Yesterday an APPEA-organised breakfast in Perth heard from Chevron Corporation's Australia managing director Nigel Hearne and Pennsylvania   Secretary for Community and Economic Development Dennis Davin  about the benefits to the community from the development of unconventional gas. 

 

APPEA CEO Dr Malcolm Roberts closed out the event noting a recent report had found great benefits for western Surat Basin communities in Queensland, where population decline had reversed as people stayed for employment rather than moving far from home. 

 

"There were opportunities for people to stay," he said. 

 

The new report, ‘Unconventional Gas in Australia' focuses on CSG, shale and tight gas development in Australia, where only two states are allowing unconventional development - Queensland and South Australia - with the other states and territories carrying out further inquiries.  

 

Gas is not just important for electricity but also for heat and cooking, and has conferred great economic benefits on Queensland, APPEA claimed. 

 

Most of the $9 billion Queensland industry is in rural and regional areas and in the last two years the oil patch had had paid more than $15 billion to 3100 businesses, mostly in regional areas, the report said. 

 

"Natural gas continues to be an essential and popular energy source for Australia," Dr Roberts said.

 

"Almost half of all homes - five million households - are connected to gas and more than 11 million gas appliances are in use." 

 

As production levels decline the eastern states will become more reliant on unconventional gas to meet needs, the report said. 

 

"Today, Queensland's unconventional gas reserves are the largest single source of natural gas in eastern Australia.  More than half of the gas consumed on the east coast is CSG from Queensland and almost 90 per cent of gas reserves on the east coast are unconventional gas," he said. 

 

A recent Fraser Institute survey found that Queensland and South Australia rated that highest among Australian regions in terms of industry perception, with South Australia leading the way and in the top five jurisdictions globally - for small reserves bases - and Queensland rating far above Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.

 

Dr Roberts called on states to lift their restrictions, saying that "Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory all have considerable CSG or shale gas potential but have effectively locked away their unconventional gas with blanket bans, moratoriums and regulatory restrictions".