WA Mines and Petroleum Sean L'Estrange announced the new Land Access Working Group at the 2016 Petroleum Open Day yesterday, setting it the task to review he statutory framework for land access by the onshore petroleum industry and to thrash out a positive way forward for all parties as the onshore sector prepares for growth.

The group will report to WA's parliament before June 30, 2018

With oil prices tentatively creeping up and a local gas glut evaporating, companies across Australia have started talking more pro-actively about assessing unconventional resources again, although investigation remains a costly exercise which has no guarantees of success given the highly complex nature of the geology.

Activists will have been buoyed by Victoria's decision to shut down its onshore exploration sector completely, the Northern Territory's new government installing a fraccing moratorium and New South Wales effecting stopping CSG exploration from anyone besides Santos, but they seem unlikely to have a similar impact in the west, at least under a conservative government.

If Labor wins the state election next March it has discussed a fraccing ban.

L'Estrange said Barnett government's move was a direct response to recommendations from the Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs report on Implications for Western Australia of Hydraulic Fracturing for Unconventional Gas.

The LAWG will comprise representatives from industry and farmer organisations, the WA Local Government Association, the Conservation Council of WA and various state government agencies.

The group, to be chaired by Department of Mines and Petroleum director general Richard Sellers, will meet at least once each quarter, unless agreed otherwise, with Sellers' department to provide executive and administrative support.

As an advisory body, the working group's advice and recommendations will be made by consensus, but where consensus cannot be reached the dissenting views will be recorded and later presented to the minister by Sellers.

A "whole of government" response to the recommendations was tabled in the Legislative Council on March 16.

Groudwater development

The DMP also issued new groundwater monitoring guidelines for the onshore petroleum industry yesterday after two years of collaboration with the WA Department of Water.

The guidelines specifically addresses activities requiring groundwater monitoring; a review of existing information; designing a monitoring program; interpreting monitoring data; and information to be provided to DMP and DoW.

They also aim to reassure local communities, stakeholders and landholders that groundwater resources are actively monitored and are not being impacted by onshore petroleum activities.

The DMP and DoW reviewed a draft guideline last September as part of an interagency working group on shale and tight gas along with the departments of environmental regulation, agriculture and food WA, state development, parks and wildlife, health, and the Environmental Protection Authority.

The Chemistry Centre, Water Corporation, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and peak petroleum industry body the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association were also invited to provide comment.