Isa GBA Region
The Isa GBA region covers approximately 8,223 square kilometres and is centred on the remote township of Doomadgee in north-west Queensland. The area is specifically defined for the GBA Program as the area that contains known unconventional hydrocarbon systems (shale gas) hosted in rocks of the Isa Superbasin. It is also the most likely area of the Isa Superbasin where future development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources (shale gas) could result in delivery of gas to the East Coast Gas Market.
Rapid regional prioritisation (stage 1)
On 18 January 2018 the Isa GBA region was announced as the second basin selected for assessment under the Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program. The selection was based on the region’s world class petroleum source rocks, demonstrated shale gas flows, and proximity to pipeline infrastructure. These features make it a candidate to deliver new gas supplies to the East Coast Gas Market.
Visit the rapid regional prioritisation webpage to see how the Isa GBA region was chosen through stage 1 of the Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program.
Baseline analysis (stage 2)
The geological and environmental baseline assessment for the Isa GBA region synthesises knowledge about the geology and prospectivity of shale gas resources, water resources, protected matters and risks to water and the environment.
The Minister for the Environment concluded the assessment for the Isa GBA region on 15 May 2020. The decision not to carry out the Stage 3 assessment for the Isa GBA region was due to insufficient geoscience data and information available from the region to accurately conduct the assessment at this time.
User panels
Isa GBA region user panel meetings were held on 9 May 2018, 13 August 2019 and 13 August 2020.
Discussions from each user panel meeting are summarised in a communique and available through the Stakeholder Engagement webpage
Published products
- Bioregional Assessment Program
- Lake Eyre Basin bioregion
- Northern Inland Catchments bioregion
- Clarence-Moreton bioregion
- Northern Sydney Basin bioregion
- Sydney Basin bioregion
- Gippsland Basin bioregion
- Indigenous assets
- Methods
- Bioregional assessment methodology
- Submethodologies
- Compiling water-dependent assets
- Assigning receptors to water-dependent assets
- Developing a coal resource development pathway
- Developing the conceptual model of causal pathways
- Surface water modelling
- Groundwater modelling
- Receptor impact modelling
- Propagating uncertainty through models
- Impacts and risks
- Systematic analysis of water-related hazards associated with coal resource development
- Assessment components
- Metadata and datasets
- Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program