Coalition trying a CSG con job on Northern Rivers communities, says Saffin

Coalition con job on CSG

The Liberal National Coalition is pretending to oppose CSG on the North Coast, but has declared in Canberra it will wind back CSG environmental protections if elected.

Page MP Janelle Saffin said the Opposition’s shadow Parliamentary Secretary on the Environment, Senator Simon Birmingham, has spelt out the Coalition’s position in the Senate.

“While National Party candidate Kevin Hogan says he opposes CSG, the Coalition he represents has declared it will undo the Government’s water protection measures if elected. He has to do more than say he doesn’t like it.

“I fought hard and worked with the Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to find ways to protect our water and our farmers from harmful CSG,

“The Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment Bill offers that protection. The House of Reps passed the Bill in March and it is now before the Senate.

“The Coalition is in a spot. They don’t like the CSG water protection measures, but they don’t want CSG to be an election issue because of the strong community campaign.

“So they are just lying low on the issue.

“Senator Birmingham listed the water protection measures they don’t like and then said: ‘we will work to fix these issues should we succeed later this year.’

“To add insult to injury, they are also trying to hand all environmental assessment powers to the states, in our case the New South Wales Government.

“We know we can’t trust the Liberal National NSW Government on CSG.

“The Government has ignored community demands for a CSG exclusion zone on the Northern Rivers, while declaring CSG exclusion zones for Hunter Valley horse studs and wineries.

“I have taken up the community concerns and have worked for years to push for the Federal Government to explore the extent of its powers to protect our area from CSG. This bill does that.

“The people of Page do not want 1000 gas wells across the Northern Rivers. And they do not deserve to be conned by a Coalition feigning community concern while plotting to bow to the mining companies’ demands and remove these protections.

“If Mr Hogan opposes CSG he needs to explain why he is standing for the Coalition which would remove our water protections. 

21 May 2013