The Health Implications of Energy Policy Roundtable, organised by national health groups, will hear from experts about the possible impacts, chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia Michael Moore said.

“We know that healthier, safer, alternatives to current energy supply systems exist. We want that evidence about the impacts on health and wellbeing to be considered in energy policy discussions,” he said.

“We don’t believe this has occurred to date.”

Convenor of the Climate Change Adaptation Research Network for Human Health Liz Hanna said: “Giving the green light to practices that have the potential to cause significant health problems and permanently damage our food and water supplies before a complete assessment of the magnitude of impacts is irresponsible.

“We need evidence that it is safe before proceeding, otherwise we could be letting a very dangerous genie out of the bottle.”

Executive director of the National Rural Health Alliance, Gordon Gregory, said rural constituents were concerned about the impost of coal seam gas on farming and grazing land. He said a better understanding about the human health impacts of this industry was needed.

“This is a new industry in Australia that is expanding at a rapid rate,” he said.

“People in rural and remote communities welcome and encourage expansion in rural industries, but not at the expense of water and soil quality, animal welfare and human health and well-being. These need to be evaluated, and the bigger picture taken into account to ensure we protect these valuable resources.”

The Climate and Health Alliance, Public Health Association of Australia, National Rural Health Alliance, Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, and the Climate Change Adaptation Research Network - Human Health are co-hosting the roundtable and workshop on the Health Implications of Energy Policy today.