the surface.
Robe District Cou-ncil mayor Peter Riseley wants a moratorium until the risks are fully investigated, along with the associated effects on agricultural industries, food security and any adverse affects on tourism and the Premier's clean, green food strategy for the region.
"The usually very conservative rural population, which has a generational interest in the production of quality agricultural produce, is becoming very concerned about the possible impacts of unconventional gas exploration and production on the water supply, and therefore their livelihoods," he said in a letter to Stock Journal.
"Council is also concerned that there appears to be a conflict of interest in that the Department of Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy are charged with the promotion and development of the state's extraction industries and energy production, including gas exploration, as well as being the department that regulates and controls these industries' environmental performance.
"It would seem that these two roles are diametrically opposed and would result in conflict between staff with the department."
A spokesperson for Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the government did not accept Robe council's premise.
"We have every confidence in DMITRE and the capabilities of our regulators who follow world's best practice for approving or refusing any mining operations," she said.
Tomorrow's protest is being held at 10.45am at Greenrise Lake, off the Riddoch Highway, 2 kilometres south of Penola.
* Full report in Stock Journal, January 23, 2014 issue.
Malcolm Sutton
Stock Journal's news journalist and magazine editor.
Stock Journal's news journalist and magazine editor.
