Opinion: The Great Artesian Basin – too precious to leave to chance

As agriculturalists we appreciate how water is the essence of life - critical for sustainable development, healthy ecosystems, and human survival. We understand that farmers rely on water for their livelihoods and to ultimately feed our country.

That’s why we at AgForce - the peak organisation representing Queensland's rural producers - are urging Australia’s Federal leaders to step in and stop the Great Artesian Basin from being pumped with CO2 by mining giant Glencore.

Australia is fortunate to have an abundance of natural resources, including water, a privilege a lot of the world does not enjoy in the same way we do. We cannot afford to put that at risk.

The Great Artesian Basin sits under four states and territories, representing a water resource some 130,000 times the size of Sydney Harbour. It is without doubt one of Australia’s most valuable natural resources.

There’s concrete scientific evidence that CO2 reacts with underground rock, releasing stored toxins including arsenic and lead, to levels in the water that make it unsafe and even lethal.

If this proposal, or similar, were to go ahead, lead and arsenic could enter the water of the Great Artesian Basin, where it would be then taken up by animals and plants in our food growing systems, and consumed by us and our children in the food we buy.  That would then potentially enter our food supply chain. 

So AgForce has squared up against mining giant Glencore by launching legal action on an issue we believe is far too important to leave to chance.

The core of Glencore’s proposal involves pumping CO2 waste from the Millmerran Power station into an aquifer that is part of the Great Artesian Basin.

On the 9th of February 2022, the Federal Government waived through their application – a decision that took them less than four weeks to make.

On the 24th of May this year, the State Government knocked back Glencore’s proposal. However, we are not yet done protecting the future of the Great Artesian Basin.

The only way we can protect it properly is through more robust Federal Policy. A review of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) is a critical component of this.

Another critical aspect for AgForce is for the Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to now use her power to recall the Glencore application for re-assessment. The previous Federal Government deemed this proposal as not captured by the ‘Matters of National Environmental Significance’ or MNES provisions of the EPBC Act – setting a dangerous precedent. But the Minister has the power to review that.

Otherwise, the precedent set under the current provisions of the Act will potentially allow other applications through or give space for a re-application by Glencore ahead of the promised reform of the Act itself.

Should the Federal Minister for the Environment call the application back in to be reassessed, we would gladly acknowledge her leadership in protecting one of the natural wonders of the world.  Otherwise, we remain on track for the Federal Court on August 1 to seek a judicial review of that February 9, 2022, decision.

That judicial review is critical to the future of the Great Artesian Basin and all that rely on it.

Be in no doubt that if we fail to protect our precious Great Artesian Basin, Australia’s long held food security and regional viability will be put at risk.  

Let’s be clear, the lifeblood of inland Australia is under threat…and that’s why we’ve stepped up to defend it. Every one of us should be outraged by what’s on the table being considered.

AgForce will leave no stone unturned to quash the Glencore proposal and change policy at the federal level - to ensure the Great Artesian Basin is never again put at risk by an offshore mining giant.   

Michael Guerin is the Chief Executive Officer of AgForce Queensland. With over six years of experience in this role, Michael has successfully advocated for the interests and needs of Queensland's agricultural producers.