Catholic Bishop speaks out in support of GAB

Catholic Bishop of Rockhampton Michael McCarthy applauded AgForce's action in applying to the National Farmers Fighting Fund to underwrite a federal court action to stop liquified carbon dioxide waste being injected into the Great Artesian Basin.

As it stands, a decision is pending from the state government on whether mining company, Glencore, through it subsidiary CTSCo, can inject liquified CO2 from the Millmerran power station into the GAB near Moonie.

Bishop McCarthy, who worked as an industrial chemist at BHP for four years in the area of water and air pollution, said the move by AgForce to protect the GAB was highly commendable.

He said he read the story about what was happening to the GAB in the Queensland Country Life and it resonated with him.

"I've been here 10 years in the diocese and am very much aware of the fragility of our environment and especially our farming lands in the west around Longreach, Blackall and Barcaldine where the Great Artesian Basin begins and goes way out to central Australia," he said.

"It's an incredible geographical masterpiece when you think about the incredible water reserves that are there. So my interest is to ensure the preservation of this incredible resource that we have in Australia and that it doesn't get used up and it doesn't get polluted...and it's there for generations to come."

Bishop McCarthy believes AgForce's action in ensuring the preservation of this pristine asset should be supported by every Australian.

"Carbon dioxide when dissolved in water and especially into the waters of the Great Artesian Basin changes the safety of its water for human consumption and livestock," he said.

"Western towns in Queensland depend on this water for their town supplies. Changes to this body of water will affect the ecology of life below, on the surface and above.

"The Great Artesian Basin covers 1.7 million square kilometres, one-fifth of the Australian continent. To allow its desecration by disposing the planet's toxic gas into this ecological reserve continues the destruction of this world."

With a Bachelor Degree in Science from USQ, Bishop McCarthy said the safe disposal of CO2 gas was the responsibility of the companies that the government had licensed to extract the gas from fossil fuel reserves.

"This gas should be converted into an inert state through a process which is readily achievable through modern technology," he said.

"Governments have the responsibility to ensure that the environment is protected, and toxic gases and waste are rendered inert at the end of the production process."

Bishop McCarthy said it would be irresponsible to allow this company or any company to proceed with this destructive action.

AgForce's court action in the Federal Court involves challenging a federal decision of February 9, 2022, under the EPBC (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation) Act on the basis the decision "was flawed" because the National Environmental Significance provisions of the act were "not adequately considered" in the case of Glencore and the GAB.

AgForce CEO Michael Guerin said the lobby group was prepared to put its balance sheet of $30 million in assets on the line to underwrite that court action.