GREENS MLC Mark Parnell has progressed moves to ban fracking in the South East, introducing amendments to state legislation to bolster the Marshall Government’s cabinet-imposed moratorium.
On Wednesday evening, the upper house MP introduced a private member’s bill that will ban hydraulic fracturing in the South East for 10 years.
Under the measures proposed by Mr Parnell and Greens colleague Tammy Franks, which will amend the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act, the minister would be unable to grant any fracking licences within the region.
The ban, which would end on March 17, 2028, in line with the election date earlier this year, would also see any existing licence authorising fracking in the region annulled.
In order to pass in the upper house, the bill will require the support of the Liberal Party and one crossbench MLC.
Following Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell foreshadowing plans to introduce a similar bill in the House of Assembly, the State Government would not be drawn on committing to support the legislation.
In light of Mr Parnell’s bill, a State Government spokesperson said the Marshall Government had already implemented the promised 10-year moratorium, “obviating the need for legislation”.
Mr Parnell said the move to impose a legislated embargo sought to “hold the Liberals to account” on their pre-election pledge.
“Given we have an election every four years, you cannot promise 10 years of anything unless you put it in legislation,” he said.
“There could be a change in government, there could be a change of policy – then the 10-year moratorium is meaningless.
“If the Liberals were to lose and the Labor Party were to gain government, they could immediately reverse the decision.
“A legislated moratorium would require further legislation to remove and that gives a far greater degree of security to people in the South East.
“If the Liberals are going to hold out and insist legislation is not necessary, they will have some pretty difficult questions to answer to their community.”
While supporting Mr Bell’s plan to introduce a similar amendment, which is expected to be debated in the lower house next month, Mr Parnell said the independent MP could face constraints by his former party.
“It is great Troy is putting it in the lower house and I am hoping the Liberals do not stymie him,” he said.
“Troy does not get to introduce his bill until next month as the government controls the agenda in the lower house and can prevent a vote.
“If that does not pass, at least we will have an opportunity to vote on it in the upper house and that will really test the Liberal Party.
“Whether it is my Greens bill or Troy’s bill, at the end of the day, the people of the South East have to have confidence we did everything we could to protect the region.”
Limestone Coast Protection Alliance chair Angus Ralton praised the second bid to give legal weight to the existing moratorium.
“We fully endorse this motion as a ban is what we have always been after,” he said.
“If the Liberal Party does kill this bill calling for a ban, I think they have been deceptive in the nature of what they were proposing before the election.
“If they torpedo this bill, they have also torpedoed their credibility with those who put them in power.
“The ball is now firmly in the court of the Liberal Party and we expect them to support this.”
Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association SA director Matthew Doman said the Liberal Party had been clear about the policy both before and after the election, labelling the Greens move to legislate as “regrettable, but not unexpected”.
Beach Energy South East regional manager Glenn Toogood said the moratorium would not impact on the company’s operations in the region.
“Our focus in the South East has solely been on the rejuvenation of conventional gas development, non of which requires fracking,” he said.
