Ministers speak out on Great Artesian Basin carbon proposal

New funding to map future carbon capture and storage sites comes as Albanese government ministers raise concerns about a current proposal.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has raised concerns about Glencore’s proposal. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Federal funding to map future carbon capture and storage sites has been announced as Albanese government ministers publicly raise concerns about a proposal to dump carbon dioxide waste in the Great Artesian Basin.

The carbon capture and storage mapping project was announced on Wednesday as part of the government’s $566m package to invest in geoscientific research over the next decade.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said he held concerns about a proposal by Glencore subsidiary Carbon Transport and Storage Corporation to store carbon dioxide emissions from a coal-fired power station in the Great ­Artesian Basin.

The proposal is facing a legal challenge in the Federal Court by lobby group AgForce, which is trying to force the government to reconsider a 2022 Morrison government decision not to assess the project under federal environmental legislation.

Resources Minister Madeleine King. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“Obviously, I need to be careful what I say given that there is a court challenge under way but as the federal Agriculture Minister, of course I’m concerned about the potential impact of a CCS project on the Great Artesian Basin,” Senator Watt said.

“Any decisions to approve these sorts of resource projects have obviously got to be based on the science, and they’ve got to have consideration for the impact on agricultural land.”

The Australian revealed last week that Senator Watt’s office had previously written to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to ask whether there was scope for the government to reconsider its decision that CTSCo’s project was not a “controllable action” under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Farmers fear dumping carbon dioxide within the underground water source, will cause irreparable harm. Glencore says the project is supported by compre­hensive scientific data and reviews.

Also on Wednesday, Resources Minister Madeleine King backed carbon capture and storage projects, saying they would form a key part of the government’s plan to reduce carbon emissions. Speaking at the Beef2024 industry event in Rockhampton, where CTSCo’s project has been a hot topic, Ms King said she has not spoken to Ms Plibersek about the CTSCo project on Queensland’s Darling Downs.

She said ministers expressing a personal opinion about such proposals risked a finding of apprehended bias in the courts.

Ms King encouraged “sensible debate” about CCS and where it should be located.