Showing posts with label primary industries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label primary industries. Show all posts

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Are the Tara coal seam gas fields any indication of the effect Metgasco's mining plans will have on NSW North Coast property values?

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 2011 Google Earth image
Click on image to enlarge
 
This is an image of one section of the coal seam gas well cluster and other associated infrastructure between Tara and Chincilla townships in Queensland.
 
Metgasco Limited appears to have similar plans on the NSW North Coast, with an estimated 1,000 gas wells proposed for the Lismore-Casino area alone.
 
Recently Clarence Valley residents concerned over Metgasgo’s test drilling in the Clarence Valley have expressed fears that land values may decrease if gas production wells are eventually established in the local government area.
 
As usual Metgasco director, shareholder and CEO, Peter Henderson, is quick to deny any negative relationship between coal seam gas mining and land values.
 
Using the Western Downs local government area in Queensland as an example, it is clear that overall property values have only increased by a moderate 3 per cent between 2011-12.
 
In towns around which the gas fields are centred, the residential sector saw an increase of between 10-30% from October 2010 to October 2011. While commercial and industrial property valuations in these towns have apparently responded with a range of valuations going from no increase, through to moderate increase and, in the case of Chinchilla’s fringe commercial market a large increase in that same period falling away to a moderate increase in 2012.
 
 
According to anti-CSG activist Peter Ralph, in practical terms this translated for one Wieambilla rural residential property owner into a fall in his land valuation from $115,000 last year to $77,000 this year. This same landowner had seven drill rigs and a gas compressor station within seven kilometres of his house in 2011 and a pipeline 300 metres from the front door.
 
As the majority of established gas wells are sited on rural land, one can assume that production wells on or near a rural property may have a detrimental impact on the value of that property.

For an area such as the Clarence Valley, where the majority of land is classified rural and much of this used for forestry, agriculture, grazing and ‘tree change’ retirement, such a valuation trend does not bode well.

Ballina local government area is in a similar position, with an estimated 20 per cent of its population living in rural zones predominately given over to agricultural activities.

Background:

A short helicopter tour of the Tara region gas fields.

 

Thursday 4 October 2012

Can our Northern Rivers cope with the amount of water extraction required by foreshadowed mining ventures?

 
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Perhaps questions should be asked about the average number of dams per operational mining license, as envisaged by the NSW Government, and tally them up across each Northern Rivers catchment as to expected total dam volume and estimated megalitres of extracted river water required over the life of each mining venture.

Can highly variable and environmentally sensitive river systems cope with this additional water extraction?
 
NSW Legislative Council 2012 Adequacy of water storages in NSW (Inquiry):
 
Given the historical long term and recent increasing trends (as noted above), the DSC expects that the number of prescribed dams will continue to grow – particularly for the following reasons:
 
The current on-going significant activity and development in the mining industry, involving the continued evolution of mine tailings and storage dams.
 
Investigation and development of coal seam gas extraction – which will require some holding reservoirs for the water that is obtained as part of the extraction process……..
 
 

Sunday 5 June 2011

Gillard and Ludwig fiddle while last of the goodwill burns


Labor MPs are stepping up pressure on Julia Gillard to take decisive action on Australia's live export trade to counter a growing community backlash against cruelty to animals.
They are concerned at the potential effect on the Government of a television campaign to be unleashed today by three groups that have received more than 200,000 online signatures to a petition calling for a total ban on the live export of cattle.
Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig confirmed last night that a ban was now in place against the export of live animals to 12 Indonesian abattoirs outed by the ABC for cruel slaughtering practices.
However the promised independent reviewer had not been appointed by last night, nor had the terms of reference for the inquiry been settled.

[The Canberra Times 4 March 2011]

It is hardly surprising that Labor backbenchers are pushing the Prime Minister.

This issue has the ability to mushroom even further than troubling concerns over the treatment of asylum seekers given that it doesn’t trigger that deep well of xenophobia within the Australian psyche.

The general response would be the same if the Four Corners exposé had been concerned with local abbattoirs.

The Gillard Government cannot afford to go slowly or employ half measures when addressing live animal export to Indonesia – only a total ban will see Australian cattle protected from deliberate and unthinking cruelty in that country.

Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig needs to do the maths. There are more voters living in urban areas of this country who don’t make a living either directly or indirectly from the cattle industry than those who do in rural and regional Australia.


Snapshot of RSPCA Australia banner 4 June 2011

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Leave river to flow free says local media


From the pen of David Bancroft, The Daily Examiner Editor, 18 October 2010

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