Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan today welcomed a decision by the WA Government to allow fracking in parts of the state.

“This is a sensible decision that will potentially earn billions of dollars for the WA and national economies,” Minister Canavan said.

“I congratulate the McGowan government for adopting this position and look forward to assisting them develop onshore gas resources.”

The WA announcement follows an expert inquiry conducted for the State government by former Environmental Protection Authority chairman Tom Hatton.

Minister Canavan said the Coalition government is ready to assist WA through the GISERA program.

“CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance is a collaboration between CSIRO, Commonwealth and state governments and industry established to undertake publicly-reported independent research.

“The purpose of GISERA is for CSIRO to provide quality-assured scientific research and information to communities living in gas development regions, focusing on social and environmental topics, including ground water and surface water, biodiversity, land management, the marine environment, human health and socio-economic impacts.

“I look forward to having further discussions with the WA government on gas exploration and related issues.”