Seeney defends gas policy changes

MORE TO COME: LNP parliamentary leader and Callide MP Jeff Seeney has defended the Opposition's policy on coal seam gas, which has removed landholder protection from the policy released by Campbell Newman. Mr Seeney says he will be writing a new policy on protecting farming land.

LNP parliamentary leader and Callide MP Jeff Seeney has defended the Opposition's policy on coal seam gas (CSG), which has removed landholder protection from the policy released by Campbell Newman.

When Mr Newman was announced as leader in a shock move by Mr Seeney and Shadow Treasurer Tim Nicholas, Mr Newman announced all previous LNP policies were null and void.

The LNP last week released a discussion paper on the CSG industry, with its policy commitment to manage the growth of the CSG industry based on three key principles of providing fairer compensation, ensuring greater direct local benefits and rigorously monitoring industry impacts.

The State Government – lagging in the polls – jumped on the changes.

Mining Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said Mr Newman's CSG policy was almost a carbon copy of Mr Seeney's March “position statement” – except an entire section on landholder protection had been removed.

“Campbell Newman must answer why, after months of silence, he simply recycles Jeff Seeney's CSG policy with landholder protection removed,” Hinchliffe said.

“How can Jeff Seeney stand by and allow that to happen?

“The LNP's position on CSG has been a mess from day one.

“They say one thing in the bush; another in corporate boardrooms.”

Mr Hinchliffe said the government's position was clear and a strong framework had been implemented to achieve balance between the industry, landholders and environment.

Mr Seeney said he was working on a separate and complex landholder protection policy.

He said it would protect prime agricultural land from being alienated in any way.

Mr Seeney is well-known for supporting the controversial CSG industry, despite Surat Basin farmers' fears of an impact on the Great Artesian Basin.

“I don't think people fully appreciate the benefits that will come and have already come,” Mr Seeney said.

“Millions has been paid out to landholders and that will have a flow-on effect that the critics don't acknowledge.”