The recent Gloucester Shire Council meeting raised some hot debate when a motion and subsequent amendment to invite AGL back into the fold of community and local council coal seam gas ‘dialogue’ were put to councillors and rejected. This month’s discussions arose after councillors agreed in June to consider AGL’s return to the Dialogue.
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As a result Councillor Frank Hooke submitted the motion to invite AGL to “rejoin the Gloucester Dialogue” but in a relationship with conditions attached. These initially included AGL agreeing to submit a development application to store water on the Tiedman property, cease to use the Dialogue for public relations purposes, sign a protocol authored by Cr. Hooke and attend a meeting with council to discuss the conditions outlined above.
AGL have been excluded from the Gloucester Dialogue, formed to discuss issues surrounding their coal seam gas operations in the area, since February when they failed to disclose their findings surrounding banned BTEX substances in their flowback water despite reporting it to government authorities the day before a Dialogue meeting.
“The latest motion was about opening the discussions with AGL and council,” deputy mayor Katheryn Smith said, adding that it was not the first time the motion had come before them.
“The [defeated] motion’s status does not mean we will or won’t allow it. Each of us has our own opinion. But we will wait for things to settle down at AGL in light of their restructuring before seeking a presentation from them. Then we will discuss the issue amongst ourselves. Then go back to AGL.
Being a part of the Dialogue is a communication channel. Whether you support the coal seam gas industry or not, it’s about the opportunity to exchange information,” she said.
The last Gloucester Dialogue meeting took place on July 22 with a representative from the Environment Protection Agency discussing the implications and new structures resulting from its new duties as the regulator for the coal seam gas industry across NSW.
