CECIL Plains irrigators challenging the Queensland Government over coal seam gas extraction have entered into mediation talks with Arrow Energy.
Representatives from the farming families and their legal advisers met for the first time last week with Arrow, the coal seam gas company seeking to mine the agriculture region - across production aquifers and black soil farmland.
Cecil Plains landowner, Graham Clapham, attended the meeting, and said it was an opportunity for both parties to "work through" the specific issues of water security and land use across impacted farmland.
He said while the parties planned to hold future meetings for further discussion, they would not halt plans to challenge the State Government in the Land Court.
Arrow Energy declined to comment on the mediation proceedings.
The Cecil Plains families are challenging the criteria used by Department of Environmental and Resource Management (DERM) to enable Arrow to operate over productive black soils.
Mr Clapham said while there was no specific court date yet, Arrow, DERM and the impacted farmers were releasing and distributing various documents and information, as required by the legal processes.
The group has also reached out to the wider Darling Downs community, holding a public forum at Cecil Plains last Thursday.
Mr Clapham said there was still a "lack of understanding" among the wider community as to why the farmers were challenging the government in court.
The forum, which included talks by Mr Clapham and fellow local landowners Stuart Armitage and Ruth Armstrong, was attended by more than 100 people.
Mr Clapham said the Cecil Plains group hoped the forum might engage the surrounding community in the debate.
"The gas companies have a financial imperative in their rush to Gladstone," he said.
"But we are not in that phase with Arrow Energy yet. We still have time to give input, but if we do not use that opportunity, it will pass us by."
The meeting was also a chance to discuss the financial arrangements required for the upcoming court case.
Funding for the group has been arranged from the National Farmers Federation Fighting Fund.
However, under the fighting fund provisions, the affected farmers must match the money donated by the NFF on a dollar-for-dollar arrangement.
The landholder's allocation, which is understood to be a six-figure sum, has so far been largely raised from the individual pockets of the Cecil Plains farmers.
However, Mr Clapham said the group had met with commercial operators in the region to discuss fund donations.
"If people think it is a worthy cause, then we would welcome any financial assistance people could make," he said.
Mr Clapham said with the EIS process still not completed by Arrow in the Darling Downs, there was a "window for landholders to get a fair deal".
"It's a stressful time at the moment for everyone," he said.
"Members of my family are shouldering a lot more of the business operations because I am spending a considerable amount of my time dealing with the coal seam gas issues."
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