Origin Energy likes to hide behind a clean, green image, but the truth is that Origin is one of Australia’s biggest gas mining companies. They’re trying to get approval from the Federal Government to drill 1700 climate-wrecking gas wells in Queensland across two major river catchments, the Condamine and the Dawson. The first flows west into the Murray-Darling Basin and the latter flows north into the Fitzroy and the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Under threat: Water, wildlife and farmland
The east coast of Australia is producing more gas than ever. Origin's plan isn't about helping Australians – it's about maximising their export profits while Queenslanders pay the price through destroyed farmland, polluted water and worsening climate impacts. They’ll be selling most of the gas overseas, while charging Australian businesses sky-high prices for Queensland gas.
Origin has approval from the Australian Government, granted fifteen years ago, to drill 10,000 coal seam gas wells across hundreds of thousands of hectares of southern and central Queensland. It has drilled around 3,000 of these so far.
Existing coal seam gas development in Queensland
Ironbark, near the town of Tara, is “Stage 1” of the Origin's big expansion. Origin already has approval from the Queensland government for 100 coal seam gaswells in this area and has already drilled a number of these. Under the “Gas Supply Security Project” this would increase to 718.
The wells are very close to a rural residential area and locals will be affected by noise and air pollution from the gasfield. The company is separately seeking permission from the Queensland government for a smaller increase, 46 more, but has not sought assessment of their larger plans.
Gayle is a landholder whose farm is under Origin’s Ironbark petroleum lease.
Unlike Ironbark, Origin has not been exploring for gas recently in the Spring Gully tenements, which are in the north of the Surat Basin, in the Dawson River catchment, so far undeveloped for gas. Part of the Spring Gully gasfields includes a large area that has never been surveyed for wildlife as part of an environmental assessment for the project, but is known to be home to gliders and koalas. The area also has many groundwater springs, some of which feed nationally threatened ecosystems and other which feed the Dawson River. Origin proposes drilling 867 wells at Spring Gully, causing groundwater drawdown and fragmentation of wildlife habitat.
The final gasfield is Peat, in the east, also in the Dawson River catchment, east of the agricultural town of Wandoan. Origin proposes coal seam gas 110 wells at Peat but not until the latter stages of the project.
Even though the east coast of Australia is producing more gas than ever, Origin is seeking approval to drill over 1,700 new gas wells!
Origin's plan isn't about helping Australians – it's about maximising their export profits while Queenslanders pay the price through destroyed farmland, polluted water and worsening climate impacts.
They’ll be selling most of the gas overseas, while charging Australian businesses sky-high prices for Queensland gas.