More than 60 farmers blockaded Santos trucks on Saturday and police were called to a state forest near Gunnedah amid disputes over potential water extraction and fracking. The roads near Gunnedah were blockaded by the community as gas giant Santos continued their seismic testing for coal seam gas despite commitments that these gas resources would not be developed.
NSW Farmers has warned that farmer blockades of mining trucks will escalate unless real action is taken to resolve land and water use conflict.
Local communities in the Gunnedah Basin and Liverpool Plains fear the Sub-Artesian Basin and aquifers could be forever polluted if coal seam gas projects go ahead, and saw no option but to take action after the NSW government renewed a petroleum exploration licence in the area.
Out of touch
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said this sort of conflict was likely to escalate if decision-makers remained ‘out of touch’ with communities.
‘There is a growing disconnect between the people making these poor decisions about regional communities and those who actually live there,’ Mr Martin said.
Greens MP and spokesperson for coal and gas, Sue Higginson, said ‘Once again the Coalition Government has thrown farmers into conflict with fossil fuel bullies. Coal seam gas (CSG) development on the Liverpool Plains and Gunnedah Basin cannot be allowed to proceed. Agriculture and gas development are not compatible and I call on the Government to support the community over bullies in the fossil fuel industry,
‘I visited with farmers and landholders last month and they were shocked at the plans for seismic testing by Santos and gobsmacked that the Government was backing corporate bully Santos. These communities have already fought over a decade long battle to protect farmlands against fossil fuel development and if Santos and the Government think they can get away with this – they are dead wrong.
Extinguish CSG licences
‘The NSW Government needs to rein in Santos now, buy back these exploration licences and extinguish them. The contribution to climate change that these new gas developments would make is a reckless and dangerous mistake. We need a decarbonisation plan in NSW, not new gas,
‘Local councils, industry and individuals are all moving away from gas as public awareness catches up with the science of climate change. The domestic market for gas is shrinking, we do not need new gas. This is all about monetary gain for Santos’ shareholders, which will be very short lived,
‘We have to stop this short sightedness. Coal seam gas (CSG) development on these critical agricultural lands is bad land use planning, poses an unacceptable risk to their agricultural capacity and creates conflict,
‘The brave action by farmers this week to block the seismic testing is a testament to their commitment to protect land and water from Santos’ fossil fuel profiteering. These communities deserve to have the backing of their Government.’
Independent Agriculture Commissioner
At the last election, NSW Farmers called for an independent Agriculture Commissioner ‘to try and head off these sorts of conflicts, but sadly we’re four years down the track and the conflicts are growing,’ Mr Martin explained.
Following the 2019 state election, the NSW Government appointed Daryl Quinlivan as Agriculture Commissioner within the Department of Primary Industries. While he had written two reports for the NSW Government, the rising number of transmission and energy installations and ‘state significant projects’ signed off by Ministers were seen by many as proof the planning system was broken. Mr Martin said NSW Farmers members were of the belief that without true independence and resources to call out poor planning decisions or policies, the Agriculture Commissioner would continue to be ineffective.
‘People are very impressed with Mr Quinlivan’s knowledge when they hear him speak, but his advice must translate to better outcomes,’ Mr Martin said.
‘We are calling for a statutory Agriculture Commission with oversight of productivity, agricultural land use, and natural resource management to urgently get the state’s planning system fit for purpose.
‘An effective planning strategy balancing agricultural production with a growing list of other land uses will not only help prevent the conflict we saw at the weekend, it will be the most important legacy any state government can leave for agriculture and our nation’s food security.’
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