GFCQ is hitting the road to speak with landholders

GasFields Commission Queensland’s (GFCQ) Engagement Team are hitting the road next week to participate in two ‘pop-up office’ info sessions with the Department of Resources (DOR), the Department of Environment and Science (DES) and the Land Access Ombudsman (LAO).

These free info sessions (to be held in Taroom [04.05.22] and Dalby [05.05.22]) will offer members of the local community and landholders the opportunity to speak directly with subject matter experts on a wide range of topics, including:

• 🚜 Land access requirements;
• ⚖️ Dispute resolution;
• 🌏 Environmental management;
• 👷‍♀️ Mining and gas activities; and
• 🧭 the Queensland Exploration Program.

Facilitators of the Taroom session are DOR, DES, LAO and GFCQ. Facilitators of the Dalby session are LAO and GFCQ only.

Appointments are also available with the LAO’s Dispute Resolution Team for both sessions, providing landholders the opportunity to:

• 🔍 Refer a dispute to us for investigation;
• 📚 Find out about options and support available; and/or
• 🤷‍♀️ Ask the Ombudsman and the LAO team questions.

All rural landholders, regional community members, resource companies and related professionals’ are welcome – so come along and chat with us all about the resource activities currently/soon to be occurring on the Western Downs!

See below for more detail on each of the ‘pop-up office’ information sessions:

Who are the GasFields Commission Queensland?

Established as an independent statutory body in 2013, the Commission’s purpose is to manage and improve the sustainable coexistence of landholders, regional communities and the onshore gas industry in Queensland. The Commission manages sustainable coexistence in petroleum and gas producing regions of Queensland, and will continue to do so as the industry expands into new and emerging basins.

Our vision is to achieve thriving communities in areas of gas development that are free from discord and supported by well-informed, respectful and balanced stakeholder relationships.

One way the Commission is endeavouring to realise this vision is by providing transparency and independent assurances that the onshore gas industry is appropriately regulated and held to account when needed. This in turn will help cultivate sustainable coexistence, whilst ensuring community and landholder confidence in the regulators and gas industry increases.

Drawing on its wealth of experience in the development of the gas industry and by collaborating with other relevant entities, the Commission provides a range of support to communities and landholders, primarily through education and engagement. These education and engagement activities occur with individual landholders via Commission facilitated webinars, information sessions, publications (The Gas Guide, Shared Landscapes Reports), face-to-face meetings and public workshops.

It should be noted that the Commission does not engage in individual negotiations between landholders and gas companies, but rather provides communities and landholders with the information and support they need to make informed decisions and achieve good outcomes.