The Crisafulli government wants to fast-track the development of an oil field in Queensland through a mechanism that doesn’t exist under new environment laws, according to a stinging letter sent to the premier from federal cabinet minister Murray Watt.
The federal Environment Minister’s letter, sent on Friday and seen by this masthead, also reveals Queensland is yet make any formal request to the Albanese government to advance drilling prospects in the Taroom Trough despite the state government’s vocal and concerted push for the project.
Premier David Crisafulli on Friday again demanded the federal government grant a national interest exemption for the oil exploration under its Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act for the prospective project, about 300 kilometres west of Brisbane.
Watt wrote in his letter to the premier there are a “number of issues I would like to bring to your attention regarding these statements”.
“Firstly, the Australian government has not received any documentation that would allow us to consider your proposal. I invite you to present such documentation for our consideration, without delay,” the federal minister wrote.
“Secondly, it is unclear what you mean by the ‘National Interest Fast-Track Assessment Pathway’ as no such pathway exists under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).”
Watt said the federal government is unable to “consider basic questions” without Queensland providing documents related to the Taroom Trough, such as the proposed number and depth of oil and gas wells, potential environmental risks and the pipelines needed to transport the extracted fossil fuel.
Crisafulli has also asked for the federal government to remove duplicated approvals already conducted at a state level, but Watt wrote that this fast-track mechanism already exists under the EPBC laws.
“This [existing bilateral] agreement enables the Queensland government to assess projects in relation to EPBC Act requirements at the same time as assessing those projects in relation to state requirements,” he wrote.
“This removes the need for a separate assessment by the Australian government and is a more efficient process for proponents to navigate.”
Last week, state Treasurer David Janetzki ordered the Queensland Productivity Commission to begin a 12-month inquiry into the bilateral agreement in the EPBC after his government’s bid to fast-track the Taroom Trough through the new federal laws fell flat.
Watt said this move will only slow down any hopes of kickstarting an oil industry in Queensland.
“I invite you to reconsider this position, as it would significantly delay the opportunity for Queensland to further speed up project assessments and approvals,” the Queensland-based minister wrote in the two-page letter to the premier.
“In any case, senior officials in my department stand ready to engage with their counterparts in Queensland on opportunities to advance Australia’s fuel security, with appropriate management of impacts to Matters of National Environmental Significance.”
While on the hustings on Sunday for a byelection in the state seat of Stafford, Crisafulli repeated his efforts to secure short, medium and long-term fuel security which is expected to be a primary campaign message ahead of the May 16 vote in the inner-north Brisbane electorate.
“We’re at a juncture, and there’s such great uncertainty in the community, I want to send a message that never again will we be at the mercy of others when it comes to our own fuel security,” the premier told reporters.
“Never again should we be at the end of a supply chain that we don’t control.
“We do have the resources and the know-how to be able to control our own destiny with fuel.
“We do have a vision when it comes to drill and refine and store our own fuel. And the biggest impediment to that is Labor and the Greens, putting extra overlays and just trying to find every reason to stop those projects from going ahead.”
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James Hall is the News Director at the Brisbane Times. He is the former Queensland correspondent at The Australian Financial Review and has reported for a range of mastheads across the country, specialising on political and finance reporting.Connect via X or email.
