Culture

Victoria Is Banning Fracking Because Of The Health And Environment Risks

Meanwhile in NSW, you can get seven years in jail for protesting it.

by Tom Clift  30 August 2016

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Victoria will become the first state in the country to introduce legislation that permanently bans fracking, after acknowledging the potential dangers associated with the controversial gas mining process. The relevant legislation will go before parliament later this year, with Premier Daniel Andrews calling it a win for the state’s agriculture sector.

“Our farmers produce some of the world’s cleanest and freshest food. We won’t put that at risk with fracking,” Andrews said in a statement this morning. “Victorians have made it clear that they don’t support fracking and that the health and environmental risks involved outweigh any potential benefits.”

Minister for Resources Wade Noonan said that “there has been a great deal of community concern and anxiety about onshore unconventional gas — this decision gets the balance right.”

The decision comes off the back of longstanding public unrest over coal-seam gas extraction which has been tied to a range of environmental and health concerns, including water contamination. A recent state parliamentary inquiry into the issue received more than 1,600 submissions, most of which were opposed to the process. There has been a moratorium on fracking in place in Victoria since 2012.

The government will also extend a moratorium on conventional onshore gas drilling until 2020. The Australian Worker’s Union praised the fracking ban, but told the ABC that the latter decision would cause “an exodus of investment and jobs from Victoria.” The Greens, meanwhile, are calling for a permanent ban on conventional onshore gas drilling as well.

Though there are similar calls in all other states, Victoria’s stand on the issue comes in stark contrast to action on fracking and CSG by other state governments. Earlier this year, NSW even passed legislation that could get protesters up to seven years jail time for protesting it.

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Feature image via No CSG in Victoria