BP to wield axe

Majors are continuing their global cost cutting sprees with BP confirming plans to thin the numbers by March.

"We would expect the bulk of job losses would be concentrated in Melbourne," a BP spokesman told AAP.

The total cull is expected to be about 300 jobs with BP employing 7500 in Australia and 1250 in Melbourne where its Australian operations are headquartered.

Workers at the two refineries in Western Australia and Queensland will reportedly be unaffected.

While the spokesman noted that Australia's transport fuel market was growing, he reportedly said BP's cost base was too high.

"We need to get a bit smarter and a bit quicker on our feet," he told the news agency.

Victoria fraccing scared

The Victorian government will keep its moratorium on fraccing until at least 2015.

While a report by former federal minister Peter Reith encourages fraccing and the development of unconventional gas sectors to help Victorian manufacturing and the state economy, Premier Denis Napthine wants more feedback that will lead to another report in July 2015 - with Victoria's next election scheduled for November 29, 2014.

Gippsland-focused tight rock gas explorer Lakes Oil chairman Robert Annells expressed his dismay to the Australian Financial Review.

"The unions support what we want to do because they can see the threat to employment," he told the newspaper.

"But both sides of politics are thinking more about the election than about Victoria."

Napthine recently made comments in line with the small-target political strategy that former prime minister John Howard popularised.

"I want to make a clear commitment to all Victorians that protecting regional and rural Victoria's food and fibre production, water aquifers, prime agricultural land and general liveability is fundamental to the Victorian Coalition government's approach to these issues," Napthine reportedly said.

Fence-sitting Hartcher

Proposed amendments to the Petroleum Onshore Bill will give landholders a much greater say over how gas explorers seek access to their land, according to New South Wales Energy and Resources Minister Chris Hartcher.

"The changes include stipulation that permit provisions may only be utilised for environmental data collection and geological survey purposes such as water monitoring, flora and fauna - at the exploration phase only," Hartcher said.

"The community has broadly recognised that baseline data is important prior to any project being considered for approval. The permit system will support that aim."

However, coal seam gas opponents disagree.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Lock the Gate Alliance national coordinator Phil Laird said the bill would allow CSG companies to enter farms without landholder consent in order to conduct surveys for obtaining environmental approvals.

"This is a back door for gas exploration that undermines other regulations," Greens NSW MP Jeremy Buckingham reportedly said.

"The broadening of the permit system dodges the need for even an exploration licence or land access agreement to conduct exploration activities."