Whatever happens don’t work together

The Murray-Darling Association has agreed to assist the Mid-Western Regional Council (embracing the towns of Mudgee, Gulgong, Rylstone and Kandos ) in opposing the transfer of water licenses from the Macquarie River to the much smaller Cudgegong River by the Cobbora coal mine. Incredibly the transfer was approved by the NSW Office of Water. Why? It’s the Wild West out here, anything goes, whatever it takes. Money is the name of the Game, but a lot of people are not in the Game.

A CSG add claims that the, “CSIRO and government studies have shown that groundwater is safe with coal seam gas”. It’s a statement that is not true and the CSIRO rejected it in the following terms. “At no time has CSIRO made such a statement, and nor do the results of CSIRO research support such a statement. CSIRO has stated on the public record that coal seam gas extraction is likely to pose a ‘low risk’ to groundwater quality through contamination. CSIRO has also indicated that ground water levels will fall as a consequence of coal seam gas extraction. In some places this could see aquifer levels subside by tens of metres for tens of years; in others it is likely to reduce aquifer levels by several metres for several hundred years.”

Recently a twin engine aircraft with an extended strobe at the rear flew over properties in the Mudgee district in a grid pattern at a height of 200 metres. This took place over a period of several weeks. It was offensive and intrusive to land holders who were not given prior warning of its activities. Enquiries around Mudgee provided no answers. I rang the Civil Aviation Bureau to see if clearances had been given for such low and potentially dangerous flights. They said no but were keen to get details of the aircraft. A local was heard to remark that he reckoned he could shoot it down.

No attempt was made to take the public into the confidence of the prospectors and apparently no official permission was sought to fly so low.

State and federal governments have not sought to mediate land usage or infrastructure development, which in some instances might be made compatible with farming activities or at least not as disruptive. Paul Cleary talks of CSG development spreading like a giant spiderweb over paddocks and fields and cites the Darling Downs, an area of high agricultural productivity. Farmers cannot till their fields and grow the crops they once did. Governments have not sought to arbitrate this development and in fact have assisted the loss of productive land mainly for the economic gain of the gas and coal companies involved.

What will happen in the event of a bushfire or major flood in any of these developments? It will be a nightmare just getting into these webs. Bushfires will have a greater potential to take off and meanwhile it will be volunteers, local farmers and townies that seek to battle through these obstacles on behalf of the gas companies, who have shown precious little regard for their rights and livelihoods and no regard at all for preserving the productivity of the national estate.