What is fracking? Fracking refers to how rock is fractured apart by a high-pressure mixture. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.
Gas is a polluting fossil fuel that is bad news on many fronts: it’s driving climate change, worsening asthma in children, driving up power bills and is increasingly unnecessary as Australia transitions to cleaner, cheaper sources of power.
Fracking uses huge amounts of water, which must be transported to the site at significant environmental cost.
As well as earth tremor concerns, environmentalists say potentially carcinogenic chemicals may escape during drilling and contaminate groundwater around the fracking site.
Some countries even allow fracking below National Parks.
The Climate Council has a gas exploration map of Australia where you can enter your postcode on the map to find out if your area is at risk from gas exploration.