AGFORCE and the National Farmers’ Federation have ramped up their calls for political intervention in a proposed carbon capture project in the Great Artesian Basin – which they say poses a major threat to the water source used for agriculture and town drinking water.

Under a proposed three-year trial, Glencore subsidiary Carbon Transport and Storage Corporation (CTSCo) plans to liquefy CO2 from the Millmerran coal-fired power station and inject up to 330,000 tonnes of it into the Precipice Sandstone, a groundwater formation in the Great Artesian Basin.

Last week, AgForce called for donations to a funding campaign which it plans to use for potential legal action against the proposal. Today it has taken out a series of advertisements in the metropolitan newspapers calling for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Queensland premier Steven Miles, New South Wales premier Chris Minns, South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas and Northern Territory chief minister Eva Lawler to intervene.

Beef Central understands an application for funding the legal action is being made to the Australian Farmers’ Fighting Fund, which is best known for funding the class action against the 2011 live export ban. In-order for the fighting fund to be used, the application would need to be approved by the National Farmers’ Federation board and the board of the fighting fund.

AgForce chief executive officer Michael Guerin told Beef Central donations to the court case have been trickling in since it launched the campaign last week.

“Every time we ask the environment minister Tanya Plibersek about this, her department refers us to their decision in 2022 that found the project was not controlled under Federal Environmental law. We believe that is not the case,” Mr Guerin said.

“Support has been trickling in since we launched the funding campaign last week and we have had donations. We definitely need more and we are hoping this latest campaign kicks that along.”

Ken Cameron from Cameron Pastoral Company is one of the donors to the campaign.

“We proudly stand with AgForce as one of 17 Australian companies who have already pledged financial support for its campaign to stop industrial waste being pumped into the Basin – it’s a no brainer,” Ken said.

NFF joins call for intervention

National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke says inland rural and regional communities are deeply concerned about the potential impact of the proposal on human and animal health, as well as their livelihoods.

“If this plan ever got off the ground, it would seriously threaten essential water aquifers and food production land across nearly 1.7 million square kilometres – it’s madness. The Minister for the Environment and Water, Hon. Tanya Plibersek, must realise the absurd contradiction
in waving through such a seemingly well-intentioned development that could cause irreparable damage to such a precious natural resource.

“We’re urging the Federal, State and Territory Labor Governments to listen to reason and scrap this proposal immediately because the risks it poses are simply too great to ignore.”

AgForce is pleading with the Federal Albanese Government to reverse the former Liberal Government’s decision that Glencore’s project does not fall under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

While the anxious wait continues for a response from both the Federal and Queensland governments, AgForce is preparing to take the matter to the Federal Court and is urging members of the public to get behind the campaign.

“It’s not every day that rural and regional communities, environmentalists and farmers stand united on an issue, but as a collective we are willing to go all the way to fight this plan,” Guerin said.

“We need your help, so make your opposition to this proposal known by signing AgForce’s petition, and if you can, chip in to help fundraise for potential court action.”