2nd Dec 2019, 4:11 PM – Senate Motions - Seismic Testing - Community consultation

The majority voted against a motion introduced by NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi (Greens), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) Asset Energy and their project partners are planning to conduct further seismic testing for gas off the coast of Newcastle and the Central Coast in New South Wales,

(ii) the Environmental Plan for the seismic testing is currently being developed and, once submitted, the community will have only 28 days to respond to the regulator, and

(iii) the community is concerned that the Environmental Plan may be lodged with the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) during the holiday period, limiting opportunities for genuine community consultation and feedback; and

(b) calls on NOPSEMA to:

(i) ensure that if any Environmental Plan is exhibited for community consultation during December 2019 or January 2020, that the community consultation period is extended to at least 60 days, and

(ii) conduct extensive public hearings in the affected communities of the Central Coast, Northern Beaches and Newcastle, and to advertise the hearings extensively in local media.