Fact check: Bill Gates states that the water Reserve will be the next oil before July 4th 2026.
Verdict: false — Trust Score 19/100
The claim that Bill Gates stated the water reserve will be the next oil before July 4th, 2026, is false. There is no evidence of him making such a statement. The claims regarding widespread poisoning of water reserves through fracking and fracking being forced on the Great Artesian Basin are misleading and lack comprehensive support. While there are concerns about fracking's impact on water, the post's assertions are exaggerated. The historical claim about Burke and Wills dying of thirst near water is partially true, as they died from malnutrition and scurvy in an area where Aboriginal people thrived, but the specific detail about Aboriginal accounts of them being close to water and not knowing it is not explicitly supported by refuted by 6 sources.

- Platform
- threads
- Source author
- donnalynnroberts — see all fact-checks of this account
- Original post
- https://www.threads.com/@donnalynnroberts/post/DZ9OLK6Da8B?xmt=AQG0pB-pllLqN0uJ7K_nIIVvo1jORlaVXwFevPgS0Aw6phH4e7NIZVygYJetdmv7pnn-rQZo
- Verified on
- June 25, 2026
- Verification ID
- Yr2B1nMRc7MNoA7CMLsi2Q
Original content reviewed
Platform: THREADS Author: @donnalynnroberts --- Caption/Description --- Bill Gates states that the water Reserve will be the next oil before July 4th 2026 Quoted post: They have poisoned all of there’s through fracking . They forced it on the biggest underground lake in the world , the Artesian Basin east inland Australia . Look it up what took place there . Theres are deposits everywhere . You just have to know where to look . Burk and Wills died of thirst , they were that close to water and didn’t know it . From Aboriginal accounts in the day ! Their greed has destroyed Our planter.They should be rounded up and imprisoned!Crimes to humanity in more ways 1 ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: THREADS Author: @donnalynnroberts --- Caption/Description --- Bill Gates states that the water Reserve will be the next oil before July 4th 2026 Quoted post: They have poisoned all of there’s through fracking . They forced it on the biggest underground lake in the world , the Artesian Basin east inland Australia . Look it up what took place there . Theres are deposits everywhere . You just have to know where to look . Burk and Wills died of thirst , they were that close to water and didn’t know it . From Aboriginal accounts in the day ! Their greed has destroyed Our planter.They should be rounded up and imprisoned!Crimes to humanity in more ways 1 --- Claims to Verify --- 1. Bill Gates states that the water Reserve will be the next oil before July 4th 2026. 2. They have poisoned all of their water reserves through fracking. 3. Fracking was forced on the biggest underground lake in the world, the Artesian Basin east inland Australia. 4. Burk and Wills died of thirst close to water and didn't know it, according to Aboriginal accounts. --- Verification Focus --- Bill Gates water next oil quote July 4th 2026 fracking poisoning Artesian Basin Australia Burk and Wills died of thirst Aboriginal accounts impact of fracking on underground water reserves Artesian Basin Austra
Claims analyzed (4)
- false: Bill Gates states that the water Reserve will be the next oil before July 4th 2026.
Searches for this specific quote attributed to Bill Gates in 2026 and prior years yielded no results. While Bill Gates has discussed climate change, energy, and water issues, he has not made this specific statement. Some sources discuss water becoming a valuable resource, but none attribute this quote to Bill Gates. - misleading: They have poisoned all of their water reserves through fracking.
While fracking has been linked to groundwater pollution in some instances, the claim that 'all' water reserves have been poisoned is an exaggeration. Concerns about fracking's impact on water quality in the Great Artesian Basin exist, and some reports from 2026 indicate that the NSW government has not ruled out fracking in the region. However, there is no evidence to support a complete poisoning of all water reserves. - misleading: Fracking was forced on the biggest underground lake in the world, the Artesian Basin east inland Australia.
The Great Artesian Basin is indeed a massive underground water resource in Australia. While there are ongoing discussions and concerns about the potential for fracking in areas overlying the Great Artesian Basin, and the NSW government has not ruled it out, the claim that it was 'forced' on the entire basin is an overstatement. There is no evidence of widespread, forced fracking across the entire Great Artesian Basin. - mostly true: Burk and Wills died of thirst close to water and didn't know it, according to Aboriginal accounts.
Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills died of malnutrition and scurvy in June 1861 during their expedition across Australia. They were in an area where local Aboriginal people, the Yandruwandha, thrived and had knowledge of edible plants like nardoo. The explorers, however, consumed nardoo incorrectly, leading to thiamine deficiency. While they were in an area with available resources and Aboriginal assistance, the specific detail that they were 'close to water and didn't know it, according
Sources consulted (15)
- A Risk to Groundwater from Coal Seam Gas Extraction in the Surat Basin - Parliament of Australia — Parliament of Australia
- fastcompany.com — fastcompany.com
- The Burke, Wills, King and Yandruwandha National Heritage Place - DCCEEW — DCCEEW
- thecooldown.com — thecooldown.com
- US implicates fracking in pollution - Great Artesian Basin Protection Group — Great Artesian Basin Protection Group
- Burke and Wills | National Museum of Australia — National Museum of Australia
- Burke and Wills died as Victorian heroes, but their expedition was a farce. Now Melbourne is rethinking their statue - The Guardian — The Guardian
- indiatimes.com — indiatimes.com
- vice.com — vice.com
- gatesnotes.com — gatesnotes.com
- In 1860, Burke & Wills Expedition set out to explore interior of Australia. Out of 19 men who set out from Melbourne, 7 including the leaders died, and only one man made the entire intended trip. The primary cause of the deaths was poisoning from preparing the food they got from aboriginals wrong. : r/HolyShitHistory - Reddit — Reddit
- Living with Indigenous People - The Dig Tree — The Royal Historical Society of Queensland
- Minns Govt Won't Rule Out Fracking In Artesian Basin - Mirage News — Mirage News
- Minns Labor Government refuses to rule out fracking for gas in Great Artesian Basin — Greens NSW
- youtube.com — youtube.com
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