The Queensland Resources Council has said it was both pleased and disappointed with the conclusions in a water study of the Galilee Basin.
‘Starting with the title – Draining the Life-Blood – and noting the report was commissioned by a foundation member of the anti-coal movement, it was predictable that an alarmist forecast would take centre stage,’ said QRC Chief Executive Michael Roche.
‘However, the extreme development scenario underpinning the report could be a useful planning tool in working towards a regional solution to future water supply issues in the Galilee Basin.
‘To date the development of the resources sector in Queensland has brought increased water security to the regions in which it operates.
‘Two recent examples are the ‘drought-proofing’ of farms near Roma using re-processed coal-seam gas water and the construction by Bowen Basin coal companies of the Burdekin Dam-Moranbah pipeline.
‘The disappointment with this report is that it seeks to portray the instantaneous development of the Galilee Basin as a done deal when only one project has moved through the stringent environmental approvals process.
‘It has taken 50 years for Queensland coal exports to build to around 180 million tonnes a year but the report speaks blithely of an additional 312 million tonnes of coal exports from the Galilee Basin – a region currently with no mines and no rail connection to ports.
‘Water security and sustainability is a major issue for Queensland and is deserving of more considered attention than a cheap grab for headlines,’ Mr Roche said.
