Arrow Energy continue to clash with Lock the Gate Alliance in light of MP Pat Weir’s election promises to protect Murray Darling Basin

An environmental group is calling for the LNP to honour their election promise to protect the Murray Darling Basin from gas companies, as one landholder reveals the impact coal seam gas has had on their farm. FULL STORY.

Dan Hayllor says drilling has not affected his crops

Arrow Energy has responded to MP Pat Weir’s election promises to protect the Murray Darling Basin from gas drilling, suggesting their Surat Gas Project will have minimal impact on the region’s food bowl.

Mr Weir said he would make it necessary for gas companies to prove “beyond any reasonable doubt” that their project would not impact the Murray Darling Basin’s shallow aquifer with Lock the Gate Alliance calling on them to honour their promise.

QLDVOTES24 LNP Member for Condamine Pat Weir votes in the 2024 State Election at Drayton State School in Toowoomba. Saturday, October 26, 2024. Picture: Nev Madsen.

“There has always been some question marks about the impact on the Condamine Alluvium and the connectivity there,” Mr Weir said.

“We have recently discovered there are a lot of old legacy cole exploration holes, a total of 998 of them and the department only knows the whereabouts of 18.

“I have had concerns raised with me through various sources as to the impact these legacy holes could have in the area of the Condamine Alluvium. When extraction starts and water is removed, the gas would become mobile and may find these old holes and transfer into the alluvium.

“This would make them gassy and there was a question mark around if the area became depressurised would more water go down.

“These issues weren't addressed during the assessment process and I have a number of experts raise issues with that.”

Mr Weir said he would like to see gas companies held to a higher standard.

“When Campbell Newman was premier they introduced the regional plans and that was to have some protection on prime agricultural lands and as part of that, if there was a deemed threat to the agricultural area a resource company would have to go through a (regional interests development approvals) process,” he said.

“Over time that has eased to where the resource companies are doing a code assessable approval and what I’m saying is it should be impact assessable as was the intention of that act.”

Save Our Darling Downs

Nangwee farmer and Save Our Darling Downs spokesman Liza Balmain echoed this sentiment.

“Arrow Energy’s planned coal seam gas expansion poses an unconscionable threat to the invaluable groundwater of the Condamine Alluvium, which underpins agricultural production in one of Australia’s most prized food bowls on the Darling Downs,” she said.

“Once the damage is done, it can’t be reversed, the Condamine Alluvium also supplies drinking water to regional towns including Dalby.

“The water security of this region must not be put at risk for polluting coal seam gas, the majority of which Arrow parent company Shell plans to export.

“We hope sense will prevail with strengthened protections ensuing from the LNP as promised for this unique and vitally important food bowl and its treasured groundwater.”

Meanwhile an Arrow Energy spokesman rebutted the claims.

“Our Surat Gas Project is responsibly producing the natural gas needed to power homes, businesses and industries,” they said.

“Our activity on the Condamine Alluvium is strongly regulated and we have worked with landholders and the Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment to undertake important groundwater research. This showed hydraulic connectivity between the Condamine Alluvium and the Walloon Coal Measures is low.

“Currently, the project has more than 260 wells in operation, supplying critical energy to our long-term contract and domestic customers, including the east coast gas market.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the new government and landholders to supply critical energy while protecting properties.

“We have been working with landholders on agricultural properties for 14 years, demonstrating that the farming and natural gas industries can operate productively side-by-side.”

Dan Hayllor says drilling has not affected his crops

One such landholder is cotton and grain farmer Dan Hayllor, who has been working closely with Arrow for years.

“It has been good, our first construction started on April 12, 2021 and we were working with Arrow about a year prior, we have been able to get the farm and the gas to work together to minimise any impact on our operation,” he said.

“Subsidence is a tricky word, I think you need to look at (is) has the subsidence impacted our business? We have one irrigation farm that has wells next to it and yes we’ve had subsidence, but has that affected our ability to farm? No.

“Have we had any impact on our yields from it? No. Have we had any impact on our ability to irrigate? No.

“Then we have another farm which has Arrow wells on it, they have been turned on for two years and evidence shows the worst subsidence should occur in the first couple of years, but we have just pulled of record crops, so we look at that and say has that impacted our ability to farm and the answer is no.

“If you ask me why I am comfortable with this development it’s because of ground base evidence and the evidence is we are still farming successfully with gas wells on our property.

“You have some people who are deeply opposed to it, but talking to people who have gas wells I find it hard to find too many negative comments.”

Mr Hayllor said the gas wells also gave them much needed financial backing during poor harvests.

“It is a useful part of our business. Farming is so up and down, so unreliable, having a baseline income stream has allowed us to employ more people and will leave a legacy for future generations so it has had a positive impact on our business,” he said.

“We’ve also had infrastructure improvements, where I live we had gravel on both sides of the house and a dirt road accessing our farms which regularly flooded that's now gravelled and the two gravel roads are now bitumen so it has improved our quality of life.”

Dan Hayllor says drilling has not affected his crops

Mr Weir said they were now waiting for the new cabinet positions to be filled before figuring out their plans for drilling in the region.

“I talked to the natural resources minister this morning, this will go through a few departments, natural resources planning and agriculture and possible water as well and all of those departments are being fully staffed,” he said.

“They are having a meeting in 10 days time and this is one of the items on the agenda.”

Originally published as Arrow Energy continue to clash with Lock the Gate Alliance in light of MP Pat Weir’s election promises to protect Murray Darling Basin