More than 100 anti-coal seam gas activists have rallied outside Metgasco’s Casino office, protesting against exploration in the region.
They claim the mining company has failed to adequately consult the community on its plans for the Northern Rivers, and today took the search for answers right to its front door.
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These “lock the gate” campaigns organised by co-founder of the greens “Drew Hutton” are sheer scaremongering.
I would challenge this report in saying words like “Gathering momentum”. It is just the same bunch of people (mostly unemployed) who are sympathetic to the causes of the Greens.
They are a minority and they fail to understand the technology behind the industry they are against.
What is needed (by the media especially) is education – not emotive chants.
The campaigns are not scaremongering, they are awareness raising. I give credit to Lock the Gate for making me aware of the problems associated with this form of gas extraction. Like many others in this rapidly growing movement against the CSG industry, I am also able read and research for myself. We understand well the technology behind the industry, and that is why we are objecting. Thank you for your concern however, but putting out the usual CSG industry “spin” convinces nobody.
Well done NBN, It appears Paul Johnson should come and meet some of the “mostly unemployed” Doctors, Health Practitioners, business owners and farmers who take time out to protect their environment.
I recently became aware of the horrifying poisoning of our water basins and river systems by the CSG undustries and are neither unemployed (as suggested by Paul Johnson above) or even know any unemployed who have been protesting as this ssue affects shopkeepers, (as myself) business owners, tourism operators, mums and dads, kids and seniors. Recently a woman, June Norman, walked 500 k’s to Gladstone in her protest and today there was an 86 year old man protesting outside Metgasco in Casino. The mining companies are going to have to deal with a lot more ordinary folk of all ages and occupations and stop generalizing us as greenies, activists or troublemakers. Mining companies need to consult the public and the government needs to take notice of the majority of people whose numbers are growing all the time, once they are aware of what is going on.
Well done NBN for always being available to capture the continuous struggle of CSG in our region. We hope one day you are there to capture the 20,000 people party when this industry is shut down once and for all!
To Paul Johnston and all people who don’t think that the Gas Groups springing up all over the country are made up of unemployed, left wing green supporters. What planet are you on. I happened to be at the Food Security Forum held in Brisbane on Monday. If that crowd was an unemployed left wing green leaning group I won’t throw down my hat down I’ll eat my hat.
Most of the people present were hard working farmers who are so angry about the bad deal they are getting from the Coal and Gas Companies, they gave up time that they haven’t got to attend this forum. People have the right to protest and speak out about what they think is unjust. These people are not a minority and numbers are growing daily. You are either not very well informed or you are blind to what happens around you.
well if you want to poison your air, suffocate your babies,
give children severe bleeding noses, and ears,
burn your children in polluted water
drink brake fluid
have ponds that are full of hydraulic fluid that dont freeze when they should
just check out Lisa Bracken site…… easy to find
oh and drink glass residue…and plastics…. let alone have no water, food, or animals on your own property
I am a grandma…. and australia will ban CSG coal seam gas and why did France ban it ?
Hi Paul,
I am one of those “mostly unemployed” Lock the Gaters. As a full-time psychologist and business owner I would like you to understand that when we are talking about an industry with severe health impacts (not just the psychological impacts I see in my work but also the physical- ie. children bleeding out of their ears with constant headaches at Tara) you are talking about an industry that NEEDS to be shut down until the science catches up. I have watched the trickle of support for the Lock the Gate Campaign grow exponentially in my town with at least 3 new groups opposing the industry springing up over the last 12 months. 12 months ago we didn’t have Alan Jones, Lee Kernighan, Xavier Rudd and Olivia Newton John speaking out against the industry. We didn’t see almost daily rallies across the country opposing the industry. Get your facts straight- you can’t minimise what is happening with this movement.
What a great turn out. The large numbers who have attended rally’s marches and public meetings in this region are proof of the growing concern about this industry. It is impossible to read the Nation Toxics Network report on CSG and not be concerned. It is a shame that many people try to characterize those against CSG mining with narrow and totally inaccurate stereotypes. Oh by the way Paul, I’d have been there too, if I was able to arrange time off work! Congratulates to all those who managed to rearrange their lives and schedules to get thee and represent those of us who couldn’t make it.
I do not want to live in a gas field. I do not want to have my property become unsaleable. If a neighbour lets gas wells onto their property it affects me. I get no financial gain, but I do get to have many trucks disturb my peace and damage my already pothole-ridden roads. Gas wells are noisy and are lit up all night. I know this first hand from a farmer in the Casino area who told me how he could not sleep and it drove him crazy when an exploration well was drilled on a neighbouring property. He was also told his property would never sell now. Those things are bad enough, but there are worse issues. Emissions to the air from flaring of wells give off very toxic chemicals, also toxins come up from the coal seam. Chemicals are used in drilling fluids, and escape from gas leaks. I know of litters of puppies stillborn in Queensland gas areas. This will happent to wildlife too. Greyhound breeders beware, and cattle and horse breeders too. Produced water is another problem that the gas companies cannot manage safely. There is no need to develop this resource with such haste and on such a large scale. Drew Hutton does not have time to organise all of the actions which are now occurrring daily. This has gone beyond the scope of a few people. It is a mass movement of people from all walks of life. Gas mining, whether it is coal seam gas or tight gas does not have a social licence.
Community says No.
So therefore there is NO Social Licence so bugger off CSG.
WATER is PRICELESS & WE the living, must remain connected.
WE LOVE THIS COUNTRY
OUR LAND ABOUNDS IN NATURES GIFTS OF BEAUTY RICH & RARE!
STOP STEALING OUR CULTURE & COUNTRY & STOP STEALING FROM OUR KIDS!
Wow what a day, so many cars, trucks and buses tooted, waved and cheered. It’s so very obvious that casino does not want anything to do with this fility industry that only benefits a few rich fatcats who don’t even live here.
Rocky, and what were those cars, trucks and buses powered by. Would you rather a coal mine down the road or a gas well down the road? Pretty obvious answer i would’ve thought, but everyone is too short sighted to see that these are the only two options. Pretty obvious the farmers just want more compo, never seen a farmer who didn’t want to stick his hand out for cash even when he is raking it in.
Well I had hoped for balance. I use gas in my Barbie , I used petrol in my car. I use plastic all the time. I watch the USA descend into debt that will burden each and every child there.
cars are dangerous in the hands of some. CSG would be dangerous in an unregulated process. I have seen and lived near a coal fired power station and and oil refinery. Like all things its relative – I have no doubt that we would make a lot of healthier people if we closed down the coal fired power stations and fed clean burning gas which reduces pollutants.
As a country can we afford not to exploit it – So is it okay if its in WA because we dont live there but not in my backyard. strange that we dont all runout when the government supports export of LNG from Gorgon.
I just wish that instead of lock the gate vs we want csg we had a whole lot of more education on what pollution we actually put out right now and what we need to do to improve it. Dont hang your hat on wind and solar – I have been there done that and have the panels and research neither supports base load power. I really do think its funny to see the SUV’s honking horns yet polluting at the same time.
Why are so few hybrids sold if we are all so concerned – because its cheap to rally but if we had to park our SUV’s 1 km away we would all not come to the party.
Sometimes my fellow human-beings really disappoint me. There seems to never be dialogue only polarisation. we dont have to know the facts we can just shout out because we can.
Very pleased to see the greens “moratorium” bill failed:
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/lcpaper.nsf/0/6901865C11E80236CA2579C1007BAB84?open&refNavID=
As for the blind leading the blind above, understand this “Gasland” movie was created to tap into fear and pay its maker lots of money.
If you all read my original comment, I suggested “most” of them as being unemployed and indeed those of you who have become stooges to Drew Hutton and the Greens, should consider their motives. I have seen one of these so-called rally’s first hand and was horrified to see the calibre of MOST of the people in attendance. If you have a different view to them (i.e you support the industry) you get heckled, threatened and abused.
If you think people working in these gas companies are all mastermind evil people (James bond style) who are out to destroy the world, you really need to take a closer look. Nobody wants to destroy the environment. These directors and workers all have real families. Families living in the country they love. They don’t want to wreck it and they work very hard to ensure sufficient safeguards are in place to minimise risk of any harm.
Just as you minimise risk of harm when you drive a car (by wearing a seat belt). As greens supporters, i’m sure you all don’t drive or use any electricity though. Power to you all, love will show you the way – lol
There’s no such thing as a happy greenie. 🙂
I saw what they did in USA…..
Just google “list banned fracking operations” PLEASE read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing
POr all of us will eat, drink, sleep
Unfortunately, CSG mining is a CRIME against planet earth and it’s people, and in time will be recognised as such (hopefully sooner rather than later). We all know that prevention is far better than cure. CSG mining is akin to an insidious disease, impacting land, waters, air quality, plant and animal life, including human health.
Governments and the CSG industry have not convinced the community (including the scientific community) that the activities do not cause harm. In fact, the Queensland Co-ordinator General report concluded that the activity had potential to cause widespread environmental harm. Neither the government nor the CSG industry have demonstrated that any short-term economic benefits will outweigh the long-term costs (that will remain forever).