A piece of Queensland gas infrastructure that laid the foundation for thousands of jobs in Queensland’s gas and manufacturing industries – the Queensland gas pipeline – turned 30 on Saturday 25 July.
Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said thousands of jobs, hundreds of petajoules of gas and multi-billions in economic stimulus had flowed from the pipeline over the past three decades.
“Queensland’s gas and manufacturing industries support more than 200,000 jobs now, and have generated thousands more pay packets across the state since 1990,” he said.
“Government, industry, unions and health authorities have worked closely together throughout the pandemic to keep the resources sector operating and keep safe their people, and the communities they live and work in. The health response has been managed well, and resources and manufacturing remain central to Queensland’s economic strategy to create jobs.
“That’s why the Government continues to support gas development, releasing almost 80,000 square kilometres of land for gas exploration over the past five years, over a quarter of it guaranteeing the gas will be for Australian consumers.”
The original 530 km pipeline was built to deliver gas from Wallumbilla to Gladstone. Commissioned by the Queensland Government, it was built by global construction company Saipem for $90 million – the equivalent of about $205 million today. More than 300 Queenslanders worked to build the pipeline from 1989 to 1990 and the pipeline was officially opened on 25 July 1990.
The current 627 km pipeline connects the Wallumbilla Gas Hub in south west Queensland to large industrial gas users in Gladstone and Rockhampton. Gas from the pipeline supports the production of everyday items used by Australian homes and businesses including: aluminium, plasterboard and oil.
Click to read the full Queensland Government Media Statement here.
How can landholders prepare for gas field developments?
If you’re a landholder in the Surat, Galilee or Bowen Basins and wish to know more about what to expect with gas field developments, the GasFields Commission (the Commission) strongly encourages you to download a copy of our flagship publication, The Gas Guide, to obtain all the information you need to negotiate a fair and reasonable outcome should a resource company request to operate on your land.
Gas Guide 2.0 catalogues pertinent information that landholders need to know about the various stages of petroleum and gas development in Queensland – beginning with the advertisement and awarding of new exploration tenders (see Chapter 3 – Exploration Phase).
If you have any questions regarding the exploration process, Queensland’s onshore gas industry, please contact us directly via:
- Web: Contact Form
- Phone: 1300 548 021
- Email: enquiries@cqld.org.au