Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Brad Hazzard addressing the Lismore meeting
Thomas George MP seated on his left
Yesterday the Hon. (Brad) Bradley Ronald Hazzard, BA, DipEd, LLB(NSW), LLM(Syd) MP, NSW Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Infrastructure NSW, Leader of the House and Member of the Liberal Party was part of the O’Farrell Government response to growing concerns about the potential impacts of coal seam gas mining on Northern Rivers residents, communities and regional economies.
It should of course have been the Minister for Resources and Energy, Chris Hartcher, who fronted this ‘information’ meeting as it is he who has been scattering petroleum exploration licences across the Northern Rivers since the last state election.
It would be an understatement to say that local opposition to coal seam gas mining was expressed forcefully, however the minister’s audience was not violent in any way.
Mr. Hazzard, the MP for Lismore Thomas George and senior public servants from Mineral Resources, Office of Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security, Office of Water and the Department of Planning & Infrastructure left the Lismore meeting to a sustained chant of No Mean No!
Rather predictably, Minister Hazzard who apparently came north prepared to politely talk at rather than with the community chose to portray the meeting as having been taken over by people who organised a demonstration - rather than see the audience response as evidence of regional frustration with a coal seam gas mining policy which deliberately sidelines landowners and communities.
ABC North Coast NSW audio recordings of the meeting:
Download this mp3 file
CSG meeting part one
CSG meeting part two
CSG meeting part three
CSG meeting part four
CSG meeting part five
CSG meeting part six
CSG meeting part seven
CSG meeting part eight
CSG meeting part one CSG meeting part two CSG meeting part three CSG meeting part four CSG meeting part five CSG meeting part six CSG meeting part seven CSG meeting part eight 
All images found on Twitter and The Northern Star
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