Coal seam gas update

By GetUp!

The coal seam gas movement is growing across the country. Like never before people are mobilising, standing up to protect their communities. Every day brings many more news reports and with so much going on, we'd like to take a few minutes to touch base on the campaign.

Today, the right of landowners to prevent mining companies accessing their land is being tested in the town of Dalby, in Queensland's coal seam gas rich Darling Downs area. As we write, Drew Hutton, president of the Lock the Gate alliance of landowners against coal seam gas, is facing court for working with a landowner to obstruct a coal seam gas company coming on to their land.

On Monday, residents of Gloucester in Northern NSW, began a blockade to prevent drilling in the area, and last month farmers ended an almost month-long blockade to protect the fertile soils and precious groundwater resources of the Liverpool Plains.

But it's not just our land and water that are threatened by the coal seam gas industry. The dredging of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area to make way for massive coal seam gas export hubs serves as yet another example of the destructive expansion of the coal seam gas industry. That's why we launched an emergency petition focussing on the huge impact the dredging project has had on the already fragile marine ecosystem. Thanks to your rapid action, it grew quickly to over 72,000 signatures.

Next week, Lincoln, a GetUp member all the way over in Paris, will deliver the petition to UNESCO Marine Program Coordinator Dr Fanny Douvere at the UNESCO headquarters. We're asking UNESCO to call on the Australian government to halt development on the massive gas export hub projects until proper assessments are completed.

Together our movement has made a great start in the campaign to halt coal seam gas mining. Here's just some of what GetUp members have been doing:

We began with a petition calling for a halt to coal seam gas mining until the impacts on water, health, farmland and the environment are known - this has grown to over 60,000 signatures.

5,008 people donated to our ad showing the real stories behind coal seam gas mining, raising an incredible $236,000. You made it possible for a 'Don't Risk CSG' ad blitz across networks around the country. In urban areas, the ad was shown where politicians are most likely to see it, and in primetime during a special coal seam gas episode of SBS' Insight where it has reached huge audiences. In regional NSW and QLD the ad aired on every single channel in the space of an hour, where it saturated local areas in a primetime Sunday evening timeslot.

Thanks to the connections of a local GetUp member, over the upcoming holiday season, that ad will be showing in movie theatres in key QLD areas, just in time for the Christmas movie rush.

Local communities have been mobilising - gathering for town hall meetings, information sessions and marches (Got one near you coming up? Let us know!). Weeks of events all over regional and metropolitan NSW, QLD, Victoria and SA reached saturation when, in October, over 20,000 of us nation-wide turned out to over 30 events for the national day of action on coal seam gas. The day of action, organised by the Lock the Gate Alliance and the hard-working community action groups across the country, was an incredible show of our movement's strength - thank you for going along to your local action. (Check out the highlights of the day by watching this video)

Our petition with the Hunter Valley Protection Alliance reached the 10,000 signatures required to force NSW Parliament to debate the issue, and was delivered to local MP George Souris by winegrower Bruce Tyrell. Another petition by Stop CSG Illawarra reached over 15,000 signatures - leaving a lot for the NSW government to answer to.

Congratulations on all that we've done together. Let's continue to build this incredible movement and act on coal seam gas mining.

Next year will be crucial. It's the year we, as a community movement, determine the future of coal seam gas mining in Australia. Key parliamentary battles will be fought: Independent MP Tony Windsor and the Greens will both be introducing bills into parliament to better regulate the industry and empower landowners. This issue will play a big part in the Queensland state election. Proposed CSG export facilities in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area will be decided on. All while the industry makes a major push to secure its future.

We're excited for the fight ahead and our movement is ready. Protecting our water, farmland, environment and the health of our communities is too important to ignore.

With hope and thanks,
Paul O and Justine for the GetUp team.

PS - More reasons to keep fighting the expansion of coal seam gas mining? Turns out the purported 'cleaner energy' benefits may not be true - reports indicate serious questions about whether coal seam gas is cleaner than coal (articles here and here). Not only that, but even former employees of the industry are criticising its expansion and dodgy operators.