Communities throughout NSW are battling an expanding coal seam gas (CSG) industry and new government guidelines that allow coal and CSG mining in most of the state.
The battle over 鈥渦nconventional gas鈥 mining, which includes CSG, shale and tight gas, is also spreading across Australia, as companies and governments try to cash in on the gas rush. Federal minister for regional Australia Simon Crean said last year that Australia will become 鈥渢he Saudi Arabia of gas鈥.
Communities are angry that the Barry O鈥橣arrell government in NSW is allowing the short-term interests of big coal and CSG companies to come ahead of the protection of water supplies and productive land.
In Gunnedah, NSW planning minister Brad Hazzard had to walk through protesters holding anti-coal and CSG placards to get to a March 20 town hall meeting where he defended the government鈥檚 new Strategic Regional Land Use Plans (SRLUP).
The 300-strong crowd heckled Hazzard, but NSW Farmers president Fiona Simson received sustained applause when she challenged Hazzard and the new guidelines.
, saying: 鈥淯p front assessment is not when the [development approval] is about to be awarded. The process starts for the people in this room when exploration licences are granted.鈥
Farmer and Caroona Coal Action Group spokesperson Tim Duddy said the land use plan allows government to push projects through, regardless of land and water concerns. Duddy said: 鈥淭he ability under the plan for the cabinet to declare a project of exceptional value seems 鈥 a blueprint to facilitate the fast tracking of the three [major projects] in this region: Shenhua, BHP at Caroona and Santos gas extraction on the Liverpool Plains.鈥
Other speakers pointed out the hypocrisy of a policy where farmers can鈥檛 clear forest, but mining companies can. A local farmer spoke of the area鈥檚 rich soils, saying: 鈥淲e should be looking at our food security.鈥
A similar forum with Hazzard in Singleton on April 13 showed the government was about 鈥渃onsulting without listening鈥. The Putty Gasbag blog said Hazzard constantly dodged questions by 鈥渂laming the former government鈥.
The Labor member for Cessnock, Clayton Barr, said that by allowing the plans to be overridden if a resource is of 鈥渆xceptional value鈥, the government need only declare mining royalties of 鈥渆xceptional value鈥 to get around the land use restrictions.
Putty Gasbag said: 鈥淲e left the meeting angry and frustrated. The resource management strategy of the NSW government is unconscionable. It is a betrayal of the people who trusted the messages and assurances given prior to the election last year.鈥
In Camden, the Scenic Hills Association has vowed to continue fighting AGL鈥檚 northern expansion of its Camden gas project. AGL plans to sink about 70 new CSG wells.
New licences slammed
In the Riverina, Lock The Gate鈥檚 (LTG) Jacinta Green slammed the NSW government announcement of new exploration licences during a flood crisis.
Green said that the March 8听 Land听 included the announcement of three new Petroleum Exploration Licence applications.
She said the government was ramming through new licences at the same time as allegedly 鈥渃onsulting鈥 around new draft guidelines designed to 鈥渕anage鈥 land and mining conflicts.
As concern over water security grows, the group Save Our Water Catchment Areas (SOWCA) says it is outraged that the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) has been 鈥減urged of catchment defenders鈥.
The group said key positions were axed 鈥渢o reduce the likelihood of [catchment authority] board resistance to a government determined to mine and extract anything from anywhere, including from within our vital drinking water catchments.
鈥淭he pro-environment membership of the SCA board needs strengthening, not purging.鈥
SOWCA is also concerned that catchment authority objections are regularly overruled. The Sydney and Illawarra water catchment areas have been excluded from even the limited protection of the government鈥檚 land use guidelines.
A CSG exploratory well was recently drilled in Oakdale, next to Sydney鈥檚 water catchment area. Campaigners have pointed out the irony that areas around the water catchment are off-limits to bushwalkers, but are open to CSG companies.
CSG production has gone furthest in Queensland.
The new Liberal-National government has moved rapidly to 鈥渞estore confidence in the CSG sector鈥 with a new commission to 鈥渂alance the interests of companies, farmers and environmentalists鈥.
The Gasfields Commission has been backed by big CSG company AGL.
AGL is pushing into western Queensland. There are already 20,000 approved CSG wells in the state, a figure that could double.
The Queensland Department of Environment has lost 70 positions in the past two years.
In Victoria, the Baillieu government is refusing to give landholders the power to veto CSG activity on their land 鈥 despite giving households the power to veto wind farm projects within two kilometres.
Communities and local councils are fighting back. People packed out a March 21 .
when it voted on April 26 to call on the Victorian government to place a moratorium on CSG.
Resistance to the gas push is also growing in Western Australia.
A 150 person 鈥淣o Fracking WAy鈥 rally in Perth on April 21, which called for听 a moratorium on unconventional gas until it could be proven safe for health and the environment, was met by a heavy-handed council and police response.
Perth council, supported by the WA police, confiscated placards, banners, leaflets and petitions, and issued move-on notices to people who refused to comply.
Protesters are angry that the WA environment minister has recently given the go-ahead for mining companies to frack the Perth Basin.
To help get a sense of the breadth of Australia鈥檚 鈥済as boom鈥 and to record the resistance, online campaign group GetUp! have developed an interactive map showing CSG reserves and mining wells across Australia, and the water aquifers that may be affected by CSG activity. GetUp! is encouraging campaigners to also reflect their movement on the map.
Communities go CSG-free
Communities are getting organised in creative ways to challenge the corporate and government CSG assault.
Almost the entire community of The Channon turned out on April 15 to reject the Northern Rivers becoming a gas field. Instead, the 400 residents declared the area a CSG Free Region, after a community door-to-door survey had found 99% of residents wanted to keep CSG out of the region.
to be 鈥渢he biggest threat to our community since World War II鈥.
The declaration seeks to protect the Northern Rivers鈥 鈥渦nique soil, water and biodiversity, and its status as an important region for food growing.鈥 While without legal weight, the declaration carries 鈥渕oral and social power鈥.
Other communities have followed. , in what Dowell called 鈥渁 rolling movement across our region鈥.
One of the strongest groups challenging CSG is preparing the ground for a mass community blockade of any CSG wells in the Illawarra. Following a 400-strong community conference, .
The group said:听 鈥淲e feel it's a course of action we've been forced to follow given听 the NSW government's blind, ongoing support for the industry.鈥
Stop CSG Illawarra point out that not only has the local community demanded a moratorium on CSG, but 74% of NSW residents, and 68% of Australians nationwide, support halting the CSG industry.
Despite this 鈥渢he government continues to represent the industry鈥, so Stop CSG Illawarra say they have no choice but to听 implement a peaceful, well organised听 鈥榩eople's moratorium鈥櫶 blockade. The group has called on supporters to provide blockade resources such as caravans, gazebos, laptops and entertainment.
听
The movement against CSG will broaden further on听 May 1. The NSW Farmers will converge on the NSW parliament, marching alongside Lock The Gate, the Country Women鈥檚 Association, the Nature Conservation Council, GetUp, Stop CSG Sydney, Stop CSG Illawarra and others, united in one message: protect our land and water.
As : 鈥淥ur opposition is nonviolent, but non-negotiable."
Video: Country & city, united we stand - protect our water, protect our land! .