Toxic saga: Queensland minister vows transparency

The Palaszczuk government will now publicly release all water sampling results from around the contaminated former Linc Energy project.

Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon.

The Palaszczuk government will now publicly release all water sampling results from around the contaminated former Linc Energy project amid local farmers’ anger that they were not told of last year’s discovery that toxic chemicals had spread from the site.

Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon on Tuesday overturned years of secrecy over gas, water and soil tests conducted by the state since Linc’s underground coal gasification project, west of Toowoomba, was shut down in 2013.

“These landholders have gone through an enormous ordeal through this whole process; they rightfully want information, and that’s what we want to provide to them,’’ Ms Scanlon said.

“I’ve asked that with all government-owned properties in that area around the Linc site, any ­watering sampling that is done, that it be put up online.”

Leaked documents from the Department of Environment and Science, obtained by The Australian, show that test results relating to the Linc site have for years been released only to landholders and other stakeholders after they sign confidentiality agreements.

Some landholders signed the confidentiality agreements, according to a departmental briefing email, because of fears the Linc site contamination would damage the value of their properties. Repeated testing of neighbouring properties have found no UCG by-products.

Ms Scanlon’s move follows revelations in The Weekend Australian that dangerous levels of cyanide and the highly carcinogenic chemical benzene had been found for the first time outside the Linc site boundary in April last year. Newly installed groundwater monitoring bores detected levels of benzene and cyanide that were up to 25 times and 11 times, respectively, above the maximum limits of Australian drinking and livestock water guidelines.

The discovery was kept secret from the region’s landholders and the local council, which owned the land on which the new bores had been drilled.

Documents show that departmental officials were last year planning to share the test results with landholders, council and a gas company, Arrow Energy, which is currently seeking state approval to drill coal seam gas wells on land surrounding the Linc site.

 

“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 May 12, 2021, email reads.

“Results will be provided under existing confidentiality agreements.” But only Arrow was told of the spreading contamination.

The email was authored by the Environmental Services and Regulation unit and sent to the environment department director-general Jamie Merrick, Ms Scanlon’s then ministerial chief of staff Nick Heath and other senior public servants and ministerial advisers.

“Historically, adjacent landholders have not been in contact with the media when DES has provided information regarding the site conditions and therefore it is considered there is a low risk of landholders directly contacting the minister and/or media,’’ the email reads.

“The risk of providing results to Arrow is medium as it may raise concerns that the monitoring ­results could impact an existing environmental authority amendment application related to the Hopeland region.’’

Local farmers have this week demanded that all information relating to Linc be automatically made public.

“The site is now owned by the state and whatever comes off it, whatever test, any report needs to be made public,’’ local farmer Brian Bender told The Australian on Sunday. Mr Bender has called for a freeze on the state assessment of Arrow Energy’s coal seam gas project.

Arrow Energy, a joint venture between Shell and PetroChina, has proposed 280 wells as part of its $10bn Surat Gas Project.

Last year, after unspecified discussions with the Environment Department, Arrow announced it would wind back its application to just 55 wells on the land neighbouring Linc, with an application for approval for the remaining 225 wells to be made at a later date.