Eve Jeffery
The coal seam gas industry and in particular the Narrabri Gas Project, is not having many wins in the north west of New South Wales.
While the Nationals visited the Narrabri branch recently for dinner and PR, many from the community, unable to attend the sold out event, lined the entranceway to voice their opposition to coal seam gas. The head of the NSW Nationals and Deputy Premier John Barilaro didn’t receive the welcome he might have thought he would with protestors and signs greeting him on arrival.
‘Hopefully he took the message into the event that clearly our electorate does not want this industry to take hold’, said Narrabri farmer Stuart Murray.
The exclusive dinner guests included local state member for Barwon MP Kevin Humphries and Federal MP Mark Coulton. Special guests also included gas company senior management‘We have been let down, to say it bluntly, by the Nationals support for CSG in our electorate’, said Peter Small, North West Alliance member.
‘In 2011 Kevin Humphries was against the industry. Now it’s a total backflip. For him to be singing nothing but praises for coal seam gas, it’s causing us all whiplash.’
‘We do not want the Narrabri Gas Project to go ahead’, said Stuart Murray. ‘We now know there is no gas crisis, but a price crisis.
‘The negative impacts do not way up against the minimal positive impacts being listed of this project.’
A new focus on regional NSW from the NSW Nationals is on the back of the dramatic loss in the recent Orange bi-election, and the 20% swing against the current standing member Mr Humphries at the last state election.
There is also a push from the Shooters and Fishers to capitalise on the community angst by competing for 10 seats in the 2019 coming election. The Barwon electorate will be one of those seats being contested.
‘We are very upset with the Nationals decision to rate us as second class citizens compared to their seat on the North Coast’, said Peter Small. ‘Why is it ok to cancel licences across the entire state, but to leave ours open for sacrifice? ‘We have the same concerns that they had, if not more. Hopefully they do another backflip and end this industry.
‘CSG has no social licence here, clearly represented by over 10,000 submissions already handed to the Dept of Planning against the Narrabri Gas Project. It’s time the Nationals return to representing the people of our electorate and the great state of NSW.’
