Michael Berkman MP ForMaiwar • 14 May 2020 Suppressed expert report on tracking in the Lake Eyre Basin I am tabling this report on the risks from and likely impacts of the expansion of the gas tracking industry in Kati-Thanda / the Lake Eyre Basin. This area is home to Queensland's free flowing rivers. As the report says, "The goal of the review is to protect and avoid widespread and irreversible impacts on rivers with all, or nearly all, of their environmental attributes intact." The report was compiled by a panel of experts on the request of the Queensland government. Their conclusions were not to the liking of the Labor government. Those conclusions included • A findingthat many of the potential impacts of gas and tracking development in the Basin were not 0fully understood, nor their magnitude quantifiable". • A recommendation that a wetland and floodplain precinct be established in which tracking would be banned. • A recommendation that gas well be restricted from frequently flooded areas. Instead of releasing the report, the Labor government cynically used a loophole in the Right to Information laws to designate the report "Cabinet in Confidence". At the same time, the government granted new permits to Santos, a major donor to Labor and the LNP, to explore for gas in the Channel Country. This is despite two election promises in 2015 and 2017 to reverse the damage done by Campbell Newman's LNP government by protecting the Channel Country. Fracking for CSG and shale gas is a land-wrecking, tax-dodging, water-sucking, climate-trashing disaster and should be banned. I hope the tabling of this report in full can help the traditional owners, graziers and local people fighting to protect this spectacular part of Queensland. Michael Berkman MP Contact Us Visit Us Tel: (07) 37374100 1/49 Station Road, lndooroopilly [email protected] Open: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm wwww.michaelberkman.com.au EcologyI EnvironmentI Heritage www.redleafenv.com.au Citation: Fielder, D.P, Grady, S.G and Broadbent, L.M (2019) Assessing Development Risks to the Ecological Values of the Free Flowing Rivers of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin (Qld). An Independent Scientific Expert Panel Report prepared for the Departmentof Environment and Science,-Queensland- Government, Brisbane. Acknowledgements: The report was prepared by Darren Fielder, Sarah Grady and Lyndal Brqadbent. The authors wish to thank all the participating experts for their time and knowledge both at the panel meetings, in out-of­ session discussions and for reviews of this report. The Queensland Department of Environment funded this project. We also thank Alyse Black, Lorraine Briggs, Terry Farley, Lindsay Jones and Allanah Piccinin for logistical support. Contact Details Dr Darren Fielder B.App.Sci, PhD mobile 0407 234 986 fax 07 4659 5839 email darren@_redleafenv.com.au Sarah Grady B.Env.Sc mobile 0417 602 693 fax 07 4659 5839 email [email protected] officeSuite 6, White Horse Building, 456 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba post PO Box 3564, Toowoomba Qld 4350 Cover Photo: Banjo Paterson's "Waltzing Matilda" Combo Waterhole, Diamantina River, Kynuna (Credit: Darren Fielder, 2016) © Red Leaf Projects Pty Ltd trading as Red leaf Environmental Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this report, its attachments or appendices may be reproduced by any process without the written consen(of Redleaf Environmental. All enquiries should be directed to Red leaf Environmental .. A person using Red/eaf Environmental documents or data accepts the risk of: a) Using the documents or data in electronic form without" requesting and checking them for accuracy against the original hard copy version. b) Using the documents or data for any purpose not" agreed to in wriUng bv Redl£;of Environmental. Ecology I Environment I Heritage Page I ii DOCUMENT CONTROL Assessing Development Risks to the Ecological Values of the Free Flowing Rivers of REPORT TITLE Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin (Qld) Project Document ID DES19004 Number File Path Departmentof Client Client Contact Lorraine Briggs Environment and Science Rev Date Revision Details/Status Prepared by Verifier Approver 0 16/09/2019 Draftissued to SEP DF, SG, LB SG DF 1 20/09/2019 Draftissued to DES DF, SG, LB SG DF Incorporated feedback from 2 8/09/2019 OF DF SEP and DES -�-·-·"· ........ -.......-- .................. ,_ 3 10/10/2019 Minor edits made DF DF 4 31/10/2019 Final report issued to DES DF DF Current Revision Final Report APPROVAL Signature Signature Name Dr Darren Fielder Name Mrs Sarah Grady Title Principal Scientist Title Senior Environmental Scientist Ecology I EnvironmentI Heritage Page I iii Contents Executive Summary vi 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Legislative and policy context 1 1.1.1 Queensland legislation 1 1.1.2 Commonwealth Legislation 2 1.1.3 Regional Planning Interests Act 2 1.2 Study area 3 1.3 Purpose of the scientific expert panel 6 1.3.1 Environmental attributes 6 1.3.2 Issues risk assessments - initial and residual ratings 6 1.4 Report assumptions and limitations 7 2 Activities considered by the SEP 9 2.1 Gas processing and extraction associated activities 9 2.1.1 Hydraulic fracturing and stimulation 9 2.1.2 Gas production, compress.ion, liquification 9 2.2 Conventional petroleum and gas 9 2.3 Unconventional petroleum and gas 9 2.3.1 Coal seam gas 10 2.3.2 Shale gas and Tight Gas 10 2.4 Mining 11 2.5 Agricultural Practices 11 2.6 Tourism 12 2.7 Infrastructure 12 3 Methods 14 3.1 Expert panel 14 3.1.1 Facilitator 14 3.1.2 Panel members 14 3.2 Walking the basin 16 3.3 Case examples 16 3.4 Risk assessment matrix 17 4 Results 19 4.1 Walking the basin 19 4.1.1 Cooper Creek Catchment 20 4.1.2 Diamantina River Catchment 21 4.1.3 Georgina River Catchment 22 4.2 Issues risk assessment 22 4.2.1 Key findings 24 5 Discussion 29 5.1 Ecological assets, functioning and processes 29 5.1.1 Waterbirds 29 5.1.2 Waterholes 29 5.1.3 Connected landscapes and resilient ecosystems 30 5.1.4 Threatened species 30 5.1.5 Springs 31 5.1.6 Cross border values 31 Ecology I Environment I Heritage Page I iv 5.2 Pest spec.ies 31 5.3 Potential impacts from petroleum/gas and mining activities 32 5.3.1 Surface water impacts 32 5.3.2 Groundwater impacts 32 5.3.3 Potential impacts to springs 33 5.3.4 Mining impacts 33 5.3.5 Ground disturbance 34 5.3.6 Cumulative risks 34 5.3.7 Summary of impacts 35 5.4 Potential challenges for agriculture 36 5.5 Potential challenges for tourism 37 6 Recommendations 38 6.1 Groundwater dependent ecosystems 38 6.2 Riverine and floodplain ecosystems 38 6.3 Conventional and unconventional petroleum and gas, mining and infrastructure 39 6.4 Environmental Attributes 39 6.5 Strategic Environmental Area 40 6.6 Designated Precinct 41 6.7 Invasive species and conservation management 41 6.8 Agricultural practices and tourism 42 6.9 Future reviews of this report 43 6.10 Quick reference recommendation table 44 7 References 48 Appendix A - Acronym and abbreviation list 55 Appendix B - SEP Terms of Reference 58 Appendix C - SEP Agenda 66 Appendix D - Channel Country SEA, DP and Protected Areas Map 70 Appendix E- Issues tables risk assessment 72 Figure 1. The Queensland section of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin containing the GeorginaJ Diamantina and Cooper Creek catchments ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 2. Diagram depicting conventional and unconventional gas drilling (Ref: Energy Information Australia) .....11 Figure 3. Percent initial risk verses residua/risk following the application of legislative mechanism to avoidJ mitigate and/or offsetthe impacts ........................................................................................................................................... 23 Table 1. Environmental attributes within the RPI Regulation 2014 ............................................................................. 3 Table 2. Summary of conventional and unconventional gas types in Australia* ....................................................... 13 Table 3. Panel member organisation and expertise ...................................................................................................15 Table 4. Likelihood definitions ...................................................................................................................................... 17 Table 5. Consequence definitions2 (maximum reasonable consequences) ................................................................ 17 2 Tab/� 6. Risk rating matrix ......................................................................................................................................... 18 Table 7. Quick reference recommendation table ...................................................................................................... .44 Ecology I EnvironmentHeritage I Page Iv Executive Summary Purpose of the report The Queensland Government is reviewing state policy, legislation and administrative frameworks to ensure the long-term ecological sustainability of Queensland's free flowing rivers. The Queensland Government has committed (GEC958) to 'work with Traditional Owners, stakeholders and communities to ensure the State's pristine rivers are protected. This will include a review of the extent to which the Regional Planning Interests Act 2014 provides adequate protection for these rivers'. The goal of the review is to protect