Politics behind fracking ban

Fracking involves drilling a vertical well typically more than a kilometre deep, pumping huge volumes of water, sand and chemicals down to fracture the bedrock and then extracting oil or gas trapped within it. It’s big in the US where a so-called shale-oil gas revolution is under way as the Americans aim for energy self-sufficiency instead of relying on the Middle East.

In Australia, energy companies are investing heavily in exploration and they are being granted licences to operate when they hit pay-dirt. 

Except in Victoria where the Liberal government has placed a moratorium on coal-seam gas extraction.

The ban’s still in place despite a taskforce, led by former Howard government minister Peter Reith, calling for an immediate end to it back in 2013 and despite the previous Labor government’s granting of numerous licences for exploration.

The Reith group presented convincing arguments that fracking was unlikely to have adverse environmental affects on land or ground water if carried out properly, findings that mirrored independent studies in the US that have drawn the same conclusion.

But the Napthine government is digging its heels in, this week shelving new applications for gas exploration in response to community concerns about the environmental impact. Noble sentiments indeed, but is that the real reason?

Five months out from a state election, the government’s grip on power is shaky and there is nothing to be gained from upsetting rural constituencies (including this one) that remain suspicious about fracking. Clever politics then is the real driver behind this moratorium.

In the meantime, the energy giants bide their time secure in the knowledge that the ban has little to do with community concern and more to do with votes and must therefore be only temporary.