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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 882 asked in the Legislative Council on 29 November 2017 by Hon Diane Evers

Parliament: 40 Session: 1


INDEPENDENT SCIENTIFIC PANEL INQUIRY INTOHYDRAULIC FRACTURE STIMULATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA — JACKIE WRIGHT
882. Hon DIANE EVERS to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to the appointment of Jackie Wright to the independent fracking inquiry.
      (1) Is the minister aware that Dr Wright has previously worked for fracking proponents, including providing an environmental health impact assessment for AGL Energy fracking proposals in the Camden region in New South Wales?
      (2) Is the minister aware that a review by Sister Jocelyn Kramer, PhD recipient, found the validity of the environmental health impact assessment to be questionable on multiple counts and concluded that ''The assumptions made and the methods used have the effect of understating and under-estimating potential impacts''?
      (3) Is the minister aware that Dr Wright gave a presentation to a Royal Australian Chemical Institute seminar in 2015, in which she claimed that the chemicals used in fracking are ones we commonly use and experience in daily living, and compared fracking chemicals to toothpaste?
      (4) Given these prior activities and expressed views, how can the minister guarantee that Dr Wright is an independent expert in whom the community can have confidence that she will not demonstrate bias in favour of the gas industry?
      Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question.
(1)–(3) Yes.
      (4) The panel chair has reviewed and discussed these matters with Dr Wright and is wholly satisfied with her competency, professional standards and independence when assessing the potential risks of fracking.