Vic government warned of ‘damaging legacy’ of gas mining

Issue 
An unconventional gas well.

The Victorian Auditor General released a report on August 19 that warned that well-recognised risks may make unconventional gas mining unsuitable for Victoria because of its dense population, scarce water resources and reliance on agriculture.

The report, Unconventional Gas: Managing Risks and Impacts, warned that “substantial national and international studies have comprehensively identified the potential and known risks that unconventional gas poses to the environment and the community.”

The report pointed out the current regime for regulating earth resources was grossly inadequate because it “has too few environmental controls and weak consideration of the competing interests for land involved and potential social impacts”.

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