Geological and Bioregional Assessments: a program to encourage industry development and improve regulatory efficiency while maintaining the highest possible environmental standards

The Australian Government’s $35.4 million Geological and Bioregional Assessment (GBA) Program provides independent scientific information and baseline data to governments, the community and regional industries on the potential impacts of shale, tight and deep coal gas development on water and the environment. The program aims to encourage industry development and growth by improving the understanding of upstream operations and their potential impacts to drive regulatory efficiency while maintaining the highest environmental standards. The GBA program comprises a series of independent scientific studies undertaken by CSIRO and Geoscience Australia, supported by the Bureau of Meteorology and managed by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. The program was conducted in three stages and focuses on where industry is currently exploring, conducting assessments across three regions; the Cooper Basin, Beetaloo Sub-basin and the Isa Superbasin, each with potential to supply gas to the East Coast Gas Market. The GBA program brings together a range of disciplines to collect, aggregate and analyse environmental baseline data to conceptualise the geologic, hydrologic, ecologic and anthropogenic features of these regions. This robust ‘conceptual’ understanding of the regions combined with rigorous hazard identification enables the program to prioritise potential impacts on water and the environment, improving regulatory efficiency by focusing regulators towards managing those activities where the potential impacts can’t be avoided. Additional papers and presentations from our partners in the GBA program tell the story of how the Program was developed and delivered. The Program leaves a legacy of publicly available baseline data, information and assessment tools that will make regulation of the industry more efficient in the regions assessed.