What a gas: Australian mining dealt a blow

FOLLOWING comments from federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott that farmers should have “a right to say no” to mining companies, the Greens have announced they will move a bill in federal parliament to legally enshrine this right in order to ensure Australia’s food security.

However, Abbott quickly retreated from his position of support for Australian food-growers saying that he would not support the Greens’ bill, and that it was an issue to be managed by the states.

Greens Senator Larissa Waters told a breakfast of campaigners impacted by the CSG industry last Friday that while states do set the legislation and conduct the approvals for CSG, there were ways the Federal Government could act.

Waters said that it was important to bring parity to the land access negotiations between land-holders and mining companies.

“State and federal governments are blinded by short term profits and are risking the long term agricultural sector and health of communities.

“We need a moratorium on all coal seam gas mining and exploration until we have information about whether the industry is safe. Right now, we don’t know what we are risking,” she said.

The Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has reacted to the growing discontent from communities about rampant expansion of CSG across her state by implementing an exclusion zone between towns and mining.

Bligh announced there would be no coal seam gas mining within two-kilometres of any town of 1000 people or more. But it is too late for towns such as Ackland, which has been almost entirely bought out by big mining with only one resident remaining.

Meanwhile in NSW, Barry O’Farrell has refused to follow Bligh’s lead enforcing any buffer zones. However, the government has announced a ban on certain toxic chemicals previously used in drilling operations as well as a moratorium on the controversial gas extraction method known as fracking.

Many in the community feel these measures don’t go far enough to protect groundwater, agricultural land, and the future prosperity of communities.

The CSG industry has until now enjoyed relatively unfettered growth, with government incentives to encourage the roll out of what was being touted as the “transitional fuel” for a lower carbon Australia, across the eastern states.

The future is now looking less certain for coal seam gas in Australia, as communities remain unconvinced and politicians begin to realise the potential risk factors.

Drew Hutton, president of Lock the Gate, a coalition of community groups concerned about the impact of CSG mining, recently summed up the mood of the burgeoning opposition movement.

“In the last years of the fossil fuel industry we won’t let them lash out and take whole regions with them.”

Image: Drew Hutton (left) with Qld farmers at the launch their Lock the Gate campaign in Brisbane last year. They say multinational companies have been given virtually unlimited access to their farms and to underground water in their search for coal seam gas and new coal mines. (AAP Image/Steve Gray)