VGP Technical Report 50 - Resource and land use planning model, Onshore Otway Basin, Victoria.
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Product description:About the Victorian Gas Program: The Victorian Gas Program (VGP) is a comprehensive science-led program, incorporating geoscientific and environmental research to assess the risks, benefits and impacts of potential onshore conventional gas exploration and production. The program is also investigating the potential for further discoveries of onshore conventional and offshore gas in the Otway and Gippsland geological basins and assessing the feasibility of additional onshore underground gas storage in depleted reservoirs around the Port Campbell area. The VGP includes an extensive, proactive and phased community and stakeholder engagement program, through which the results of the scientific studies are being communicated. Executive summary: A strategic land assessment of the Otway geological basin in the South-West region of Victoria has been undertaken as part of the Victorian Gas Program’s (VGP) scientific research into the risks, benefits and impacts of onshore conventional gas. This assessment was undertaken to ensure that any potential future onshore conventional gas exploration and development can take the local context into account. The Resource and Land Use Planning Project used a multi-criteria analysis methodology to consider existing land uses and landscape features, with a clear understanding of community views in order to identify the best land use options. A resource and land use planning model (the model) was developed for the Otway Basin which provides a high-level regional assessment of the land within the study area in relation to its suitability for potential onshore conventional gas development. The model takes into account the potential impacts that conventional gas development may have on the natural and socio-economic environment, and integrates them into a high-level spatial analysis of land use suitability. More than 140 spatial data layers were collated to map the Otway Basin’s natural, cultural, environmental, and social land uses and features, and to build a land use inventory. Seven land use themes were assessed including environmental value, climate change vulnerability, topography, heritage value, social value, infrastructure and regional significance. These were used to better understand the sensitivities and significant values across the Otway Basin. The analysis used authoritative data obtained from state and federal government agencies. This data was overlaid with a scoring framework to identify potential locations where the land may be constrained and, therefore, impact the potential for development of onshore conventional gas. If land is scored as being constrained, this means that there are features of sensitivity or significance that may impact its suitability for onshore conventional gas development. Combining this data, a model was produced. The model displays features spatially, allowing existing and potential future land uses and landscape sensitivities to be identified. It highlights areas where features of sensitivity or significance may exist that would need to be considered and addressed prior to any exploration or development proceeding. The model indicates that there are no areas without some level of constraint in the Otway Basin. Therefore, all areas require appropriate planning and management (as set out in Victoria’s petroleum regulations) if development were to take place. Twenty-five per cent of land was assessed as ‘extremely constrained’ due to key land features or values that would need to be addressed prior to, and appropriately managed throughout, any development. Thirty-eight per cent of land was assessed as having lower levels of constraint. Areas and/or features identified in the model as highly or extremely constrained include:
Areas and/or features identified in the model as having lower levels of constraint include:
The model allows a high-level regional assessment that could be used to aid site selection, to inform community engagement, or to support appropriate environmental risk management or mitigations before exploration or development occurs. The assessment could be undertaken in conjunction with the regulatory assessment process for proposed onshore conventional gas development. The model could identify potential issues in the early stages of an application process, which could be addressed to mitigate land use conflicts and promote multi and sequential use. The model will also support government to better understand potential interactions with other land uses, particularly during acreage releases and impact assessments. The model is dynamic and can be built on, updated and re-analysed for future use. Bibliographic reference: McCaskill, K. & Vagg, E., 2020. Resource and land use planning model, Onshore Otway Basin, Victoria. VGP Technical Report 50. Geological Survey of Victoria. Download: The downloadable version of this report is supplied in PDF format (PDF 13.3 MB) & Att A1 shapefile (ZIP 11.8 MB). Related products:
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