The NSW Nationals MP for Clarence is not happy when heckled by anti-gasfields protestors

First term NSW Nationals Member for Clarence, former property developer and former Clarence Valley shire councillor, Chris Gulaptis, is a little hot under the collar if ABC News on 31 October 2014 is reading him correctly:

The Clarence MP says he'll sue anyone who suggests he has improper ties to the coal seam gas industry.

Chris Gulpatis said he was recently confronted by someone alleging he had a conflict of interest due to time working with a company known for its CSG work.

Mr Gulpatis worked as a surveyor for LandPartners in 2006.

But he said he never worked on CSG projects.

"Well the Chris Gulaptis that worked for LandPartners as a consultant is me, but the Chris Gulaptis who worked on any CSG projects is total fabrication and lie," Mr Gulaptis said.

He said if rumours continue to circulate about CSG connections, he'll get legal advice.

"Well, I have no ties with the industry and I get very frustrated when they spread lies and innuendo and make false allegations and I would just advise people to be very careful if they do so and they impugn my reputation then I will have no hesitation in seeking a defamation action against them," he said.

Mr Gulaptis accused his critics of spreading rumours based on a 'Google' search.

"What astounds me is people have not researched my background and they come up with these false allegations and I really have to question how much they have researched the CSG industry.

"Clearly if they are fabricating stories about me I would suggest they probably fabricating stories about the CSG industry as well, I mean GOOGLE can find you a million answers," Mr Gulaptis said.

The Daily Examiner 4 November 2014:

Mr Gulaptis said a protester stationed outside his Prince St office loudly accused him of having worked for a company with links to coal seam gas mining.

He did not deny having worked for LandPartners as a surveyor until 2006 but said his job never involved in any CSG operations.

The accusations have since made their way to Facebook.

"As far as I'm concerned, that's nothing but gossip and malicious lies," he said.

"I'm a surveyor - that's my profession - and I worked for LandPartners as a consultant.

"It certainly had nothing to do with the CSG industry and I ceased working for them in 2006

"At that stage, I had never even heard of CSG and I certainly didn't work on any CSG projects."

It would appear that Mr. Gulaptis did not enjoy being heckled by someone who questioned his 2006-2007 work history with Land Partners Limited (formerly Aspect North & KFM Partnership) – a company involved in the planning, design and construction phases of the Eastern Gas Pipeline in 1999-2000.

One has to wonder if he was also questioned about his time at as a senior operations manager for Brazier Motti Pty Ltd engineering and mining surveyors in Mackay, Queensland commencing around 2009 and presumably finishing when he won NSW Nationals pre-selection for the Clarence by-election in 2011.

A position he used to enthusiastically support the mining industry:

After enjoying some time overseas, Chris moved back to Australia when a job opportunity became available in Mackay.
"I was so happy to get involved back into a community where mining was big again," he said.

“We believe the wider Mackay region has a buoyant future in terms of attracting substantial investment in the areas of property development, mining and resources and public infrastructure,” Mr Gulaptis said . “Mining has underpinned the region's economy for a long time and now the Federal Government's Nation Building infrastructure projects will provide the impetus to sustain Mackay through the current economic downturn.”

Theappointment of Mr Gulaptis marks the completion of Brazier Motti's seniormanagement team.

The Mackay region includes the Abbot Point coal port and the town has coal seam gas exploration tenements to its west, as well as some of its businesses servicing the gas industry.

When he unsuccessfully stood for the NSW federal seat of Page in 2007 Chris Gulaptis openly supported the coal seam gas industry and Metgaso Limited:

By 2012 he was in favour of Metgasco establishing a commercial tight gas¹  field in the Clarence Valley.

ABC News 26 September 2012:

A mining company with gas exploration licences for the Clarence Valley has just signed a multi million dollar deal with an energy company.

The almost $3 million dollar agreement between Red Sky Energy and ERM Power will fund drilling of up to nine gas wells.

Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis said as far as he knows it is not a coal seam gas exploration project.

"On the surface they are talking about conventional gas, I think that's a good thing," he said.

"They're talking about domestic use, I think that's a good thing.

"I think the fact that the NSW government has at long last put some regulations in place to monitor the gas industry is also a good thing.

"So it all comes together at the right time."

Mr Gulaptis said he is not yet sure how big the local gas reserve is, or what the lifespan of the project is.

"I'm not sure about the extent of the resource is but clearly with a heavy investment there must be some confidence that the resource is fairly extensive," he said.

"It could be a good thing if it is a sustainable project which delivers gas to our domestic market."

Although from time to time in recent years Mr. Gulaptis has made mild media statements opposing coal seam gas mining in the Northern Rivers region, he has only spoken on the issue twice in state parliament in three years.

The first time on 20 June 2013 he stated; I am neither for nor against coal seam gas. He is also part of a government which has renewed two of Metgasco Limited's coal seam gas exploration licences and granted the company a production licence.

He supports the idea of designated gasfields being established within the state.

One doesn't know what Chris Gulaptis said to pro-CSG Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane in October 2013, when he attended a Canberra meeting along with fellow Nationals NSW MP Thomas George and Federal MP Kevin Hogan, Peter Henderson and Stuart George from Metgasco, a representative of ERM (a major Metgasco shareholder), the head of Geoscience Australia, Richmond Valley Council General Manager John Walker, the head of Richmond Valley Water Users Group,  NORCO chair Greg McNamara, dairy farmer Leigh Sherman, tourism operator and marine biologist Wendy Craig Duncan, Regional Co-ordinator for the Lock the Gate Alliance Ian Gaillard and Bentley landholder Peter Graham.

However, after this meeting the minister was reported as stating that; the majority opinion expressed at this meeting was that the CSG industry should operate within the framework set out by the NSW government including the buffer zone, while also meeting any conditions set out by the NSW chief scientist and where farmers agree to have CSG on their land.

That Mr. Gulaptis has chosen to issue a statement threatening legal action indicates that he is both acutely aware of community sentiment against the gas industry and sensitive about his own history in the lead up to the March 2015 state election.

This move may yet backfire on him as this Facebook post shows:

1. The term “tight gas sands” refers to low permeability sandstone reservoirs that produce primarily dry natural gas. A tight gas reservoir is one that cannot be produced at economic flow rates or recover economic volumes of gas unless the well is stimulated by a large hydraulic fracture treatment and/or produced using horizontal wellbores (Holditch, 2006). Tight gas includes basin-centred gas systems, defined by Law (2002) as low-permeability, gas-saturated reservoirs that are abnormally pressured, regionally pervasive, and lack down-dip water contacts. [SA Government Dept of State Development]

Is Opposition Leader John Robertson favouring a political donor by excising the Clarence Valley from Labor's 'CSG Free' Northern Rivers policy?

Letter to the Editor in the Clarence Valley Review, October 2014:

Opposition betrayal

Ed,
On 30 September 2014 NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson announced that if Labor wins government in 2015 it would establish a permanent total ban on coal seam gas exploration and mining within the Northern Rivers region.
He based this decision on the fact that this region has a clean, green reputation, vital water catchments, World Heritage areas, thriving tourism, dairy, beef and sugar cane industries, businesses which participate in the export market and communities opposed to unconventional gas fields. [John Robertson et al media release, 30.09.14]
However, when making this announcement he was careful to excise the southern-most part of the Northern Rivers from inclusion in this ban – the Clarence Valley 10,500 km² local government area.
Like other residents of this valley I know it also has a clean green reputation, the largest coastal river in the state, a vital water catchment supplying both the Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour, a World Heritage area, a small working harbour, an estuary seafood catch valued at est. $47M annually and, a thriving tourism industry estimated to bring in excess of $65 million to the Valley each year from 922,000 visitors annually [Clarence Valley Economic Profile, 2012].
Forestry, beef, sugar cane and commercial fishing industries make up 87% of the Clarence Valley local economy, which along with 4,000 registered businesses (some of which participate in the export market) form the backbone of a local economy worth $2.4B GRP per annum [Clarence Valley Council Economic Monitor, June 2014].
In addition to which, the Valley has a growing population and communities opposed to unconventional gas fields.
I am not alone in wanting to know why the Opposition betrayed both the 2014 NSW Labor Conference resolution and the Clarence Valley.
Is it because it hasn’t held the Clarence electorate since March 2003? Or is it because the principal shareholder in an activated Metgasco tenement in the valley is ERM Power which donated to its political coffers in the past and, if the planned ban is in place this CSG tenement would be the only one that mining company had left in New South Wales?
Judith Melville, Yamba

UPDATE

On 29 October 2014 NSW Labor announced that it had included the Clarence Valley in its policy permanently banning coal seam gas/tight gas/unconventional gas exploration, mining and production in the Northern Rivers region.

Not a good look for the O'Farrell Government, Metgasco or ERM Power

 

A $200,000 NSW riot police operation to break an anti-CSG protest at Glenugie may not secure any convictions.

More than 20 protesters were arrested when police broke up a protest in The Avenue at Glenugie on January 1 to allow CSG miner Metgasco's trucks access to a test drilling site.

Three of the protesters facing charges of hindering police, obstructing a driver's path and not complying with police directions were acquitted of all charges yesterday in the Grafton Local Court.

Magistrate David Heilpern found Ingo Andreas Bruno Medek, of Blue Knob, not guilty of hindering police and obstructing a driver in a hearing before lunch.

After the break he dismissed charges against Ian Ronald Gaillard of Keerong and Benjamin Zable, of Nimbin, in a few minutes, sparking some celebrations among supporters outside the court house.

Mr Gaillard said the offences he and Mr Zable were charged with occurred when he disobeyed police instruction to give Mr Zable a bottle of water during the protest.

Outside the court yesterday the pair re-enacted their actions for the benefit of about 20 supporters who turned up for the court case.

Defence solicitors Steve Bolt (for Mr Medek) and Philip Wykeham (for Gaillard and Zabel) said the decision could have major ramifications for two test cases in Maclean Local Court on July 9 and 10.

Mr Wykeham said after the magistrate's ruling yesterday, police commanders will have to make a decision to go ahead with the cases, which are to be used as templates for charges against other CSG protesters arrested at Glenugie.

 

Read the rest of The Daily Examiner article of 8 May 2013 here.

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A one-eyed musing:

One regular North Coast Voices reader is so crooked at The Daily Examiner that he sent me a message on 7.10.14; Check out its self centered article in today’s rag. "Projects to help AREA rebound'. Apparently Grafton is the only community in the Clarence Valley that needs to rebound. How on earth can our "Grafton Mayor" show leadership, positive perception in the community and most of all entrepreneurship when this rag which claims to be "The Voice of the Clarence Valley" speaks only of Grafton and of Cllrs only representing Grafton?

A stop laughing this is serious musing:

I Boy the Wonder Cat, being a respectable Northern Rivers moggy, do hereby make it known that I take no responsibility for any resident, ratepayer or visitor fatally choking on their breakfast cereal after reading one of my musings.

A weed by any other name musing:

Batman & Robin, Superman & Wonder Woman, Green Lantern & The Flash,Tarzan & Cheetah, Tick & Arthur, The Fat Controller & Psycho. Guess which pair are in Northern Rivers local government and not between the pages of comic book?

A seriously wondering musing:

The big news in the Clarence Valley on 30 September 2014 was that it was the only local government area left out of NSW Labor's promise to implement a total ban on CSG exploration and mining in the Northern Rivers.

Besides the fact that ERM Power, Metgasco Limited's largest shareholder, has made political donations in the past to all three major parties - what else could explain this odd state of affairs?

This little moggie wants to know what part Clarence Valley Council's executive might have played in this decision.

After all it's well-known that the mayor is a National Party member and that NSW Nationals support coal seam/tight gas exploration and mining - one only has to look at how NSW Nationals Leader & Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner bent over backwards for the controversial Santos Narabri project and the government in which he holds the second highest position endorsed fracking at AGL's Gloucester site.

So, was one or more of the people comprising the Clarence Valley Council executive approached by Labor and did they react coolly to any question of inclusion in Labor's 'CSG Free' Northern Rivers promise?

A second meeja musing:

Anyone regularly reading print and online mainstream media would be well aware that much of what passes as journalistic effort these days is an uncritical reworking of unsolicited media releases. What many readers might not notice is that the media companies, which sometimes create or assist with these media releases, may already have a relationship with newspaper groups. Take coal seam gas-tight gas minerMetgasco Limited - it employs the services of Citadel: Specialists in Corporate Communications. Co-incidentally, so does APN News & Media which owns mastheads on the NSW North Coast such as The Northern Star and The Daily Examiner which from time to time report on coal seam gas exploration and well drilling in the Northern Rivers.

A meeja musing:

Richmond NSW-based Deputy Editor of The Land newspaper and former editor of The Daily Examiner, Jenna Cairney, is obviously pining for sunny northern climes. She is moving across the Rio Tweed in six weeks' time to take up a new position at APN’s Sunshine Coast Daily in Maroochydore QLD, as its first female editor. Regular SCD readers, from Kin Kin down to Caloundra, should expect a fresh voice willing to break new ground on issues important to them.

A someone made a complaint musing:

According to Lexie the friendly ginger feline I sometimes talk to on my travels, a complaint has gone down to the NSW Ombudsman concerning alleged misconduct by one member of a council executive. No, there is no prize for guessing which NSW North Coast council. Way too easy!

An ooh aah musing:

Feathers are becoming ruffled in the local government doocot it seems. Not content with implying that a local resident is a liar concerning a previous water complaint, Clarence Valley Council management has now zeroed in on The Daily Examiner – declaring its reporting of dirty drinking water in Yamba on 6 September 2014 “spurious”. Bet that impressed the newspaper’s sports editor who had this to say of the day: “The Yamba triathlon festival gives competitors a real taste of what the place has to offer, even a dose of the infamous water supply thrown into the mix…….Bill North reporting in Yamba for The Daily Examiner.”

A selective backgrounding musing:

Word is that at least one Northern Rivers newspaper has been informed that local government reforms will mean that councillors will no longer be able to bid for or hold council contracts. Far as I can tell this means at least three Clarence Valley councillors will have, to some degree, to choose between being breadwinners for their families or elected representatives for their communities after September 2016. However, it is far from clear as to whether council has informed them of the fact that the proposed rewriting of the NSW Government Act is likely to affect them directly.

Post script: On 19 September 2014 the NSW Office of Local Government stated that there were as yet no details of provisions to be included in the planned new Local Government Act. Therefore a new rule concerning councillors and council contracts could neither be ruled in nor out of the mix.

A rumour grows musing:

If rumour is correct it seems that NSW North Coast Nationals were desperate to keep their man, Richie Williamson, in the Clarence Valley Council mayoral seat. It's now being alleged that retired Nationals federal MP and former House of Representatives deputy-speaker, Ian Causley, had also attempted to sway at least one councillor’s vote in the 16 September 2014 mayoral election. Telling all my furry friends to stick close to their owners and report back as these behind-the-scenes machinations are becoming interesting. Will the North Coast Nats call in their marker and make use of the mayor's casting vote when they want Clarence Valley local government to back their mining or dam policies?

A beat, beat, beat of the drums musing:

There is a strong rumour doing the rounds concerning the Clarence Valley Council mayoral election of 16 September 2014. It is being alleged that Federal Nationals MP for Cowper, Deputy Leader in the House of Representatives and Assistant Employment Minister, Luke Hartsuyker, has been meddling where he shouldn't by attempting to dissuade at least one councillor from running against the incumbent mayor, former Nationals pre-selection candidate Richie Williamson.

A you heard what? musing:

It doesn't take a genius to guess which Northern Rivers council management is alleged to have forwarded sensitive correspondence, (between one local resident & council) on to numerous third parties within the local government area. Tsk, tsk, tsk.....

An 'eaven 'elp us musing:

Word around the traps is that Clarence Valley Mayor Richie Williamson will act as NSW Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis' campaign manager in the lead up to the 2015 state election.

CSG industry begins to spend "multi-millions of dollars" to drown out Northern Rivers and other communities across Australia

Ad News 30 July 2013:

The peak body representing Australia's oil and natural gas producers has launched a multimillion-dollar public awareness campaign to warn of the dangers to the economy of a slowdown in the industry.

The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association, which represents more than 80 full member companies and 250 associate member companies, kicked off the 'Our Natural Advantage' campaign last night.

A spokesperson for APPEA declined to comment on the exact amount but said the spend was "significant" and "in the multi-millions of dollars". The TV ads will be supported by print and radio……

Apparently Northern Rivers communities and residents who do not support the likes of Metgasco and ERM Power are unpatriotic and uncaring because we will not allow director-shareholders to fill their bank accounts at the expense of our own existing regional economies, amenity, lifestyle and an environmentally sustainable future for local families....

http://youtu.be/Bzm0cyJDbjU

Metgasco joins in the blamefest with an email round robin delivering this message from CEO Peter Henderson:

Metgasco Limited statement July 2013

Unfortunately for APPEA and Metgasco the Australian media is not always obliging:

Australian Financial Review Editorial & Opinion, 30 July 2013

Coal Seam Gas: an object lesson for Northern Rivers communities is coming out of Colorado USA

These photographs and videos set out below are coming out of Colorado in the United States and, show just part of the gas and oil fields flooded in September 2013.

Is this the level of risk Prime Minister Tony Abbott, NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, Metgasco Limited, and its main backer ERM Power, are willing to expose the flood-prone Northern Rivers region to?

http://youtu.be/y_wNkPYGiRo

Colorado frack-site flooding - September 2013 from Mateo Albaricoque on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/74683562

The Daily Examiner 19 September 2013:

EmmaB

So Metgasco is heartened by what the Liberal/Nationals governments are saying at state and federal level and plans to "ride a rising tide" to corporate prosperity on the backs of local communities.

Perhaps its board members should give some thought to both past and recent North Coast flood event history.

Then look at those news photographs of literally one thousand plus flooded gas wells, miles of broken pipelines, drifting condensate tanks and floating chemical barrels contaminating Colorado countryside right now.

Of which one Weld County, Colorado resident stated in the media:

“We probably shouldn’t have had the oil and gas development in a flood plain to begin with. That would have been the prudent thing. But, it’s done now. Now we have deal with the result of having made that decision.”

I can assure Metgasco that Northern Rivers residents are noting the lessons those photographs teach.

Lawrence James "Larry" Anthony : A memory jog for voters in the NSW Northern Rivers federal electorate of Richmond

Now that it appears former Howard Government minister and Nationals MP Larry Anthony may be contemplating a return to politics perhaps it is also time to recall a little of his history.......

Lawrence James “Larry” Anthony 
(aged 54 years)

Professional company director

Photograph from The Guardian 13 September 2015

* Jackeroo between 1979-80.

* Small business and industrial advocate adviser, Sydney Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in 1984-85.

* Stockbroker and investment banker, Potter Warburg and Merrill Lynch, in 1985-91 and 1993-96.

* Manager and director of the Northern Rivers Railroad Company in 1991-93. The company set up by himself, his father and business partners operated a passenger service as well as freighting cement powder and fly ash from Grafton to Casino and Murwillumbah NSW under sub-contract.

* Anthony and partners sold the Northern Rivers Railroad Company to Queensland Rail  in 2002 and all local passenger trains ceased on the Murwillumbah line. This line is was eventually closed by NSW Rail on 16.05.04.

* Federal Member for Richmond NSW of Parliament 1996-2004:

Parliamentary Secretary (Trade) from 21.10.98 to 20.7.99.

Minister for Community Services from 20.7.99 to 26.11.01.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from 26.11.01 to 26.10.04.

* Defeated at general elections in 2004 after winning 45.79 per cent of first preference votes but failing to pick up enough subsequent preference votes.

* Director of Indue Ltd from 17.02.05 and Deputy Chairman from 18.07.08. Retired sometime in the 2012-13 financial year.

* Registered Larry Anthony & Associates Pty Ltd on 09.03.05.

* Non-executive director of Creditlink, a Brisbane-based credit union bank, from March 2005.

* Became a director of Australia’s largest childcare company, ABC Learning Centres Limited, in 2005. Reported to have received annual director’s fee of $65,000 and was paid more than $235,000 to lobby governments on its behalf.  Was a member of ABC Learning's audit committee in 2007. The company went into receivership on 11.11 08 owing an est. $1.6 billion to debtors. The receiver finally wound the company up in 2015.

* Chairman technology company uniDap Solutions Pty Ltd  and a director of CertainEdge Pty Ltd (dates unknown) .

*Non-executive director of Macquarie Media Management (unknown start date). Retired in 2008.

* Moved to Queensland about 2008.

* Decided not to stand at the 2007 federal election.

* Decided not to run at the 2010 federal election giving this explanation:

Anthony said his reason for not wanting to stand was the same one he had when he decided against running in 2007.

"In politics you are a rooster one day and a feather duster the next. It can be pretty ephemeral.

"When I'm on my death bed it will be my children by my bedside, not the people who voted for me."

* Stood for federal presidency of the National Party of Australia in 2010 and was defeated.

* Decided not to stand at the 2013 federal election.

* One of the company spokespeople in SAS Consulting Group’s YouTube Inside Word presentations since August  2014.

* Chair of the ADC Northern Development Summit held in Townsville, Queensland in September 2014. Summit organised by the ADC Forum, a not-for-profit leadership group. 

* Part-owner and director of lobbyist company SAS Consulting Group Pty Ltd along with Jennifer Anne Anthony ATF Anthony Family Trust and others.  Entered in NSW Register of Third Party Lobbyists from 01.10.15 to date and on the Australian Government Register of Lobbyists (start date unknown).

Clients include:

SEQ Catchments - natural resource management organisation

Indue Ltd - financial payment products and settlement services

ERM Power – operates electricity sales and electricity generation businesses

China Telecom Global Limited – multinational communications corporation

Wanda Ridong (Gold Coast) Development Pty Ltd - Chinese Development & entertainment company

Shenhua Watermark (Shenhua Watermark Coal Pty Limited) – multinational mining company based in China holding state and federal approval to develop an est. $1.2 billion coal mine on the Liverpool Plains in north-west NSW. On 16.10.12 and 15.04.13 Anthony met with NSW Dept. of Planning as a representative of Shenhua.

* Federal President of the National Party of Australia from 13.09.15 to date.

* January 2016 rumours begin in media that Larry Anthony will be seeking preselection as Nationals candidate in the Richmond electorate at this year’s federal election. The seat is currently held by Labor’s Justine Elliot.