A Freedom of Information application seeking a departmental brief provided to former environment minister Kate Worden last year that recommended prosecution of Empire Energy was rejected on legal privilege grounds, a government letter shows, while the department appears to have attempted to cover up one of the three alleged offences referred to in the document.
The FOI application put to the Lands, Planning and Environment Department by Lock the Gate Alliance sought a copy of any brief given to the former minister recommending prosecutions, or potential prosecutions, of Empire Energy or subsidiary company Imperial Gas, under the Petroleum Act relating to activities at its EP187 gas exploration lease, otherwise known as the Carpentaria Pilot Project, which sits about 160km west of Borroloola.
this secretive mis-handling of breaches of operating guidelines – bad enough to warrant prosecution – occurred under the prior labor government.
It’s noteworthy that as recently as February, the incoming CLP government have watered down the fracking Code of Practice – removing requirements for land occupiers to be informed of leaks / spills.