Doug Browne was just 16 years old when his father died, his formal school years ended, and he took over the family farm at Springvale on Queensland’s Western Downs.
Decades later at almost 79 years of age, he is among the “Springvale Four” — a group of farmers fighting a coal seam gas development affecting that land.
“Very personal. It’s been my life’s work,” Mr Browne said.
“We’ve got terrific soils here, we’re some of the richest country in the countryside in the west.”
The group of neighbouring farmers — including Celia Karp, Russell Young, and John Karrasch — has been challenging Arrow Energy’s regional interests development approval (RIDA) over the land for almost two years.
A RIDA is required when a resource or regulated activity is proposed in an area of “regional interest” that includes priority agricultural areas, according to the Queensland Planning Department.
Earlier this month, Arrow Energy announced it had withdrawn its RIDA in the Springvale area and a second nearby application, which encompasses 25 coal seam gas wells and 13km of gathering lines, to be part of its Surat Gas Project.
It is believed to be one of the first times a landholders’ challenge has resulted in a RIDA being withdrawn.
Doug Browne is concerned his property will be affected by coal seam gas wells on neighbouring farms. (ABC Southern Qld: Dan McCray)
The farmers’ main concerns were impacts on their irrigation bores and subsidence, which is the gradual sinking of land when groundwater is extracted by gas companies to allow for gas production.
“I’m getting damage there now from my irrigation bores, which have been long-term bores drilled in back in the 1980s,” Mr Browne said.
“Our water levels are dropping.”
Water is life
Mr Browne said he remained concerned about the company’s future plans.
“If you haven’t got water, what have you got? You really haven’t got anything,” he said.
“I just won’t move … it’s been a fair uphill battle but I’m a pretty good fighter.”
Doug Browne took over the family property at Springvale when he was 16. (ABC Southern Qld: Elly Bradfield)
Arrow Energy external affairs vice president Matthew Jeffries said it withdrew the application, lodged in 2022, because of the time elapsed, changes to its plans, and commitment to providing clarity to landholders.
“Since then, we’ve refined our field development enabling us to meet production obligations with the smallest possible footprint,” he said.
“These wells are now scheduled for a later development phase and will cross fewer properties.”
Mr Jeffries said if a new RIDA was required in the future, the company would consult with relevant stakeholders and the community.
He said further applications were likely as part of the 27-year project, which he said would support thousands of jobs and inject $10 billion into the regional economy.
“It’s [natural gas] a lower-carbon energy source and has a key role to play in the global transition to net zero and will continue to be a firming source of energy when renewable sources like wind and solar don’t produce electricity,” he said.
Arrow Energy last week announced an almost $100 million drilling contract with an Australian company, Silver City Drilling, to drill a further 250 wells around Miles, Chinchilla, and Dalby, 30 kilometres north of Springvale.
The company said it was the next phase of its Surat Gas Project.
“The project will include up to 2,500 gas wells producing 4,000 petajoules of natural gas over the life of the project,” Mr Jeffries said.
‘The risks are too high’
Doug Browne says he will oppose any future CSG developments that affect his family farm. (ABC Southern Qld: Dan McCray)
Springvale farmer Celia Karp and her brother inherited their property from their parents and said their fight was about protecting the land for the future.
“It’s our duty to our parents who put so much hard work into developing this land,” she said.
“My father cleared the trees by hand … This is a legacy we’re leaving for future generations, and we have to honour that.
“Pumping out underground water in a drying climate is totally irresponsible.”
Ms Karp said a number of the four properties relied on overland flow — or water that runs across the land after rainfall — for their farming practices.
“Any interference in the overland flow will be disastrous for our properties,” she said.
‘Wedge’ between neighbours
Ms Karp said the gas developments in the area had been socially destructive.
“I value my neighbours but this has put a wedge in between neighbours, which is a tragedy,” she said.
“Some of us have known each other for 30, 40 years and everyone has different opinions and different reasons why they signed up [to gas contracts].
“We’ve made it very clear in our group that we don’t want it, not at any price.”
Russell Bennie says the “Springvale Four” were successful because they stuck together and got expert advice. (ABC Southern Qld: Elly Bradfield)
Nearby landholder Russell Bennie said Arrow Energy’s withdrawal of the RIDA was “a good thing” but not a long-term solution.
“They’re still intending on mining the properties, or mining very close to the properties, in such a manner that the impacts are going to occur regardless,” he said.
“There’s no definitive understanding of the interconnectivity of the aquifers, which means that when they drain one aquifer, the likelihood is that other aquifers are going to be impacted through being connected at some point in the landscape.”
