Agreement is just whole lot of gas

BACKFLIP: Harrami landowner Keith Semple says coal seam gas company QCG has gone back on an agreement.

WHEN is an agreement not an agreement? When it is done by a coal seam gas (CSG) company, according to Harrami landowner Keith Semple.

Mr Semple said QCG had backed down on its word in an agreement he made while in his solicitor's office.

The QCG CSG pipeline will cut Mr Semple's 1870-acre property in half and he had been negotiating with the company about easement and access issues.

Mr Semple said he met with QCG representatives in his solicitor's office and he agreed to an easement purchase price and the need for a wash-down facility before vehicles entered his property.

But when his solicitor got back the papers, the wash-down agreement was not mentioned.

Mr Semple said he had agreed to a lower easement price as the wash-down facility was more important to him.

The farmer said he did he did not want weeds, such as parthenium or African love grass, brought on to his property, which was free of weeds.

“How can you expect a normal farmer to come in and arrange an agreement then pull the rug out?” Mr Semple said.

“They can agree but, when you walk out the door, they do something else.”

He said he did not believe promises that they would spray it out if weeds were found.

“They don't do what they say they will do.”

A QCG spokesperson said they made what it believes was a fair offer based on an independent valuation for the land.

“The offer included installing at QGC's expense a wash down facility immediately outside Mr Semple's property,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said Mr Semple rejected QGC's offer, causing the offer to lapse.

The spokesperson said QGC is negotiating a new agreement with Mr Semple.

There will be more on CSG in Central Telegraph coming weeks.