Telling the story

Understanding community changes during CSG development
Project Status – CompletedPDF2 MB

This project will share understanding of changes on farms and in towns during CSG development in the Surat area.

The research will provide a detailed landscape map showing changes during CSG developments. Researchers will also gather feedback on the research to date, including its strengths and information gaps.

[Music plays and CSIRO and GISERA logos and text appears: Gas Industry Social & Environmental Research Alliance]

[Text appears: Telling the Story, Research update]

[Image appears of Neil Huth talking to the camera and then images flash through of the entrance of the FarmFest and people walking in to the FarmFest and text appears: Neil Huth, Team Leader, CSIRO Agriculture]

Neil Huth: CSIRO is undertaking a range of research into the social and environmental impacts of C.S.G. Development and that’s why we’re at FarmFest today to share our results with people.

[Music plays and images flash through of people walking around the FarmFest looking at tractors and the GISERA stand]

Our particular projects have looked at a broad range of topics including the impacts of C.S.G. on soil, water, farm businesses and farm families.

[Image changes to show Andrea Walton talking to a male and then the camera zooms in on the paper she is holding and then the camera pans over the male’s face and then Andrea Walton’s face]

Andrea Walton: Our project is called Community Wellbeing and Responding to Change where we’re looking at the impacts on communities from Coal Seam Gas.

[Image changes to show Andrea Walton at the FarmFest and text appears: Andrea Walton, Research Scientist, CSIRO Land and Water]

We’ve actually been monitoring these impacts over time since 2012 when we first started.

[Image changes to show a computer screen display and then images flash through of Neil Huth and a male looking at the computer screens, Andrea Walton talking to a male and two males talking together in front of the GISERA stand]

Things the communities really want to understand is how does the Coal Seam Gas Development affect the life and quality of life in their communities.

[Images move through of Andrea Walton and a male talking, Andrea Walton at the FarmFest talking to the camera, brochures on the GISERA stand and Andrea Walton talking to the camera]

So from that we’ve been able to identify the areas that are really important and contribute to the well-being of the community and then we relay those findings on to policy makers at all levels of Government and to industry and then of course back to the community themselves.

[Image changes to show two males and Neil Huth looking at the computer screen displays in the GISERA stand]

Neil Huth: My particular project is looking at the impacts of Coal Seam Gas on agriculture.

[Image changes to show Neil Huth talking to the camera]

Our research has shown that there are three things that are important.

[Images move through of Andrea Walton talking to a male and Neil Huth and a male looking at the computer screen display in the GISERA stand]

The first thing is that they have a plan.

[The camera pans around in an anticlockwise direction and then the image shows Neil Huth pointing to the computer screen]

This plan will need to include the goals for you and your farm, your strengths, your weaknesses and when you would need to get advice.

[Images move through of Andrea Walton talking to a male and two males talking in front of the GISERA stand]

The second thing is to know how you’ll communicate that plan.

[Images move through of Andrea Walton talking to a male and Neil Huth talking to a male]

Our research has shown that farmers and gas companies often communicate in very different ways.

[Image changes to show Neil Huth talking to the camera at the FarmFest and then the image changes to show Neil Huth and a male looking at computer screen displays]

The third thing is to design a system that will work for you.

[The camera pans in a clockwise direction and then the camera zooms in on Neil Huth and the male]

To assist farmers here we have research on issues such as the impacts of C.S.G. on farm machinery and water flows.

[Images move through of maps displayed on computer screens]

For example, we have generated highly detailed water flow maps that help farmers put the right thing in the right place.

[Images move through of Andrea Walton talking to two males and Andrea Walton talking to the camera at the FarmFest]

Andrea Walton: By continuing the research over time, we can identify changes that have occurred as the industry changes.

[Image changes to show a GISERA sign and then the camera zooms in on Neil Huth and a male talking and looking at computer screen displays and then the image changes to show Neil Huth talking to the camera]

Neil Huth: As a researcher, I love coming to shows like FarmFest because it gives us an opportunity to tell farmers about the research that we’ve been doing.

[Music plays and CSIRO and GISERA logos and text appears: Gas Industry Social & Environmental Research Alliance]

[Sponsors logos and text appears: www.gisera.org.au]

Sharing research findings at FarmFest 2016