Frack Man Dayne Pratzky warns Taroom Trough farmers over oil rush
Dayne Pratzky, subject of the film Frack Man, says Queensland farmers should question the Taroom Trough oil push and its water risks.
A former Tara hobby farmer who fought the coal seam gas industry says landholders in Queensland's Taroom Trough should be asking hard questions as the state promotes a new onshore oil province.
Dayne Pratzky, whose story formed the basis of the 2015 documentary Frack Man, made the comments in an interview with 4BC Brisbane. He said he moved from Sydney to Tara about 15 years ago looking for a quiet life, but ended up in a long dispute with the gas industry that he says cost him his home and his peace of mind.
The interview followed a visit by the Queensland Premier to the Western Downs last week, where the Taroom Trough was described as Australia's first major new oil province in more than 50 years. According to the source, early drilling is producing about 300 barrels of light oil a day, more than $1.2 billion in private exploration money is on the table, and the government is fast-tracking approvals in the name of national fuel security. The Premier called it a generational opportunity for regional Queensland.
Mr Pratzky is sceptical. He said the promises resemble those made about coal seam gas, including that it would lower gas prices, which he said instead rose. He described the push for shale oil as a "con" on Queenslanders.
He argued that the economics do not stack up, pointing to the United States shale industry. He said about 600 American oil and gas producers and service companies filed for bankruptcy between 2015 and 2021, owing US$321 billion, and claimed the industry was propped up by production cuts agreed by Saudi Arabia and Russia. He said break-even drilling costs in the US are around US$66 to US$76 a barrel, compared with about US$25 a barrel in Saudi Arabia. These figures are his own claims and were not independently verified in the interview.
On the technology, Mr Pratzky said the oil sits in oil-bearing rock about three and a half kilometres underground rather than in a pool, and is reached by drilling down, turning the drill head sideways and forcing fluid into the well under pressure. He cited water contamination in Dimock, Pennsylvania, saying the companies there are obliged to supply the town with clean drinking water for 75 years. He warned that wells leak and that damage to farming country cannot be undone.
Mr Pratzky said he farmed about 100 hectares of scrub near Tara in 2009 before QGC and Shell moved into the area. He said the industry eventually bought his block and others nearby, and that he feels for those still living near the operations.
The interview was cut off before the discussion concluded.
Video: 4BC Brisbane.
Key questions
- What is the Taroom Trough?
- It is an area in Queensland's Western Downs region that the Premier has described as Australia's first major new oil province in more than 50 years, with early drilling producing about 300 barrels of light oil a day.
- Who is Dayne Pratzky?
- He is a former Tara hobby farmer whose fight with the coal seam gas industry formed the basis of the 2015 documentary Frack Man. He says farmers have every right to ask hard questions about the new oil push.
- What concerns does he raise about fracking?
- He says the process involves drilling about three and a half kilometres down and forcing fluid into the rock. He cites water contamination in Pennsylvania and warns that wells leak and damage to farmland cannot be reversed.