Environmental groups have expressed outrage at what they describe as misleading information being released by the Department of Mines and Petroluem (DMP) over the dangers caused by hydraulic fracture stimulation, or fracking.
DMP executive director of petroleum Jeff Haworth released an open letter to the WA community last month on the topic of petroleum exploration, following the decision by Labor MPs Sally Talbot and Mick Murray to invoke a ban on the controversial mining practice in the region.
Currently, there are four potential sites for fracking under exploration permits, extending from Mandurah to the Great Southern.
EP 408, the mining exploration permit majority held by Pilot Energy, is described as being located “south of Pinjarra”.
However, the permit actually covers the entire Peel and Murray regions, including Mandurah, Pinjarra and the Peel-Harvey estuary.
Mr Haworth also said petroleum companies are legally required to obtain consent from private land owners and occupiers before approval to undertake any activities on their land is granted.
“A model land access agreement has been developed to streamline negotiations between oil and gas companies and farmers,” Mr Haworth said.
“The model agreement is accompanied by a ‘Farmers Guide to Land Access,’ which provides easy-to-read information on how rural land owners can negotiate fair and equitable compensation for access to private land.
“If an agreement for compensation cannot be reached, the matter may be referred to the Magistrate’s Court where the amount of compensation will be set.”
Frack Free Future spokesperson Jules Kirby said the fact the letter does not seem to accommodate farmers who refuse access to their land points out issues over how the state government is communicating with landholders.
“A lot of farmers are scared, because if they do not want mining companies from coming on their land, there’s not a whole lot they can do about it,” he said.
“The three-month negotiation period is in place to prevent that somewhat, but by the end of that time there’s no guarantee farmer’s rights will be protected.”
Mr Kirby said while debate over fracking is mainly located in rural areas, the fact that exploration permits cover areas such as Mandurah and Pinjarra should alert more people tot he possibly of fracking occurring near them.
“These aren’t just stories being passed around, these are actual farmers and residents who are losing land value and just basic rights to mining interests,” Mr Kirby said.
“And what people should be aware of is the fact that these permits extend massive distances, taking in Mandurah and the entire estuary, and all the information being collected is not being released to the public.”
