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2012/14: Should the Victorian government have put a temporary moratorium on fracking?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:On August 24, 2012, the ABC News reported that the Victorian government had imposed a temporary moratorium on coal seam gas extraction (fracking) in the state. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'Coal seam gas mining can produce vast amounts of contaminated waste water, which thus far appears to be inadequately managed'
Cam Walker, Friends of the Earth Melbourne campaigns co-ordinator
'The idea stressed by fracking critics that deep-injected fluids will migrate into groundwater is mostly false'
Popular Mechanics, 2011
The issue at a glance
On August 24, 2012, the Victorian government announced there would be a temporary moratorium on fracking in the state.
It was reported that Victoria had put a hold on hydraulic fracturing, a technique used to exploit hard-to-reach gas deposits, and a halt on new coal seam gas exploration licenses.
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," is a process in which pressurised water, chemicals and sand are pumped underground to release gas trapped in rock formations. It has been opposed by landowners and environmentalists who claim the process can pollute water supplies.
State energy and resources minister, Michael O'Brien, stated that the moratorium would remain until a national regulatory framework for regulating coal seam gas and hydraulic fracturing was put in place by Australia's federal government.
Though the move has been welcomed by farmers, conservation groups and potentially affected communities, there are those who consider it does not go far enough.
Alternately, Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration, a body which represents the coal seam gas industry, has said the policy would send 'the wrong message to investors.'