Showing posts with label rural affairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rural affairs. Show all posts

Wednesday 25 September 2013

NSW Farmers ask Abbott Government & Minister Macfarlane: "Why should CSG extraction take precedence over protection of land and water and basic needs like food and fibre?"


Media Release
18 September 2013
PR/121/13

Setting the record straight on CSG concerns in NSW

NSW Farmers today expressed concern that newly appointed Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane was already dismissing opposition to the coal seam gas industry in NSW.

Association president Fiona Simson said the minister’s comments were very concerning especially when he had not yet spoken to all relevant stakeholders on the CSG issue.

“Farmers and communities in NSW have deep and genuine concerns about the effect this industry is already having and projected to have on agricultural land and water and we do not think it is fair for those concerns to be labelled politically nor emotionally driven,” she said.

“We are however encouraged by the Coalition’s Policy for Resources and Energy in particular the CSG co-existence conditions which state that access to prime agricultural land should only be allowed with the farmer’s agreement and that there should be no damage to the underground water supply.

“NSW Farmers does not deny that the Queensland CSG industry has progressed much quicker than in NSW. But the geography of Queensland is different and what works there will not necessarily work here and I can assure him that not everyone over the border is ecstatic about how the CSG industry has developed there.

“The NSW legislative framework in relation to CSG is severely lacking – this is something we have been saying for years.

“We are not against the industry but we are seeking balanced outcomes. Why should CSG extraction take precedence over protection of land and water and basic needs like food and fibre?

“NSW Farmers wants adequate protections for agricultural land and water and we want our questions, legitimate questions, answered.

Ms Simson said the federal Coalition’s agriculture policy about building better stakeholder relations was encouraging and she was keen to take them up on that.

“However, comments like these are a concern so early on in a new government’s first term,” she concluded.
ends

Friday 6 September 2013

If elected on 7 September Abbott and Coalition have plans to immediately push for coal seam gas industry expansion in NSW


So much for Nationals candidate Kevin Hogan’s assurances concerning coal seam gas exploration and mining on the NSW North Coast.....

Australian Mining 4 September 2013:

The Abbott government would also drive the expansion of NSW’s coal seam gas sector. Macfarlane would make the NSW domestic gas matter one of his top three concerns, The Australian reported.
Macfarlane has already set a Christmas deadline to resolve the issue, saying it may already be three months overdue.
He labelled the condition urgent “beyond belief”.
“It’s a massive problem and it’s going to cost jobs from Newcastle to Wollongong if we don’t get it sorted,” he said.
“The only situation short-term is to get the CSG industry going well enough to supply the domestic demand, which is going to start to exceed supply in 2015 and 2016 when they start turning on the LNG trains in Gladstone.
The Coalition government and Macfarlane also promised to bring in an exploration development incentive.
Under the scheme, junior mining companies with no taxable income can pass eligible exploration expenses on to their shareholders.
A Minerals Council of Australia spokesman said the pledge showed the Coalition understood the importance of exploration.
“The MCA has regularly highlighted the tax asymmetry in the treatment of exploration expenses for companies with no taxable income.”
The Australian Tax Office will decide on a part of the costs that investors can claim as tax credits.
It is aimed at junior mining companies with no taxable income and will be capped at $100 million over the forward estimates.
Association of Mining and Exploration Companies head Simon Bennison recently told Australian Mining juniors are operating without support and said if this continues, the future of the industry is in jeopardy.

Australian Federal Election 2013: National Rural Health Alliance gives Coalition fail mark on health policies

About Us - National Rural Health Alliance

Friday 19 July 2013

Labor and Greens at odds over O'Farrell Government's Local Land Services Act 2013


On 28 June 2013 Carol Vernon, The Greens candidate standing in Cowper at the forthcoming federal election, expressed some satisfaction with the final form of the O’Farrell Coalition Government’s Local Land Services Bill which was passed by the NSW Parliament on 27 June.

NSW Labor’s Steve Whan was taking a very different stance on this piece of legislation in a letter to the editor published in The Daily Examiner on 12 July 2013:

Farmers sold out

As some or your readers might be aware, the State Government's Local Land Services (LLS) legislation has passed the NSW Parliament. As of January 1 next year the LLS will replace the current Livestock Health and Pest Authorities and Catchment Management Authorities.

The NSW Labor Opposition has opposed the LLS for a number of reasons. The first is that the new bodies are already hamstrung by mass sackings of frontline and DPI staff and huge ongoing budget cuts to services for farmers.
As shadow minister I have serious reservations about whether a single entity can incorporate the work conducted by the LHPAs and the CMAs - two completely different organisations. Labor attempted to amend the LLS legislation to make its role clearer on both farm services and catchment management operations - the government did not support these changes.
Another major problem we tried to resolve was the balance between locally elected representatives and ministerial-appointed representatives on LLS boards.
Farmers made it very clear they did not support the model proposed by the government of four appointed and only three elected board members.
I attempted to make the boards 50% elected by local land holders and 50% by ministerial appointments - to ensure that local farmers and ratepayers had a direct say in the farm "face to face" services. These proposed changes were defeated by the government and the Nationals.
Unfortunately the Nationals once again have sold out rural NSW by failing to support this amendment and by meekly complying with the decimation of the face-to-face extension officer network.
Because the Nationals have let rural NSW down again there are now less on-farm services, less local specialist agronomists than at any time since Labor set up the extension officer network in the 1940s.
Over the past decade the NSW Nationals have made a deliberate effort not to preselect farmers for State seats and it is now starting to show. The few older backbench Nationals in the Parliament said very little in this debate. The "new breed", with no primary industries experience, just parroted the lines the Minister gave them.
History shows us that the Nationals in government are great at blaming other people but hopeless at delivering - this Government is unfortunately even worse, they are actively ripping out services from agriculture and rural communities.

Steve Whan MLC
Shadow Minister for Primary Industries  

Tuesday 11 June 2013

Mining industry and New South Wales: a warning to act before 28 June 2013



In a decade’s time, the Queensland centre of Dalby will be unrecognisable as a farming community, according to Darling Downs lawyer Peter Shannon.

Mr Shannon, Shine Lawyers, who hails from Dalby, said the mining industry was taking over the district at such a rate that the scale of agriculture the regions are known for may not survive the next 10 years.
One of the only benefits to be had from this was that NSW producers could hopefully learn from what has happened to Queensland to prevent coal and coal seam gas (CSG) mining taking over their prime agricultural land.
“It’s an inevitability that wherever there is coal in NSW, there is also good farming land,” said Mr Shannon, who was in Moree last week to talk to growers at the Australian Cotton Trade Show.
“The mining industry will eventually take over agriculture if the agricultural industry doesn’t look after itself, and it’s up to the landholders themselves to make sure their industry is looked after.
“Unfortunately you get more consumer protection buying a fridge in Queensland than you do when entering an agreement with a mining company and if the legal fees available to landholders are capped then it will be impossible for those landholders to have a fair fight…..
“Mining is something that’s usually remote to everyone until it’s knocking on their door and while the law states that a landholder is not allowed to be worse off after signing an agreement with a mining company, you can promise the landholder won’t be better off, while the mining company and government are making fortunes.”…..

Cotton Australia mining and CSG policy officer Sahil Prasad said one of the key changes proposed in the review of the NSW Planning system was the need for developments to be “sustainable” rather than “ecologically sustainable” – a move he said which “essentially negates the right to protect the environment and the important agricultural land around a mining project”.
“Submissions for the review of the system are due on June 28 and I strongly suggest landholders take a good look at this and make sure it’s going to work for them.” [my bolding]

This is the document in question: White Paper – A New Planning System for NSW. Exhibition period ends on 28 June 2013. Submissions may be lodged online.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Newcastle Trades Hall Council joins Lock The Gate in opposing CSG exploration/drilling in Hunter Valley


Newcastle Trades Hall Council (NTHC) and Lock The Gate 14 May 2013 statement:
The Lock The Gate Alliance looks forward to working with the Newcastle Trades Hall Council, after the peak union body declared it is totally opposed to further coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and drilling in the Hunter Valley.
The motion passed by the Council cites risks to the environment and the community, and concerns for agricultural lands and townships, and supports the NTHC working closely with groups opposing CSG until the unconventional gas mining practice is proven safe.
NTHC Secretary Gary Kennedy said that CSG drilling technology was not proven to be safe. “The dangers to aquifers, the environment and the community are real, with little public benefit,” he said.
“While it is true that there is a shortage of natural gas, this is because we are selling our gas to overseas markets to maximise corporate profits.”
“The NSW Government have not gone far enough to fully protect the environment, landowners, and the community,” said Kennedy.
Lock The Gate's regional coordinator for the Hunter, Steve Phillips, welcomed the involvement of the NTHC in the campaign to protect the Hunter Valley from CSG. “The movement to protect the Hunter Valley from CSG includes residents groups, farmers, vignerons [wine producers], and environmentalists. It now includes the peak trade union body in the region — the Trades Hall Council,” he said.
“People and organisations are uniting to fight coal seam gas, because CSG is a major threat to farmland, ecosystems, waterways, and public health. Propaganda from both gas companies and the NSW Government — through it's laughable CSG “information” website — cannot hide the facts.”
“In Queensland, where the CSG industry has been allowed to take hold, the worst fears of the community are coming true. Gas is leaking up uncontrollably from the ground, and from rivers. Kids are getting sick. Communities are being destroyed.”
“More than 80% of surveyed residents in Tara report health problems since the development of the British Gas-owned CSG field there. Symptoms include coughs, chest tightness, rashes, difficulty sleeping, joint pains, muscle pains and spasms, nausea, vomiting, spontaneous nose bleeds, skin irritation, and eye irritation.”
“Lock The Gate welcomes the inclusion of the Trades Hall Council in this critical campaign to protect public health, agriculture, ecosystems, and waterways from coal seam gas drilling,” concluded Phillips.

Thursday 16 May 2013

Richmond Beef has a gripe?


In July 2011 the Australian Government lifted its month long ban on the export of live cattle to Indonesia.

In August 2011 the Richmond River Beef Producers Association went to the local media, not to express concerns about this ban which did not directly affect the small group of producers in the Kyogle region, but to highlight concerns about Kyogle Council’s Draft Local Environment Plan potentially devaluing rural properties.

Thirteen months later the Richmond River Beef Producers Association wrote to the Federal Member for Page Janelle Saffin concerning the alleged flow-on effects from the now defunct Live cattle ban.

Then this letter to the editor appeared in The Northern Star 15 May 2013:

Irrational ban
Has the Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, gone into hiding?
Our beef industry organisation has written two letters to Janelle Saffin, one in October last year, the second in February this year, regarding important issues in relation to the beef industry.
To date we have not even had an acknowledgement of those letters, let alone a reply.
The issues we raised alerted her to the flow-on effect that we could expect from the Government's irrational banning of the live export of cattle to Indonesia.
These warnings have now been realised, as the cattle producers here, and all over the country, are being dealt a severe blow, with prices well below the cost of production as the market is now saturated.
The very least we would have expected from our elected representative was an acknowledgement of our letters.
Kathy Day
Acting Secretary
Richmond River Beef

Now I will accept Ms. Day’s word that these letters received no reply, however I do note the following:

The market is not saturated solely by cattle which were not sold off twenty-three months ago -  these cattle were successfully withheld from the market until dry conditions in the northern half of Australia resulted in more cattle across the board being sold off to meat processors in the first quarter of this year.

However, Meat and Livestock Australia reports that this sell-off is not affecting all regional marketsIn contrast, pockets of the eastern third of Queensland and NSW had well above average rainfall through summer, causing flooding in some regions and in the process building sufficient feed banks for the winter. This has, to a small extent, eased some of the pressure on cattle markets. 

In May 2013 The Australian  reported that an extra 20,000 to 25,000 cattle [will be] shipped into Indonesia from major live export ports such as Darwin, Karumba and Derby in June and that the flow-on effect of the early quota movement would be an extra 25,000 cattle sold to Indonesia this year, given the need to keep the beef supply pipeline full every month.

On 8 May 2013 the yarding of export cattle at Casino Saleyards consisted of a few pens of grown steers/heifers and a mix of cows from a pool of 1,584 beasts, which suggests that export cattle are not a large part of the local market.

It would appear that cattle producers in the Northern Rivers may not be as affected by any residual flow-on from the short-lived 2011 live cattle export ban as Ms. Day suggests.

One has to wonder if the Day family's association with the North Coast Nationals, rather than concerns over cattle prices or unanswered letters, prompted a return-the-favour letter to the editor in an election year.

Friday 15 March 2013

Challenging the February 19 Coal Seam Gas media release by Premier Barry O’Farrell and Andrew Stoner MP



There is much to challenge in the February 19 media release by Premier Barry O’Farrell and Andrew Stoner MP.

Up until now The National Party have claimed that their Strategic Regional Land Use Policy would protect land and water in New South Wales. If this assertion were true, why is there any reason for new ‘measures’ to ‘strengthen’ regulations?

Mr Stoner would have us believe that we (the community) have been listened to. Let’s remember it was The NSW Greens’ Jeremy Buckingham MLC who successfully initiated the 2012 NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Coal Seam Gas mining that brought to light the dangers of CSG. The Liberal/National NSW government needed to be dragged kicking and screaming to the inquiry before agreeing on these modest reforms to the rampant coal seam gas industry. Now they are rewriting history.

Andrew Stoner and Barry O’Farrell claim their government is not responsible for the exploration licences. “It was Labor that handed out CSG exploration licences… “ Perhaps they are just unaware that Liberal/National government also handed out licences. The application to drill for pilot production at Fullerton Cove was made to the O’Farrell Government in September 2011 and approved by DITRIS on 5 June 2012.

Premier O’ Farrell has claimed that if his government were to cancel petroleum exploration licences then the state would be liable for billions in compensation.  However, the Petroleum (Onshore) Act makes it clear that companies would not be paid any compensation for cancellation of licences if they breached ‘conditions’.   Surely this means that if the Lib/National government has got its new ‘measures’ and ‘controls’ correct then they won’t have to pay any compensation because all the companies will be complying with their ‘conditions’.

The O’Farrell/Stoner government is yet to legislate these new promises made under pressure. If the legislation is passed as proposed there is no protection for farming land, only for viticulture and horse studs. Does this mean that many farmers in New South Wales have less value than grapes and horses?

Existing licences and drilling such as we have seen at Glenugie and Doubtful Creek will proceed. No amount of payout would compensate for the loss in value of farmland because of its industrialisation. Picture many CSG wells 500m apart linked by roads and pipelines; the one small well in a pretty field is advertising hype by the CSG industry.

Luke Hartsuyker is quoted on March 8 as saying that coal seam gas is ‘very much an industry approved in the state jurisdiction’. The responsibility of this jurisdiction certainly appears to cause Mr Stoner some conflict when he can be quoted on ABC News February 22, as saying: “I wouldn’t want a CSG well five metres from my property. It’s going to affect my property value a hell of a lot. Nobody is going to want to buy that value, ah that piece of land rather, um, and there’s always the potential for something to go wrong, so I understand why people are concerned.” How does this fit with the bottom line of the same media release where Mr Stoner says: “We want a sustainable CSG Industry in NSW...”?  Sustainable? How? Renewable? No? Social Licence for this industry? None!

Carol Vernon
Fernmount
11/3/2013

GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to ncvguestspeak AT gmail.com.au for consideration.

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Federal Labor MP for Page announces funding for Casino Saleyards safety upgrade



Saffin announces funding for upgrade of Casino Saleyards

Page MP Janelle Saffin has  announced Federal funding of more than $600,000 for a major upgrade to improve safety at the Casino Saleyards.

Ms Saffin said the funding, under the Federal Government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program. will mean much safer facilities for saleyard workers and truck drivers who transport livestock.

““There is a total of $636,000 in Federal funding along with $159,000 from the Richmond Valley Council for the upgrade at the Casino Regional Livestock Exchange.

“The funding is for the installation of double-deck delivery ramps, non-slip concrete pens and race floor and includes all-weather roofing along the yards and gates and lighting.  We can all appreciate how important these improvements are given our recent weather conditions.

“The issue of safety for saleyard employees and truck drivers has been raised with me by local councils, beef producers and the trucking industry in recent years, so I welcome the new funding.

“I was among a number of MPs from rural electorates who successfully lobbied for saleyards safety upgrades to be included in the Federal Governments Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program,” Ms Saffin said.

“I thank Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese for listening to the concerns from rural and regional Australia, and for responding to them by providing extra assistance.”

1 March, 2013

Office of Janelle Saffin MP
Federal Member for Page
Ph: 66219909 

Monday 25 February 2013

NSW Farmers asks O'Farrell to protect all strategic agricultural land, water resources and lots zoned residential from CSG and coal mining


NSW Farmers on 19 February 2013 as reported in the RuralWeekly:

The following motion was passed at this morning's executive council meeting:
NSW Farmers supports Premier O'Farrell's decision to take a tougher stand on CSG compliance, and extraction near iconic agricultural industries. We call on the NSW Government to improve this policy by taking the following steps:

1.   apply the 2km buffer to Strategic Agricultural Land and water resources, as identified in Strategic Regional Land Use Plans;
2.    apply the buffer to minerals exploration and extraction (including coal) - not just coal seam gas;
3.    apply this policy to all projects which have not yet received approval, or release legal advice detailing why this step cannot be taken; and,
4.    apply the 2km buffer to all areas zoned as residential (as opposed to setting a population-based definition).

Saturday 9 February 2013

Truth in advertising and the coal seam gas industry

 
So confident is the coal seam gas industry of widespread political support across all three tiers of government and  so certain of the fickle attention span of the mainstream media, that its spokespeople knowingly utter falsehoods as easily as they breathe in and out.
 
They film an industry employee on land they don't have permission to enter in an effort to mislead the general public into believing that the employee is a farmer standing on his own land extolling the virtues of coal seam gas.
 
They make a blatantly false statement in print that has to be rebutted by CSIRO scientists:
 
 
CSIRO rejects the claim made in a television commercial aired on Sunday 2 September that ‘CSIRO [and government studies] have shown that groundwater is safe with coal seam gas’.
  • 4 September 2012
At no time has CSIRO made such a statement, and nor do the results of CSIRO research support such a statement.
CSIRO continues to undertake research to better understand the impacts of coal seam gas extraction on groundwater quality and quantity.
CSIRO has stated on the public record that coal seam gas extraction is likely to pose a ‘low risk’ to groundwater quality through contamination. CSIRO has also indicated that groundwater levels will fall as a consequence of coal seam gas extraction. In some places this could see aquifer levels subside by tens of metres for tens of years; in others it is likely to reduce aquifer levels by several metres for several hundred years.
CSIRO continues to undertake research to better understand the impacts of coal seam gas extraction on groundwater quality and quantity.
CSIRO became aware of the advertisement produced by Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) via a scan of social media on Friday 31 August and requested for the commercial to not be aired.
 
Because of this whatever-it-takes business culture which is loose with the truth, one has to question copies of print advertising the industry has displayed on one of its websites www.wewantcsg.com.au.
 
Who is this woman pictured below? Does she really come from Casino on the NSW North Coast? Is she a genuine school teacher or is she an industry employee or even a paid advertsing model? Is she related to someone who works for a mining company? Is she on the staff of a politician who is pro-coal seam gas?
Does she really want CSG?

Perhaps an NCV reader can answer these questions.
 

Tuesday 11 December 2012

CSGFree Northern Rivers: 'Call to Action - the Time is Now!'



Monday, 10 December 2012

UPDATE ON GLENUGIE CSG PROTEST 10-12-12

The number of community members outside Metgasco's Glenugie drill site increased this morning because of the expected arrival of the drill rig. The crowd continued to grow throughout the day. During the morning a truck carrying equipment and a number of other smaller vehicles approached the site. These were delayed for some time because of an accident with a bicycle and traffic congestion near the site. Community members entered into the spirit of the season singing carols around a Christmas tree which had been placed in front of the entrance to the drill site. The crowd effectively blocked the entrance so that around 4 pm the Metgasco convoy left the site. It is expected that they will return tomorrow - presumably with an increased police presence.

Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition

Thursday 18 October 2012

"The Northern Rivers has once again cemented its reputation as the heartland of the anti-coal seam gas movement in Australia"

 
October 2012
 
How the media saw NSW North Coast concerns in the face of a relentless O’Farrell Government push to mine our land…
 
The Daily Examiner 10 October 2012:
 
Clarence Valley Mayor Richie Williamson said yesterday that his position on Coal Seam Gas has not changed since he voted to pass a moratorium saying he will not support the Coal Seam gas industry until some key issues are cleared up.
"Until there are clear land use policies and the water aquifer policy is adopted Clarence Valley Council will not support the CSG industry," he said.
"We have also asked that any CSG activity on Council land or any application for CSG on Council land be reported and Council be able to consider it."
 
Northern Rivers Echo 11 October 2012:
 
LISMORE City Council approved a motion presented by Cr Simon Clough to request the NSW State Government to revoke all licences for exploration and production from the Lismore City Local Government area.
The motion was for Council to send a letter to the NSW Premier, NSW Minister for Planning, NSW Minister for Local Government and the North Coast, Page MP Janelle Saffin, and Lismore MLA Thomas George to express "its deep concern over the recently introduced Strategic Regional Land Use package"….
 
ABC North Coast NSW 13 October 2012:
 
The Northern Rivers has once again cemented its reputation as the heartland of the anti-coal seam gas movement in Australia.
Organisers of a rally and concert today say about 4000 people marched through the streets of Murwillumbah in opposition to coal seam gas.
 
My Daily News 13 October 2012:
 
Murwillumbah CSG protest stops town in its tracks
 
 
The Northern Star 15 October 2012:
 
ORGANISERS of the Rock the Gate rally, march and concert on Saturday got the 3000-plus they wanted out against coal seam gas and to mark the start of a Lock the Gate Alliance national week of action against the industry.
They had come from all parts of the Northern Rivers and beyond to the Murwillumbah Showground in solidarity and song, in a show of people power which included another blocks-long march through the central business district of a Northern Rivers centre.

Thursday 4 October 2012

Can our Northern Rivers cope with the amount of water extraction required by foreshadowed mining ventures?

 
Click to enlarge
 
Perhaps questions should be asked about the average number of dams per operational mining license, as envisaged by the NSW Government, and tally them up across each Northern Rivers catchment as to expected total dam volume and estimated megalitres of extracted river water required over the life of each mining venture.

Can highly variable and environmentally sensitive river systems cope with this additional water extraction?
 
NSW Legislative Council 2012 Adequacy of water storages in NSW (Inquiry):
 
Given the historical long term and recent increasing trends (as noted above), the DSC expects that the number of prescribed dams will continue to grow – particularly for the following reasons:
 
The current on-going significant activity and development in the mining industry, involving the continued evolution of mine tailings and storage dams.
 
Investigation and development of coal seam gas extraction – which will require some holding reservoirs for the water that is obtained as part of the extraction process……..
 
 

Sunday 30 September 2012

Saffin speaks out against live animal export


ABC News 29 September 2010:

A Labor MP has thrown her support behind calls for a ban on the export of live animals after the slaughter of thousands of Australian sheep in Pakistan.
Almost half a shipment of 21,000 Australia sheep were brutally killed in the country before a court order was obtained by the owners halting the cull.
The Agriculture Department is investigating claims some were buried alive.
Janelle Saffin, the Member for the New South Wales electorate of Page, says she will push for a ban when the Labor partyroom meets the week after next.
She believes she has the support of many of her colleagues.
"It continues to be the issue that all members of Parliament get a lot of emails about and a lot of contact saying 'please do something about this'," she told Saturday AM.
"Look the way I'll say it is, it's a debate that won't go away.".....

Monday 24 September 2012

Want to tell Chris Gulaptis MP how strongly you feel about keeping coal seam gas exploration & mining out of the Page electorate?


Then gather outside his electoral office at 10.30-11am 2 pm tomorrow Tuesday 25 September 2012, when likeminded residents will be holding a peaceful protest at 11 Prince Street, Grafton, NSW. Opposite Clarence Valley Council’s main building.


Tuesday 7 August 2012

Lock the Gate provided scenic route for two federal politicians in search of positive publicity


Photograph of Abbott and Hartsuyker from the Coffs Coast Advocate

According to the Mid North Coast Greens on 5 August 2012:

The route of the NAB Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge crossed the Lavender Bridge in Bellingen on its return to Coffs Harbour. Riding in the team event was Tony Abbott MHR, Leader of the Federal Opposition and Luke Hartsuyker MHR, Member for Cowper.
Waiting with the ‘Lock The Gate’ message were around 80 supporters of Lock The Mid North Coast.

The scenic route through which Abbott and Hartsuyker passed on one leg of their 5 August ride……………………

Sunday 5 August 2012

Metgasco's claims regarding its CSG wastewater disputed

A Clarence Valley Protest July 26, 2012:

Metgasco CSG waste water contaminated with salt and heavy metals
Coal Seam Gas News 26 July 2012

Lock the Gate Northern Rivers has today revealed that a sample of wastewater from a Metgasco coal seam gas wastewater storage pond has been found to contain high levels of a range of heavy metals toxic to humans and wildlife. The sample was analysed at the NATA accredited EAL laboratory in Lismore (sample results and comparison with Drinking Water and ANZECC Environmental Guidelines attached).

This finding follows on from repeated claims by Metgasco that their CSG produced water is just ‘salty’ and the release of company data last week suggesting that, apart from the salt levels, the water meets drinking water standards.

‘These pond sample results confirm that there are indeed a range of toxic substances in addition to salts in the wastewater produced in Metgasco’s coal seam gas operations and stored in ponds around Casino,’ said Boudicca Cerese, spokesperson for Lock the Gate Northern Rivers.

‘The tests found 13 elements present in the sample at levels above the Drinking Water Standards, the majority of them heavy metals. Ten of these substances were also above the allowable limits for maintenance of healthy freshwater ecosystems.’

‘Many of these substances are well known for their toxicity and their release into local waterways via the sewage treatment plant or onto agricultural lands poses a serious threat to humans, domestic stock and wildlife.’

‘Aluminium, a neurotoxic linked with the onset of dementia and Alzheimers, was detected at 440 times drinking water standards and 800 times the allowable environmental limits. At elevated concentrations aluminium can be lethal to fish and other aquatic organisms and the animals that consume them,’ said Ms. Cerese.

‘Lead, a cumulative poison that can severely affect the central nervous system, was measured at 7 times drinking water standards and 20 times the safe environmental limit. Lead is renowned for its effects on children’s development and has been shown to cause cancer in animals.’

‘The sampling found levels of hexavalent chromium 50 times the guideline level required to protect waterways. Hexavalent chromium is known to cause lung cancer in humans and also adversely affects aquatic and marine life,’ she said.

‘The sample results clearly show that the community cannot rely on the water quality results provided by Metgasco and that there is an urgent need for state government authorities to undertake rigorous independent testing of all Metgasco’s ponds prior to any further actions regarding treatment and disposal of this wastewater,’ said Ms. Cerese.

‘In addition, these results sound a warning bell for the future, as the treatment and disposal of the vast quantities of water extracted in future CSG production will mean the accumulation of thousands of tonnes of chemical laden salts, potentially severely impacting ground and surface water quality, and putting at risk public, livestock and wildlife health.

‘Plans to use this water in agriculture or to reinject produced water back into the ground are a dangerous notion, one which will backfire on future generations,’ she said