2 REGIONAL COMMUNITIES

IN THIS CHAPTER Environment Population Community wellbeing Local attitudes to CSG development

Toowoomba, Toowoomba, 18 GASFIELDS COMMISSION QUEENSLAND SHARED LANDSCAPES 65.2% 30 3% of Queensland was local government population growth drought declared as areas were fully occurred in the Western of 1 April 2019 drought declared Downs during the on 1 April 2019 construction phase in 2011

2 0 11 & 2013 2016 38% construction phases created showed a sharp increase of people in Eastern Maranoa population growth in the in non-resident workers said they accepted CSG

2 REGIONAL COMMUNITIES Maranoa but this has been in Wandoan development in a 2018 survey

slowly declining since

ENVIRONMENT Queensland’s regional communities experience More recently, flood warnings were issued in many a diverse, variable and changing climate. areas of Queensland associated with ex-tropical cyclone Trevor at the end of March 2019. Major flooding events Weather is the fundamental consideration for continued across Western and agricultural producers when making decisions about throughout the following months.3 planting, harvesting, increasing or decreasing herd/flock numbers. In Western Queensland annual rainfall can be less than two millimetres.1 Most of regional Queensland Climate change models suggest that rainfall will has been in drought since 2011. decrease over most of Queensland. Climate variability As of 1 April 2019, 65.2 percent of is also increasing in the form of increased severity of major weather events which cause significant economic Queensland was drought declared costs and social impact to regional communities. with 30 fully declared local The effects of the floods and cyclones in 2011 were government areas (see Figure 2.1). still being felt in Queensland communities more than 18 months later.2

1 Queensland Agriculture Snapshot, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, 2018 2 Queensland Rural Debt Survey, Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority, , 2017 3 Monthly climate summary, Bureau of Meteorology, Australian Government, 2019

GASFIELDS COMMISSION QUEENSLAND SHARED LANDSCAPES 19 QUEENSLAND DROUGHT SITUATION As reviewed on 1 April 2019

30 61 Fully-declared local Individually droughted government areas properties in a further

17 5 Local government areas Partly-declared local government areas

These declarations represent 65.2% of the land area of Queensland

Partly drought-declared shire

Fully drought-declared shire

Not drought-declared

Figure 2.1: Map of drought declared as at 1 April 2019.4

4 The Long Paddock, Drought Declarations, Queensland Government, 2019

20 GASFIELDS COMMISSION QUEENSLAND SHARED LANDSCAPES Climate summary, Queensland 2011–2018

TC Oswald – January Warmest year on record Warmest year recorded TC Alfred – February to date Equal third warmest TC Debbie – March, Severe drought west of year on record widespread flooding the Great Divide TC Anthony – January TC Marcia – February Very dry winter, followed Record low rainfall by second wettest TC Yasi – Feburary (e.g. Mt Isa 69mm for year) TC Nathan – March October on record

2011 2013 2015 2017

2012 2014 2016 2018

Severe fire weather in January – April cyclones: Second warmest year Fifth warmest year October, more than 60 fires Dylan, Edna, Fletcher, on record on record burning across the state Gillian, Hadi and Ita Wettest May – Rainfall 15% Cooler than average year Equal third warmest year September on record below average for on record Queensland as Second wettest winter a whole Flooding through North, on record Central and West during Extreme heatwaves, January – April thunderstorms, flooding and bushfires across the state Figure 2.2: Queensland’s natural disasters from 2011 – 2018. 5

POPULATION Population is declining in many regional Queensland Toowoomba is also experiencing steady population communities, however population trends in growth of around one percent or greater each year communities living in the Surat Basin have remained since 2011. relatively stable for the past decade.6 Gas activity in the Bowen Basin is relatively small and The Western Downs local government area experienced communities such as Moranbah are affected more by rapid population growth of around three percent in 2011 peaks and troughs in the mining industry. coinciding with the expansion of the gas industry and has continued to grow slowly in the following years. The has experienced consistent decline in population since 2014. The experienced population growth in 2011 and again in 2013 but the trend has been a slow decline since.

5 Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority, Rural Debt Survey 2017 AND Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Climate Summaries Archive, retrieved May 2019 6 University of Queensland’s Annual Reports on Queensland Gasfields Communities, retrieved 2019

GASFIELDS COMMISSION QUEENSLAND SHARED LANDSCAPES 21 Regional populations Non-resident

Resident Dalby Chinchilla Wandoan

15,000 10,000 2,000

12,000 8,000 1,500 9,000 6,000 1,000 6,000 4,000 500 3,000 2,000

0 0 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Miles Tara Roma

4,000 2,000 14,000 12,000 3,000 1,500 10,000 8,000 2,000 1,000 6,000

1,000 500 4,000 2,000 0 0 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Wallumbilla Toowoomba Moranbah

1,000 120,000 20,000

800 100,000 15,000 80,000 600 60,000 10,000 400 40,000 200 5,000 20,000 0 0 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Figure 2.3: Populations for regional communities in gas development areas.6

6 University of Queensland’s Annual Reports on Queensland Gasfields Communities, retrieved 2019

22 GASFIELDS COMMISSION QUEENSLAND SHARED LANDSCAPES The number of non-resident workers in a community Figure 2.4 shows the timing of peak construction fluctuates and can become a large proportion of the periods differs slightly for different regions. total population particularly during the construction phase of a gas project. Numbers of non-resident workers living within the towns have more impact on local businesses and A sharp increase in non-resident workers in housing pressure than workers living outside of Wandoan in 2016 can potentially be attributed to the the towns in workers camps. commencement of construction of Shell’s QGC Charlie Project (see Figure 2.3).

Non-resident workers living in regional communities

20,000

18,000

16,000

14,000

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Construction Isaac Western Downs Maranoa Toowoomba phase

Figure 2.4: Numbers of non-resident workers living in local government areas each year from 2008–2017. Gas field communities compared with a predominantly mining community (Isaac).6

6 University of Queensland’s Annual Reports on Queensland Gasfields Communities, retrieved 2019

GASFIELDS COMMISSION QUEENSLAND SHARED LANDSCAPES 23 COMMUNITY WELLBEING CSIRO researchers7 have been monitoring community Figure 2.5 shows that despite the economic fluctuations wellbeing in the Surat Basin since 2014. of the construction phase, post-construction phase, and operations phase of gas development, there was Residents were asked their views on a range of a robust level of community wellbeing between dimensions of community wellbeing including physical 2014 and 2018 in the Western Downs. infrastructure and services, social, environmental, health, political, and economic aspects of The key drivers of community wellbeing over the the community. three periods were community cohesion, trust, social interaction and the level of services and facilities.

Overall community wellbeing perception score

Eastern Maranoa 2018 3.96%

Western Downs 2018 3.75%

Western Downs 2016 3.82%

Western Downs 2014 3.82%

Figure 2.5: Mean scores0.0 of overall0.5 community1.0 wellbeing 1.5in Western 2.0Downs region2.5 from 2014–20183.0 and 3.5Eastern Maranoa4.0 in 2018. Perception scores: 1 = lowest, 5 = highest, >3 = favourable, <3 = unfavourable.7

The key drivers of community wellbeing over the three periods were community cohesion, trust, social interaction and the level of services and facilities.

7 Walton, A. and McCrea, R. (2018) Trends in community wellbeing and local attitudes to coal seam gas development, 2014–2016–2018: Western Downs and Eastern Maranoa regions, Queensland. Survey report. CSIRO . ISBN 978–1–4863–1177–4 (Online version)

24 GASFIELDS COMMISSION QUEENSLAND SHARED LANDSCAPES LOCAL ATTITUDES TO CSG DEVELOPMENT CSG development covers extensive areas and affects CSIRO surveys have found that there is no single many people, especially people who live out of town. community view towards CSG development but rather a spread of attitudes that range from ‘reject’ CSG to In the Surat Basin, the placement of gas wells can ‘embrace’ CSG. impact many different types of properties from broad acre cattle farming to more intensive agriculture to Feelings toward CSG development are generally more lifestyle blocks. favourable for residents living in-town compared to those living out of town.

Local attitudes towards coal seam gas

40% Western Downs 2014 38% 37% Western Downs 2016

34% 34% 34% 33% Western Downs 2018 31% 30% Eastern Maranoa 2018

23% 20% 21%

16% 14% 12% 12% 12% 10% 10% 9% 9% 8% 7% 7%

0% Reject it Tolerate it Accept it Approve of it Embrace it

Note: Percentages rounded to the nearest whole percent.

Figure 2.6: Attitudes towards coal seam gas development: Western Downs 2014–2016–2018 and Eastern Maranoa 2018 .7

7 Walton, A. and McCrea, R. (2018) Trends in community wellbeing and local attitudes to coal seam gas development, 2014 – 2016 – 2018: Western Downs and Eastern Maranoa regions, Queensland. Survey report. CSIRO Australia. ISBN 978–1–4863–1177–4 (Online version)

GASFIELDS COMMISSION QUEENSLAND SHARED LANDSCAPES 25