Queensland opposition leaps on toxic leak ‘cover-up’

Queensland’s opposition has joined farmers in accusing the Palaszczuk government of trying to cover up the spread of toxic chemicals in groundwater near Toowoomba.

Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

Queensland’s opposition has joined farmers in accusing the Palaszczuk government of trying to cover up the spread of toxic chemicals in groundwater from the site of one of the state’s worst environmental disasters.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said that he had “no doubts” the government had deliberately withheld evidence that contaminants had been found outside the boundary of the former Linc ­Energy underground coal gasification project, west of Toowoomba.

“There is no doubt there is a cover-up of the highest order and we are going to fight for the truth for every single person who deserves to know; the landholders, the local council and the environment movement,’’ he said.

“The minister and the government knew for 18 months about this and they didn’t act.”

At the weekend, Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon conceded that local landholders should have been told when newly-installed groundwater monitoring bores first detected the contaminants early last year.

Leaked documents, obtained by The Australian, show Ms Scanlon’s top ministerial advisers were told in May last year that UCG by-products benzene and cyanide had been found for the first time off the site.

But Ms Scanlon has said that at the time she had been assured local landholders were being advised. She denies any cover-up.

The findings were kept from landholders and off the land contamination register, in a possible breach of state “duty to notify” obligations, until they were revealed on Saturday by The Weekend Australian.

In a statement, Ms Scanlon said her office had been sent “a copy of advice from the independent regulator” that the discovery was being shared with landholders. “On 13 May 2021 the most recent groundwater results will be provided to Arrow and released to adjacent landholders as part of DES’ regular engagement and existing data sharing arrangements,’’ the advice purportedly said.

On Monday, she said the landholders were now being informed.

Ms Scanlon and her department have said the findings were not put on to the publicly accessible land contamination register because the levels of cyanide and benzene didn’t reach the threshold for environmental harm.

But leaked internal documents show that the levels of benzene and cyanide detected in the offsite bores were up to 25 times and 11 times, respectively, above the maximum limits of Australian drinking and livestock water guidelines.