More than 250 people gathered on August 26 for the Frack Free People's Rally organised by Lock the Gate Alliance and Frack Free WA outside the Western Australia State Labor Conference.
They were there to ensure WA Labor know people want the state to be free of unconventional gas and to demand it implement fracking bans and veto rights through legislation and announce the inquiry promised during the election.
After Labor won the March state election, activists became concerned when the government said its policy was a ban on hydraulic fracture stimulation and not a ban on exploration for future WA gas supplies. They feared this meant a fracking ban would still allow activities associated with unconventional gas, including exploration, seismic testing, horizontal drilling and waste ponds.
In June, the government said it would introduce a strategic five-year release of petroleum exploration areas across the Canning and Perth Basins, which minimised environmental, cultural and land use constraints.
At the time, mines and petroleum minister Bill Johnston said: 鈥淎 moratorium on fracking may limit prospectors鈥 interest in bidding, however the release doesn鈥檛 conflict with the government鈥檚 policy, pending the findings of a scientific inquiry. There may be potential for gas development without the need for fracking.鈥
The recently released Australian Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Science Survey found seven out of 10 people were opposed to fracking. Conservation Council of WA director Piers Verstegen said the results do not come as a surprise.
鈥淭he science has consistently shown that there is no safe way to frack 鈥 therefore we would expect that the majority of Australians would oppose unconventional gas and fracking.
鈥淗ere in Western Australia, people are aware of the science and understand the risks that fracking poses to their health and safety, and they鈥檙e determined to keep the industry out of the state.
鈥淲A hydrogeologist Dr Ryan Vogwill鈥檚 report, Western Australia鈥檚 Tight Gas Industry: A review of groundwater and environmental risks, highlights the threat posed to WA鈥檚 groundwater supplies by unconventional gas and fracking.鈥欌
For those protesting outside the conference, the only way the bans in the South West, Peel and metropolitan area could be permanent and meaningful is if they are legislated. But they were to be disappointed. There was no push for legislation and little change to policy.
Delegates at the conference supported a policy reiterating the WA Labor election commitments on gas fracking, including a permanent ban on gas fracking in Perth, Peel, Swan Valley and the South West. The policy also confirmed that WA Labor would consider further fracking bans in sensitive areas following the outcome of the inquiry that is yet to be announced.
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