The federal coalition says coal seam gas (CSG) development should be allowed to go ahead, but miners must consider the impact on water and farm land.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott told the final joint party room meeting for the year in Canberra on Tuesday that the federal coalition's CSG policy will be released soon.
Mr Abbott said the policy will state CSG development in Australia should continue "under strict conditions, in particular to protect prime agricultural landand the water table".
The party room also heard the concerns of some MPs that Queensland's Liberal National Party, which is gearing up for a state election by March 2012, had not cleared its policy on CSG with federal coalition chiefs.
Asked about the Queensland policy, Nationals federal leader Warren Truss told colleagues he didn't know anything about it.
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Last week LNP leader Campbell Newman released a 56-page paper on mining, which included a pledge to ensure any compensation deals between CSG companies and farmers were made public.
The policy also called for region-specific plans to manage mining activities, taking into account feedback from landowners and residents.
Farming groups have argued against publicly releasing individual compensation deals, saying it would be better to release figures for each region.
The federal government on Monday announced a new independent scientific body will provide advice on the impact of CSG development and a cabinet-level working group will examine issues of water, soil and food production.
