A north coast anti-gas activist has condemned four north-coast National Party state MPs over their claims to be responsible for the suspension of Metgasco’s petroleum exploration licence at Bentley.
Lock the Tweed’s Michael McNamara condemned a joint media release issued by Lismore MP Thomas George, Ballina MP Don Page, Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis and Tweed MP Geoff Provest, as ‘too little, too late’ and accused the four of trying to claim credit for the suspension.
Mr McNamara said the strategy ‘stinks to high heaven’.
In their media release, issued just hours after the suspension was announced, Chris Gulaptis said the group had approached NSW energy minister Anthony Roberts and told him they believed ‘the company had failed to engage in sufficient genuine and effective consultation with the community’.
Mr Page described the government’s action as ‘decisive’ and ‘timely’, adding it ‘should defuse tensions at the Bentley site and across the community’.
Mr Provest who is also parliamentary secretary for police, said that while the police force was ‘absolutely ready and capable of enforcing the rule of law’, it was ‘preferable to avoid major confrontations like these’.
Mr George saved his talking point to attack federal Labor MP Justine Elliot, who he said ‘stirs up a lot of trouble’.
Unlike Mrs Elliot, however, none of the four MPs ever visited the Bentley protest site.
Mr McNamara said the media release ‘shows that Mr George and the other Nationals MPs on the north coast lack integrity’.
‘They claim to be responsible for stopping the drilling at Bentley yet, on every single occasion where they had the opportunity to stand with the communities they are supposed to represent, they have stood with the miners.’
‘A number of community petitions totalling more than 10,000 signatures each have been presented to the state parliament.
‘Not once did these so-called representatives actually represent their communities’ views; in fact Thomas George has supported expansion of the industry.
‘On every occasion, when they did speak, it was against the views expressed in the petitions.
‘To come out now and claim that they have protected their communities stinks to high heaven.
‘None of them visited the Bentley blockade to see firsthand the breadth and depth of opposition from right across the community.
‘The Nationals need to be reminded that they are elected to represent their communities, something that, so far, seems to have escaped their notice.
‘Thomas George, in particular, has long been a vocal advocate for Metgasco. In 2010, in the state parliament, he spoke strongly in support of Metgasco’s operations in the northern rivers.
‘More recently, Mr George seems to have had some difficulty understanding the notions of conflict of interest and community consultation.
‘If Thomas George and the other Nationals MPs had any integrity they would have apologised to the community for their previous actions, rather than playing politics with this decision,’ he said.
Recent stories tagged Bentley Blockade:
Mandy Nolans Soapbox: Knitting the Big Cardigan of resistance
Whenever anyone says, ‘There is nothing we can do,’ I think of the Knitting Nannas. I think of this powerful and politically potent group of older women who hold the frontline of so many impossible protests with a ball of yarn and a cheeky conversation, and not just an ironing board – an iron will! They stand in unity. They know there is work to be done. And they do it.
Freedom to protest needs to be protected as environmental activists targeted
The forests of the Northern Rivers were protected in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s by activism. The Terania Creek protest was a landmark environmental protest
Ten years gasfield free – what did it all mean?
Recently I’ve been wading through hundreds of hours of archival material from the successful struggle to keep the Northern Rivers gasfield free. The collective optimism and unity in the face of what seemed, at the time, like an unstoppable opponent, is inspiring.
The loneliness of the long distance activist
In Australia, it's not easy being green. There are no monuments to those who have risked their lives and liberty in the defence of Australia's unique and precious ecology.
It’s very very simple my friends!
At the next election….. VOTE THEM OUT!!!
You asked and you received, why is it so important as to who claims to have done what you asked. It is dream time stuff to think that if you are an MP, you do not play politics. We are all political, in a this democracy whether we like it or not. We need it to survive. In its 28 years of helping community groups lobby politicians, FairGO & Votergrams have always been keen to allow politicians to take the credit. All we want is the result.
Well said Michael. I’ve called and written Mr. Gulaptis asking where is it on public record that he has stood up for his community. Anyone can say they lobbied behind closed doors but if he was so for the community isn’t it reasonable to believe that he would have been doing what Jeremy Buckingham, David Shoebridge, Desley Banks Justine Elliott and Janelle Saffin have done. Even Kevin Hogan stood in Parliament and voiced our concerns. NADDA from the Chris Gulaptis, Thomas George, Geoff Provost and Don Page. What a slap in the face and I hope none of us forget that and vote this mob out. Their actions reflect that they care more for dirty industries than the community that voted for them in the first place. They do owe us a big apology and should resign as far as I’m concerned.
The politicians, those worthy ‘representatives’ (guffaw) of the people of this region, will say what they will. Everyone who has paid any attention to this issue over the past couple of years, though, knows exactly who is worthy of our gratitude and who deserves only contempt.
Actions speak louder than words.