Hi everyone
I started a petition against Coal Seam Gas that some of you signed this week. Thanks for signing.
There's one more thing you can do to make a massive difference, but we have until the end of the day.
The major political parties continue to ignore Coal Seam Gas. They want to please big mining companies, and they don't think that people like us actually have political power. It's an election year, and there's one good way to change that. They take away our land. We need to take away their power.
We are starting the Stop Coal Seam Gas party. It's a new, independent political party. We're aiming to stand locals who have been affected by Coal Seam Gas as candidates for the Senate this Federal Election.
You can join for free online with our simple form. Registrations close at the end of the day, and we currently have 220 of the 500 memberships we need. Can you get us there?
http://www.stopcsgparty.org.au/
We are locals who oppose Coal Seam Gas working together. If you're sick of the major parties, and sick of them ignoring coal seam gas, please join.
We will give people a true anti-CSG voice to vote for, we will be able to advocate in the media, and we will be able to put pressure on the big parties by taking away what matters to them most: their votes.
So please, take 2 minutes to join the party for free, so we can represent the CSG issue at this election: http://www.stopcsgparty.org.au/
Thanks,
Ahri
Comments
Greens amendments would give landholders the right to say no
COAL SEAM GAS: NOT WORTH THE RISK
Tomorrow, the Senate will debate changing our national environment laws to give the Federal Environment Minister the power, and responsibility, to protect water resources from coal seam gas and large coal mining.
This is an important first step in protecting our land, water, climate and communities from the scourge of coal seam gas mining, and large coal mines.
This is a welcome change of heart by Government after opposing my bill to achieve the same outcome almost 2 years ago, but it could be improved - so I will be moving amendments to this bill in the Senate to make several important changes.
Landholders’ right to say no (or “lock the gate”)
If we are serious about protecting land and water from coal seam gas, we need to ensure that farmers and other landholders get to say no when the coal seam gas companies come knocking. My amendments will give landholders the right to say no, like the bill I moved in August 2011 did. My bill didn’t get the support of the old parties last time it was debated, but the strong community campaign by folks like Lock The Gate has made a real impact: politicians are starting to feel community pressure.
With only three weeks of the Senate sitting before this Parliament rises, it’s important that all representatives work together to implement coal seam gas protections. While the Greens will vote for legislation that improves the protection of land, water and communities from coal seam gas and coal mining: we will be fighting, in Parliament and the community, for protection that better reflects the wishes of the community affected by the effects of mining on our water resources.
A guarantee of strong national protection.
Our national environment laws currently allow the Federal Minister to hand off final approval responsibility to the States.
After amendments negotiated by the Greens with independent Tony Windsor passed the House, the responsibility for water protection cannot be palmed off to the states. This is great news given the lax state protection for water, but the responsibility for protecting against impacts to threatened species, world heritage areas and nuclear actions can still be handed away.
My amendments would guarantee that the Federal Environment Minister cannot hand off any responsibilities to protect our national environment, given how poor the track record of states are on environmental protection.
I will also move amendments to extend water protection from shale and tight gas as well as underground coal gasification, and to make sure that recently projects approved which haven’t commenced work still need to undertake these water studies.
Thanks for your support on this crucial matter,
Senator Larissa Waters
Australian Greens Senator for Queensland and spokesperson for Mining