The anti-CSG crowd at Mullum’s Farmer’s Market
Crowds arrived with flags, smiles and CSG-themed placards to declare Mullumbimby gas free at last Friday’s Farmer’s Market.
Mayor Simon Richardson was presented with parchment certificates mentioning each of the 76 streets surveyed, and a giant yellow key proclaiming ‘Mullumbimby Is Protected By Community’.
Gasfield Free Mullumbimby co-ordinator Deborah Lilly told The Echo that ‘an overwhelming majority of 95.5 per cent of those participating said ‘Yes’ to being gasfield free.
Ms Lilly said of the 999 people surveyed, ‘Those ‘Not sure’ amounted to 3.4 per cent, or 34 people, and 1.1 per cent said ‘No’, which equated to 11 people.’
Meanwhile, the region’s two federal labor MPs have reiterated their opposition to CSG, while the federal Nationals’s Richmond candidate Matthew Fraser refuses to say whether he is for or against it.
Richmond MP Justine Elliot said she stood ‘with our community in opposing harmful CSG mining and I’ll fight to stop Matthew Fraser and the Nati’.
Page MP Janelle Saffin said she also stood with her local community ‘to oppose CSG mining which will harm our water, our farmlands, our tourism, our fishing and our way of life’.
‘Locals know that they come first in my role as their representative. I am fighting hard to stop the National Party representatives who support CSG mining and its expansion across the northern rivers,’ Ms Saffin said.
It’s interesting that we take great relish in declaring an area CSG free, when it’s under no threat of being mined anyway!
I am anti CSG, but lets focus on areas that ARE under threat perhaps…?
Under no threat? who says so? do you believe that the recently proclaimed pre-election 2km exclusion zone is forever? and do you think 2ks are enough? We are sitting on shale and tightsands gas reserves and csg is some 20ks further west. All these require fracking. Check out googleearth and see what they’ve done in Wyoming, Texas and Philadelphia; or even Queensland, Tara in particular. If you still think we’re safe from the greedy miners, check out http://www.calltocountry.org.au and see the map showing 57% of Australia is under gas or coal licences. Yes we have relish in declaring each community, one by one, gasfield-free because we are doing what we can to connect with each other and raise awareness. We want to protect our region; the north coast is pioneering in Locking the Gate. You say “let’s focus on areas that ARE under threat”; which would you consider more important for you and your community right now?