The WA Conservation Council has launched a new anti-fracking campaign to highlight the issue in the lead up to next year's election, but its comments have angered the industry.

Key points: Conservation Council releases survey showing public concern over fracking

Conservation Council releases survey showing public concern over fracking Industry accuses fracking opponents of only releasing "selective" information

Industry accuses fracking opponents of only releasing "selective" information New Mines Minister says scare tactics fuelling public angst

The Frack Free Future campaign is being launched on the back of a survey of 600 people from around the state.

The Conservation Council's Piers Verstegen said the survey results were unsurprising.

He said 78 per cent of respondents in Geraldton, 74 per cent in Forrestfield and 73 per cent in Perth's western suburbs did not support fracking.

Mr Verstegen said he was confident the results reflected general concern across the state.

"We know from past government polling that there is strong opposition to gas fracking and we can see through our polling that that opposition is strengthening," he said.

"Western Australia depends very much on our groundwater and gas fracking is an industry that would put that groundwater seriously under threat."

The geology in WA is such that fracking would not target coal seam gas, but what is known as shale gas and tight gas.

"It's the same as gas fracking that's been undertaken at a very large scale in the United States," Mr Verstegen said.

"Thousands of wells drilled through our groundwater aquifers and pumped with very high pressure chemicals to fracture those underground rocks to release that gas."

He claimed there was no way to carry out gas fracking without unacceptable risks.

Industry says risks can be managed safely

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association has accused the council of misleading the public.

Chief operating officer Steadman Ellis said the claims being made about fracking had not changed.

"WA's had a two-year parliamentary inquiry. It found, as has every other parliamentary or expert inquiry in Australia over the last few years, the risks associated with fracking can be managed safely with proper regulation," he said.

"WA's in a very good position to do that, we've got more than five decades experience of oil and gas activity and we've been able to demonstrate the industry can operate safely.

"There's no reason why the onshore industry shouldn't be assessed in the same way as the offshore industry."

Mr Ellis said aquifers in WA generally occurred in the shallow part of the geology, and drilling of wells needed to be constructed safely so that the aquifers were protected.

He said opponents to fracking were selective in what they publicised about the industry.

"The United States is the only country in the world which is meeting its Kyoto Protocol obligations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions despite the fact that it didn't sign the Kyoto Protocol," he said.

"Why has it been able to do that? It's because of the development of its onshore gas industry."

'Scare tactics' fuelling public angst

WA's new Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Sean L'Estrange, said the Government was committed to protecting public health, water supplies and the environment.

Mr L'Estrange said it also wanted to ensure the protection of farming, horticulture and tourism assets.

"We are a large dry state, water safety is of paramount importance," he said.

"In relation to shale gas fracturing, of course the Government is supportive of this because gas is fundamental to our modern lives. It helps keep the light on, powers our desalination plants and drives most of the major industries that WA families rely on for jobs."

Mr L'Estrange said any public angst was being fuelled by what he referred to as "scare tactics".

"WA's shale gas is 2 kilometres or more underground, drinking water aquifers are 500 to 1,000 metres underground.

"More than 600 hydraulic fractures have been safely performed in WA since the mid-1960s from the South-West through to the west Kimberley.

"So this is not something new."