Thanks to the diligent digging for the truth – by very concerned people about the lack of regulatory supervision by our government and those of the past – we now know that Coal Seam Gas companies have been given a carte blanche to help themselves to all we need and own.
Our water, health, our towns as we know them, our agricultural land and therefore our food security, as well as, most clearly, our economic future are at great and pointless risk.
Mining companies are employing ever-growing numbers of foreign workers who are paid badly, without workers’ loadings. Where are all the jobs to be had in mining for Australian workers as touted by companies and the government/shadow government? The royalties paid by CSG companies are a pittance, almost nothing compared with mining royalties of all kinds that are demanded by governments of other countries. Where is any real benefit to the people of this country? No benefit, if one could be found, is worth the risk to our lives and health.
These powerful overseas companies have unlimited access to all the monstrously mega amount of water they want at no charge and with no responsibility for its destination once the very dangerous chemical fracking formula is inserted into the ground through existing bore and water table territories. A large percentage of this water is never recovered and joins the water table and water systems.
Companies’ spokespeople tell us the chemicals are harmless. Why then is the identity of ALL these substances in the fracking process protected by USA law from being divulged? Why does Australia countenance this kind of chicanery? Other nations have banned CSG companies, having weighed evidence of serious ill-health resulting in places where CSG is drilled for. Some, where there was CSG drilling, have stopped it. Can’t we???
Mining has a place and it doesn’t include CSG fracking all over the land – even near people’s dwellings and towns, nor on agricultural land – whatever the fanciful degree of slope that’s used to define it! LNP doesn’t hold any fears for these considerations, despite the platitudinous comments they make in the media.
Why does something so recklessly threatening and lacking responsibility and benefit exist here? Anywhere? I leave it to the reader to work out and decide. A hint could be that, if our water and land were gone, we would be a ready market for imported food, maybe water too.
Nancy Murphy
