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The small town and its big beef with gas protestors

Anthony Sharwood

by Anthony Sharwood

12 Jul 05:55am

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Filed under: Beef Week, Casino, Coal Seam Gas, Fracking, Lock The Gate, Meat

74 comments

There’s a meaty little stink out of northern New South Wales this week which is dividing a community in two, and which could easily have, ahem, high steaks for the entire country.

It's grey skies for families fighting the health problems allegedly caused by coal seam gas extraction

After this May’s annual Beef Week parade in the NSW town of Casino, the Beef Week committee voted unanimously to ban protestors from future parades. This, despite just three of the 60 floats being protest floats.

Two floats protested the threatened closure of small local hospitals. A third opposed the coal seam gas (CSG) extraction industry. By all accounts, many townsfolk supported its sentiments. The president of Beef Week was less hospitable. It just so happens he is employed in the CSG industry.

Beef Week burgher Stuart George has presided over his town’s biggest event for five years. He’s not a farmer himself. He ran pubs before he moved into the CSG industry. Sometimes he wishes he never switched. He reckons the Saturday night brawls were much easier to handle than the ongoing stoush over CSG.

Mr George had his first run-in with CSG protest group “Lock the Gate” at the 2011 Beef Week parade. He says they disrupted the event without officially entering it. After meeting with police, he welcomed Lock the Gate back in 2012 as long as they registered and behaved properly.

This they did. Lock the Gate marched in May, causing no damage or disruption. Yet when the 30-strong Beef Week committee met in June, it banned them and all other protestors from future parades.

Stuart George claimed he’d received an “avalanche of complaint”. As he told The Punch:

“We received 20 to 30 complaints which was quadruple the usual number… The community spoke and spoke loudly, and we decided that a community parade like this should have no politically-aligned floats. It doesn’t matter if it’s Save the Whales or or Labor, the Libs or the Nats.”

Even in a small town, 30 complaints seem like a reasonably small avalanhce. Other figures suggested locals weren’t perturbed at all. An online survey revealed that just 11 per cent of people were offended by the protest floats. You’d see angrier crowds at Christmas pageants.

Indeed, more locals seem to have been annoyed by the presence of a float representing Stuart George’s employer, the CSG company Metgasco.

Lock the Gate president Drew Hutton hadn’t heard about the ban till yesterday. He nearly fell off his chair when The Punch told him about it. He said the parade was “a good natured protest emphasising the need to protect food security against the resources boom, which is a major threat to agriculture”.

Mr Hutton firmly believes CSG extraction cannot coexist with activities like agriculture and tourism. He says there are major environmental and health issues associated with CSG extraction. Most of these hinge around the extraction of bore water, which can become toxic after CSG wells are sunk.

And that’s not to mention the disruption faced by farmers when they wake up one morning with wells, service roads, and assorted bits of other CSG infrastructure criss-crossing their properties.

Mr George sees it differently. He says he knows many farmers in Queensland who operate their agricultural enterprises, be they dairying, beef or cropping, while maintaining land access agreements with CSG companies like Metgasco.

Maybe, says Lock the Gate’s Drew Hutton. But he claims that not a single Queensland property with CSG wells has sold in the last two years. Not one.

Mr Hutton calls Metgasco and their ilk bullies. “The proponents of CSG have treated land owners with complete contempt from day one,” he says. “They have used people like Stuart George to screw farmers by pretending to represent farmers while at the same time using their local influence to get CSG as much access as they can.”

“As president of Beef Week he should be showcasing fine cuts of Angus. Instead he is attempting to close down any sort of protest by farmers who don’t want CSG interfering with their industry.”

Coal seam gas extraction is an issue unlike any we have seen in Australia. It pitches neighbour against neighbour, political ally against political ally, friend against friend.

As the Beef Week mob has shown, a committee is rarely the key to a sensible outcome on anything. All the same, there is a distinct lack of red tape in the CSG industry.

The current state of the CSG legal landscape is that governments own the minerals under the land owned by farmers. That means farmers have to fight huge, protracted legal battles just to prevent drilling on their own land.

As Lock the Gate’s Drew Hutton says: “They can really turn it on, these CSG people. They turn up to landowners and say we’ve got 40 lawyers behind us, how many have you got?”

There’s a strong argument that landholders deserve much stronger legal protection. There’s also a pretty fair case that anti-CSG campaigners should be able to march down the main street of a CSG frontier town, especially if their legitimate beef isn’t overcooked.

Beef up your Twitter feed: @antsharwood

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74 comments

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    • EWB says:

      07:35am | 12/07/12

      Wow Ant, I am disappointed.  I realise this is an opinion piece, but I figured you would at least speak to both sides of the fence to develop a balanced opinion.
      I have a lot of involvement with CSG and graziers in Central West QLD, where the CSG industry is the most advanced in the country.  The issues being raised in northern NSW are the same ones which were raised about 3 years ago in QLD, and have since been put to bed through the actions of (most) CSG companies.
      I want to address a couple of points you’ve raised.  Firstly, when it comes to getting community opinions from rural communities, I’ll believe in person discussions over an “online survey”.  Online surveys are possibly the least accurate way of getting a true reading on community issues in rural settings, while standing in the front pub and having a yarn is probably the most accurate.
      I am afraid I can’t really take Drew Hutton seriously anymore, as his credibility was shot when it was revealed he deliberately altered documents and lied in his anti-CSG submissions to Senate.
      “And that’s not to mention the disruption faced by farmers when they wake up one morning with wells, service roads, and assorted bits of other CSG infrastructure criss-crossing their properties.” Oh come on Ant, do you you really believe this is the case? No one just “wakes up one day” and finds CSg wells on their property. In QLD, negotiations between farmers and companies can take up to 3 years.  The farmers are paid a pretty reasonable monthly or annual fee as well, which is pretty bloody helpful when you have had your crops wiped out by floods or you are going through a drought.  It could also be the reason no one with wells has had to sell up in the last two years (although I don’t believe any stats quoted by Hutton).
      “As president of Beef Week he should be showcasing fine cuts of Angus. Instead he is attempting to close down any sort of protest by farmers who don’t want CSG interfering with their industry.”
      No Drew, as president of Beef Week he should be showcasing fine cuts of Angus and the strength of the beef and cattle industry in Australia.  Instead he has allowed the event to be hijacked by people with a political agenda.
      Call me a CSG stooge if you want, but I have been out to where the CSG industry is the most prevalent, and spent a lot of time working with farmers and graziers who have wells and pipelines on their land.  The only people who weren’t in support were those who feel cheated because they didn;t negotiate well enough.

      Reply

    • Zeb says:

      09:21am | 12/07/12

      Well said. I was involved in CSG over 20 yrs ago and am so sick of the miss-information by people who just don’t even bother to investigate how it’s done in Australia. The biggest joke is Greens standing with farmers at gates, as most Green policies are anti farming.  The main issue is that Greens are just pissed off that another hydrocarbon fuel has become available.

    • Anthony Sharwood says:

      09:23am | 12/07/12

      EWB I did speak to both sides. Gave both the anti-CSG guy and the Beef Week pres equal time. Interviewed both parties, presented their arguments fairly, then formed the conclusion that the dialogue on this issue needs to be more inclusive, because as you rightly said this is an opinion site

    • EWB says:

      09:57am | 12/07/12

      Ant - The quotes from Mr George are pretty sparse and Mr Hutton seems to get the lion share of airtime.  I’m not having a go at you, but this is an issue across the board with how the media are reporting this issue (and again, I am aware this is an opinion piece, not a report).  As Zeb said, a vast amount of mis-information has been disseminated about CSG.

      One thing people tend to forget is that Mr Hutton and lobbists of his ilk have no requirement to tell the truth and can pretty much say anything short of libel.  Unfortunately, what they say is often taken as gospel despite a lack any verifiable or independent scientific fact to support it.

      CSG companies on the other hand are can face legal and financial penalties if they lie to the public.

      I do agree that there needs to be stronger legislation around the industry.  The major problem in the early days of QLD CSG is that the companies were moving a lot faster than the government, so legislation had to play catch up.  Now there is appropriate laws in place, such as the Land Access Code.  This code outlines the rights and responsibilities of both the farmers and the companies.  I think this is the key - it essential spells out the rules of the game for all players.  Unfortunately too many people spout off about the “rights of the farmers”, with no reference to the flipside which is “responsibility of farmers”.

    • Susan says:

      10:51am | 12/07/12

      EWB “Online surveys are possibly the least accurate way of getting a true reading on community issues in rural settings, while standing in the front pub and having a yarn is probably the most accurate.”

      Absolutely correct.  I was on North Coast for a long time.  Beef Week is about the large Beef industry and about FAMILIES.  There were always huge family groups and the only distraction from the celebration of the beef industry was the Westpac Cassino Helicopter that always needs funds and that most country events support.  Something has clearly happened in the intervening year to threaten the core event. 

      Families in rural areas simply don’t want to turn out to a protest rally and that’s not what they put all their time into preparing for.

      Out of interest, why didn’t protestors decide to target Primex or similar, because they don’t have a parade?

      Btw, probably irrelevant but Stuart George is a relative (son?) of Thomas George and is a Nationals hopeful. 

      Can’t quite tell if the article is about gas and land-owner’s rights or about a Beef Week celebration and the right of the organisers to say “no” to protestor floats.

    • MarkS says:

      10:56am | 12/07/12

      When people try to shut somebody up. I know that their is something they do not want me to hear. What is Metgasco trying to hide?

    • M.F. says:

      11:49am | 12/07/12

      @MarkS, there is nothing to hide.
      The problem with the LtG protestors is that they get fed all the misinformation from within their own circles of networks. When they see something that they don’t like, they could simply defame, bend or create conspiracy theories to suit their own agenda.

      look. I am saying this is because I can stand from the outside, “looking in” into what’s happenning with the spreading of LtG/Greens lies against CSG.
      This is something of neccesity but an impossible luxuary for those who follows the crowd aimlessly.

    • MarkS says:

      02:42pm | 12/07/12

      @M.F.
      If you have nothing to hide then do not try to shut them up. If they are telling lies, then point out their lies. But do not shut them up. Even nuff nuffs should have their say.

    • norally says:

      11:15am | 13/07/12

      It should be noted here that Stuart George is a Councillor for Richmond Valley Council (the Casino Area), is the Council representative to Rous Water, and is the son of Thomas George (National Party Member for Lismore and CSG supporter). He also tried to get National Party Pre-selection for Clarence. People in this region are sick and tired of Stuart George and his double dealing and dirty deals. Metgasco were recently found to be illegally dumping waste water in the Casino Sewerage Treatment Works (that Council run). Don’t white wash Stuart George when you only know the tip of this iceberg. This region has spoken against CSG - over 7,000 people marched against it in Lismore in early May, we don’t want it and people like Stuart George trying to shove it down our throats make us gag!

    • I hate pies says:

      07:50am | 12/07/12

      Seems to me Ant that you think they should let them protest just because you don’t like CSG….a nonsense article

      Reply

    • Matt G says:

      11:12am | 12/07/12

      Watch a doco called GasLand.. You’ll be joining the farmers at fences before the film finishes..

    • Truth not LtG Lies says:

      11:25am | 12/07/12

      Gasland is drama. Sadly some people still think it’s a documentary.
      Watch “Truthland”, go on google it for a change!

    • Will B says:

      11:49am | 12/07/12

      Matt G, watch a doco call TruthLand.. You’ll be chastising yourself for your gullibility and eagerness to believe one man’s uninformed and deliberately misleading piece of pulp cinema before the film finishes..

    • Amanda says:

      11:52am | 12/07/12

      Both Gasland and Truthland have an agenda and have manipulated ‘facts’ to suit that agenda.  My only concern with CSG is waterway and water table contamination. Judging by the fines continually imposed on CSG companies regarding the disposal of ‘treated water’ this is an issue that has not been addressed adequately.

    • EWB says:

      12:07pm | 12/07/12

      @Matt G
      Gasland is sensationalist propaganda, plain and simple.  I’ve met Josh Fox, and even he admits that its not a balanced representation of the truth.

      Try researching beyond what fearmongers and protest groups spout off as gospel.

    • I know everything says:

      12:21pm | 12/07/12

      Like im Trusting something called “truthland”. The stupid name gives it the expectation of anything but.

    • MC says:

      01:49pm | 12/07/12

      “Truthland” is an info-torial commission by Chesapeake Gas. The lady who presented the advertisement (Shelley Depue) pretended to have no knowledge of the gas industry and to set out on an adventure to find the “truth”. It has transpired that Shelley actually has ten existing wells on her property AND legal action is pending from the nearby community over wells that have become contaminated since Hydraulic Fracturing was used in the area. “Truthland” is something of a misnomer one would think as it did not deal with the truth as it’s basic premise. While “Gasland” deals with the Shale Gas industry, the issue is one of Hydraulic Fracturing and also the potential damage to aquifers from de-watering and methane migration. “Gasland” deals closer to the truth than does the Gas industry story.

    • Tel says:

      07:59am | 12/07/12

      Most parades are supposed to be a celebration of something or other, not a platform for protestors of any ilk. They were quite within their rights to ban ‘em.

      Reply

    • norally says:

      11:50am | 13/07/12

      The Lock the Gate float wasn’t a protest, even though Stuart George likes to call it one. It was a float about our clean air, water and land and farming. The protests were the two hospitals that are fighting, one to open again and the other to stop closing, they included some other hospital fun things in their float as well. This is all a beat up by Stuart George and nothing to do with the 20 odd people he says complained, the question is who exactly were these people Metgasco employees maybe?

    • Craig says:

      08:13am | 12/07/12

      Get the votes to vote the guy off the committee, then change the rules. That’s how democracies work.

      Of you don’t have the votes, and can’t prove rigging or corruption, than use more innovative techniques to protest.

      Reply

    • L. says:

      08:55am | 12/07/12

      That’s probably too obvious for all concerned.

    • iansand says:

      08:56am | 12/07/12

      Quite right.  And they should let PETA and some militant vegans have floats too.

      This piece is coloured by the writer’s view that there is something fundamentally wrong with CSG (I, personally, have no idea about its merits or otherwise other than needing to know how deep the fracking is).  It is also driven by some sort of conspiracy theory that banning all protests is aimed at one particular protest.  That may be so, but a tad of evidence might be useful.  The piece actually makes little sense.

      Reply

    • MarkS says:

      10:58am | 12/07/12

      “And they should let PETA and some militant vegans have floats too.”

      Yes they should, but I doubt that anybody would be interested in the fruitcakes message.

    • Hoju says:

      12:02pm | 12/07/12

      Why not? I’d like to see the Amimal rights-vegan-gay-socialist-green float just to see the rubes reaction. Ha ha.. Rubes *whispers loud* (don’t let you hear them call the rubes….

    • Tanya says:

      09:02am | 12/07/12

      I’m a Casino local - I live there, I shop there, I work there. I was at the parade and between the anti-CSG rally and the “save our hospital” rallyers, it was a disgrace. Not sure if Anthony Sharwood was there or not, but it was frightening for some of the younger kids, and not what Beef Week is about.  It’s the Celebration of the Beef, not a soapbox. The parade, which is one of the family highlights, was such a disappointment with too many groups thinking they had the right to push their own barrow (and god help you if you don’t agree with them!) and making a great thing into an event that was a disappointment. I support the committee - the locals mainly do too. The Anti-CSG crew and their mob mentality need to be a bit more circumspect - not all of the town agree with them and many of us are undecided, but put off by their hysterical shrieking.

      Reply

    • AdamC says:

      12:47pm | 12/07/12

      Good call, Tanya. I agree that it is quite reasonable for a community / industry celebration parade to remove political floats.

      The CSG issue itself is tricky. I do not know enough about it to really comment. However, I think the idea that we would just forget about CSG prospecting and extraction is simply unrealistic.

    • MC says:

      02:09pm | 12/07/12

      I thought the anti-CSG mob and the two hospital protests were the healthiest and most enjoyable aspects of the whole parade. I didn’t hear any “hysterical shrieking” at all. At least they bothered to put some effort into making props and dressing up (aka what one would expect in a parade!). The disgusting semi-trailer load of huge gas pipes whole only decoration was a banner saying “Metgasco” was a dismal effort., as were many of the other “floats”. I am a retired beef producer and I go to Casino to enjoy the overall spectacle. I have no issue with protests or politicization. The very fact the gas company has taken over the sponsorship of the Beef Parade, to purchase social licence in the area, is a political act in itself. This attempt by the Gas Company to stifle protest has put me off returning next year. I hear the same Gas mob also did the same at Primex where they are sponsors. I think dissent is a healthy thing but censorship certainly isn’t.

    • rob brown says:

      09:18am | 12/07/12

      You are right EWB, you are a CSG stooge, should call you Larry.

      Reply

    • Tetrahedrite says:

      09:47am | 12/07/12

      Rob Brown or Bob Brown?

    • EWB says:

      10:03am | 12/07/12

      @rob brown
      You don’t get any points if I do all the work setting it up.

    • HappyCynic says:

      09:39am | 12/07/12

      I don’t understand how farmers don’t own this gas under their properties.  What sh!tkicking moron designed laws to say a person can not own anything under the land they buy?

      If I go digging in my backyard and find gold or oil or gas or coal or whatever I expect to own it after paying the royalties required.  I don’t expect some d!ckhead in a suit to come along from one of these CSG companies and say we’ve bought the ground under your house you now have to let us dig here and have the law side with them.

      They can buy me out the full value of my land (including any premium I choose to charge on the estimated value of the resources underground) or they can go dig somewhere else.  This is how the law should logically work, afterall it’s MY land.

      Reply

    • MarkS says:

      11:02am | 12/07/12

      @HappyCynic
      “If I go digging in my backyard and find gold or oil or gas or coal or whatever I expect to own it “

      You do not own it, the government wons it. Who made these laws, the government. They will pay you compensation of the loss of value of your land, it will be nothing like the full value of your land. If you do not like their offer take them on in court, their 40 lawyers will eat you alive.

      You are not cynical enough & have no reason to be happy.

    • HappyCynic says:

      01:51pm | 12/07/12

      @MarkS

      That’s what royalties do (I see you missed that part of my quote in an effort to take it out of context).

      These CSG companies buy mining rights to land that is not owned by the government (the resources might belong to them but my land sure as hell doesn’t).

      I guess the only solution for farmers to keep these trespassers off their land is to buy the mining rights themselves and refuse to do anything with them, or officially secede thereby gaining control of all resources on the land.

      Interestingly there may actually be legal precedents for secession if farmers don’t want CSG pumps on their land due to a right to private property that’s being infringed as well as something called “discriminatory redistribution” (apparently it has to do with resources being distributed away in an undemocratic fashion), don’t need to fight 40 lawyers if you can successfully secede smile

    • Rocksteady says:

      01:58pm | 12/07/12

      Completely agree with the sentiment but Mark is right. You don’t own anything a few metres under (or above) your land.

      Current payouts are generally around a few thousand a year not for the gas itself but for the inconvenience of roads being built and having trucks come onto your land whenever they want.

      Don’t get me wrong I support CSG mining but landowners get a crap deal and the govt/foreign miners get a great deal.

      Without proper regulation and improved extraction techniques, it is bound to cause environmental problems in some places. Without proper compensation to landowners it will continue to cause social unrest.

    • MarkS says:

      02:30pm | 12/07/12

      @HappyCynic
      You do not get the royalties, the government does, it is their gold, oil, gas etc that is being mined, not yours.

      Part of the deal about buying mining rights is that you must exploit those rights or the government simply takes the rights back. As for seceeding that’s loonie tinfoil hat talk.

    • Dave says:

      10:04am | 12/07/12

      “And that’s not to mention the disruption faced by farmers when they wake up one morning with wells, service roads, and assorted bits of other CSG infrastructure criss-crossing their properties.”

      That’s absolutely ridiculous.  Landholders have the right to negotiate the terms of access on their land, and receive compensation as well.  Have a look at Santos’s recent commitments in NSW.

      The impression that this all happens under the cover of darkness without anyone knowing is a myth.  There are thousands of access agreements in place in QLD and NSW that have been negoatiated succesfully, and not beacuse “They turn up to landowners and say we’ve got 40 lawyers behind us, how many have you got?”.  It’s because they explain what they’re doing and work constructively with landholders.

      (And no, I don’t work in the CSG industry.)

      Reply

    • Lisa Ryan says:

      11:43pm | 12/07/12

      Negotiate???  I don’t call the following “negotiation” 1. Landholder approached, 2. Landholder says no to gas 3. Landholder told unless they negotiate they will be taken to land court and that the gas company WILL win.  That is FORCE and I know this happens for a fact, a friend of mine is going through this “process” right now, he has been given the plans for his land which includes 3 wells and a pond, he has been threatened with legal action if he does not let this happen. This is NOT negotiation.

    • Not employed in CSG says:

      10:44am | 12/07/12

      “the extraction of bore water, which can become toxic after CSG wells are sunk”

      It’s a shame you didn’t check your facts.  Only this week a study was released showing that CSG wells do not contaminate bore water.  There have only been a limited number of studies in this area, and more are clearly needed, but those that have been done show that people’s fears are actually unjustified.

      Reply

    • Matt G says:

      11:15am | 12/07/12

      Watch a documentary called GasLand.. It’s about the effects of CSG wells

    • marley says:

      11:31am | 12/07/12

      @MattG - I wouldn’t describe GasLand as a documentary, exactly.

    • Annoyed says:

      11:32am | 12/07/12

      Matt G - GasLand’s not on CSG. Get your facts right simpleton.

    • Simon P says:

      12:58pm | 12/07/12

      It amazes me that there are people who think GasLand is about CSG. First step if you want to be taken seriously in any debate about CSG is to type “shale gas” into google and teach yourself the difference.

    • Tetrahedrite says:

      01:54pm | 12/07/12

      GasLand is about shale gas extraction, not CSG extraction. Two seconds of searching would have told you that.

    • Susan says:

      11:03am | 12/07/12

      btw Ant…re this piece:

      http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2012/02/15/icac-not-to-investigate-cr-george/

      “Cr George said he abided by the Rous Water and Richmond Valley Council codes of conduct and did not participate in discussions regarding coal-seam gas.

      “Our code of conduct is strict, the rules are there in place and if you break them you deserve to be in trouble,” he said. “I have adhered to those rules and I have a good understanding of what is required.”

      A spokesman for the Richmond Valley Group Against Gas said the group agreed with the complaint that Cr George’s positions conflicted, but said the group was not aware of the origins of it.”

      Perhaps he shouldn’t have been discussing CSG at all with you with respect of his role presiding over Beef Week.

      Anyway, I don’t see any of this as being for or against CSG in Casino, it’s about preserving a major town event that has illuminated the beef industry and brought pride to the town for years.  I would have voted to lock out protest floats also simply on the basis of the core tradition and importance of the event.

      There’s always the Nimbin hemp festival.  Just watch those lit spliffs around an open gas jet.

      Reply

    • norally says:

      11:44am | 15/07/12

      Interesting that so many have a lot to say, and in the same breath say they don’t know much about CSG. I’d say to everyone do some homework this industry will not just give those on the land health, water, air problems it will also give those in towns and cities problems. 5km of the Condamine River in Queensland is bubbling with Methane Gas near CSG mining, but the company and government say it’s normal, even though it’s never been seen before. Beef Week will turn into Gas Week if Stuart George, his cronies and people that don’t give two hoot for the region have their way.

    • M.F. says:

      11:32am | 12/07/12

      Casino CSG News - Extremists rampant on Northern NSW news sites!
      Well what can I say? Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in this country.

      The problems is that extremists are too happy to protest and spread their share of misinformation, but at the same time attacks anyone who do not wish to be part of their lies and hidden agendas.

      The same scenario occurred in the NSW Government “Have Your Say” Northern Rivers Forum. Some posters have shown their valid concerns, but many others choose to constantly refer to the now debunked Gasland drama, hoping to sustain their fear campaign.

      Sorry to say this, but baseless protests and self victimisation doesn’t work very well other than to please certain political/psedo-environmental groups

      Those who follows the extreme views, I call them “sheep”, for them do not understand that freedom of speech is a two way street. And what’s worst? Local papers seemed too happy to continue on writing up biased articles aimed to increase their internet traffic counts and paper sales.

      Reply

    • Mich. says:

      02:19pm | 12/07/12

      The majority of the CSG-positive comments on the “have your say” website were actually made by a group of us Metgasco shareholders. Worked a treat stirring up the hippies. wink

    • Mike says:

      11:39am | 12/07/12

      It is bizarre that CSG has become the target of the ‘Lock the Gate’ campaigning. It seems to be one of the energy sources that can happily co-exist with farming.  If you drive around rural NSW many of the small green water tanks in the paddocks are CSG well heads (given away by the little antenna beside them) then compare it to coal mining which cuts greats swathes through the landscape, piles up masses of debris and wastes the gas it drains from the seam, -sometimes to the atmosphere unburnt,  where it is 20 times more green house polluting than CO2.

      There was some truth in the arguments still used against CSG drilling, but this is due to the past behaviour of unprofessional organisations operating like cowboys. Now that major international companies have partnered these operators (e.g. BG, Shell, Conoco) they are operating as extremely responsible members of society.  Improvement always remains possible, advances in directional drilling and a better understanding of hydrology mean that surface locations can be more independent of the sub-surface location of the resource, and well head density can be a fraction of that required by ‘conventional’ vertical wells. Water treatment standards and acquirer recharge mean that pure water can be supplied to towns and farmers (either by pipe or back via a local acquifer) solving problems for both parties in a mutually beneficial way.
      I am employed in the energy extraction industry, a mix including CSG, in my possibly limited experience of it I have found without exception that it is the neighbours who do not get the the CSG operations on their land who complain and campaign against drilling, -often making up stories for the local press.  I still believe that there is some gas better left alone, or extracted by alternative methods or techniques, an example might be such as when CSG drilling and infrastructure impinge on lifestyle residences such as at Tara in Queensland.  I remain confident they will be much better managed in future.

      Reply

    • Bertrand says:

      05:35pm | 12/07/12

      I think you have made an important point about the relative cleanliness of CSG over traditional coal mining Mike, which a lot of people seem to have overlooked.

      I don’t know enough about the issue to form a strong opinion (and I would guess most others on here don’t either).  I am wary of opinions coming from people within the industry though, as they obviously have a personal interest; you wouldn’t expect a member of the CSG industry to come out and say that they’re not entirely sure about the impact of CSG mining on ground water.

      Personally, I probably sit a little on the side of the farmers. To me, the issue of property rights is a big one. I understand that farmers don’t own the mineral beneath their land, but they do own the land and should have the right to say who can or cannot enter it. I also get the impression that the jury is still out when it comes to the impacts of CSG mining on ground water. I can understand the legitimate concerns of farmers regarding the long-term viability of their water resources.

    • M Roy says:

      12:05pm | 12/07/12

      @Matt G GasLand is about the US coal seam gas industry and abuse by the companies involved. We don’t have the same system here. Not even close. The corruption cannot be carried out the same way because we have different land rights and responsibilites acts. The poison concerns are true in their cases, but untrue in ours, why? We are required to have 3rd party specialists carry our detailed risk assessment and environmental impact studies, if these fail, we either find a cleaner way to operate or we don’t operate. I’ve worked in this industry for 15 years now, dealing in drilling, client liaisons and contract negotiation and the last thing on our mind is strong-arming anyone, we want and need their cooperation for now and future projects we bring farmers together from older projects to make sure we don’t mislead them and have trouble further down the road. Keep in mind, right or wrong, everyone who buys land knows their responsibilities with regard to mineral rights. Companies pay handsomely for a smooth and amicable agreement, in the last 10 years we always reached an amicable agreement.

      Reply

    • Jono says:

      12:09pm | 12/07/12

      Wow, the industry shills are out in force today.

      Oh and Gasland has not been debunked, one scene in it has.

      Reply

    • Know it all says:

      12:37pm | 12/07/12

      Maybe but I think it’s just the usual gaggle of Liberal lovers. Can’t argue with them, they are never wrong. They know it all after all!

    • Annoyed says:

      02:09pm | 12/07/12

      Where’s your evidence to demonstrate it has not been debunked? Yet another suburban dwelling leming living in the city with too much time on their hands smile

    • EWB says:

      02:11pm | 12/07/12

      @ Jono
      Just because someone says that the protestors may be a little hysterical and loose with the facts, doesn’t make them an industry shill. 
      Oh, and Gaslands has been debunked as a reference point for the Australian CSG sitiuations. Here are a few reasons:
      1. Gaslands focuses on shale gas extraction, not coal seam gas that we have here in Australia.  The geology of the rock and how it behaves is completely different.

      2. The use of BTEX chemicals (the carcenogenic ones Josh Fox refers to with scary graphics and figures) is banned in QLD.  I would suggest the other States follow suite.

      3. One of the main arguments in Gaslands was that the gas companies were deliberately excluded from the Water Act, meaning they were not liable for any contamination.  Australia has a completely different legislative environment.  Companies operating in Australia are subject to far stricter legislation (with more on the way) and conditions than their US counterparts.

      What happened to the folk in the US is terrible, but to draw comparisons to the Australian situation is misleading at best and deliberately deceitful at worst.

    • MarkS says:

      03:20pm | 12/07/12

      I do not know that there are a lot of industry shills out in force today, but there is a certain smell to a lot of the posts.

      I have no axe to grind eitheir way, but it is appears that many posting here do & are unwilling to admit it.

      All in all the posters attempting to support have CSG industry have managed to turn me off it.

    • Gordon says:

      12:13pm | 12/07/12

      The town commitee of Casino has the right to decide who puts in floats, and I imagine many local peope are heartily sick of politics either way.

      Mr Sharwood you have chosen to promulgate only one side’s press releases. I hope you get the opportunity sometime to see the other side of the story.

      NO-one gets their land taken away from them without compensation. If you had bothered to google the petroleum act yourself you would read it in black and white. Yes, the petroleum leaseholder has the right to the resource but not without damage being made good and compensation paid for any loss of earnings. It is how the gas you make tea with has been found and produced since first exploration in the 1950s.

      There is a legitimate debate about what constitutes due compensation and justly much more value is these days put on amenity and inconvenience. This is an argument about money not morality. Please don’t pick sides based on some romantic David & Goliath story. There is a move afoot to pubicise just how much money does change hands and this would be no bad thing.
      Anyone buying land in Australia for the last 150 years knows that they are not buying mineral rights, and never have. Your unchallenged quotes from Drew Hutton that this is somehow wrong or impossible to manage do not make that a fact. Agriculture is an economic activity that impacts land. With management it is beneficial. Done carelessly it is harmful. Gas production is no different.

      Reply
    • Anthony Sharwood

      Anthony Sharwood says:

      12:40pm | 12/07/12

      No promulgation of press releases. As mentioned to EWB above, a fair set of quotes from two interviews conducted yesterday.

      Also, I never said anyone gets land taken away without compensation.

      You may also choose to disclose who you work for if you reply to this, although it is obviously your right not to.

    • Gordon says:

      02:26pm | 12/07/12

      Well then Ant I withdraw the press release comment. See how annoying it is when someone makes a casual assumption about your business? If Metgasco didn’t have a comment ready then too bad for them I guess. There is an issue here for journos in that your Drew Huttons will give you chapter & verse 24/7 whereas most working stiffs in the industry will run a mile from the sight of a microphone.

      I work for myself as a technical consultant in the resources, but not CSG, industry. I see land compo arguments come and go. This is a bigger one than usual. It is a debate worth having because access to land is essential for any resources industry but landowners do deserve fair compensation. It’s hard to arrive at what is just when there are so many assumptions flying around.
      If you weren’t implying some sort of unheralded and uncompensated alienation of land then I’m not sure how to read “waking up one day…” . The what, where and when is explained exhaustively, efforts to minimise nuisance by repostitioning stuff are made and the compo negotiated and paid before any work is done (and years before any cash from the gas hits the till). This takes months if not years. How is this is “waking up one day…”?. 

      No one pretends that having the gas mob rock up on your doorstep is anything other than a bloody great pain in the arse.

      The question is, after the land rehab is all done and paid for, after the actual accountable losses are paid for, after the small squares of land actually used are rented at commercial rates plus a bit for your trouble guv’nor, how much is a pain in the arse worth?  Anyone can make up any number and even though there is no legal basis for anything beyond about halfway down that list, they can scream “bullying” when they don’t get it.

    • Bill Berry says:

      12:33pm | 12/07/12

      This is not the big issue in Casino at the moment.  Forget CSG, forget Stewy George, forget the parade. The question remains.  Will Lal (aka the larrikin) remain in charge to pilot the mighty communists in this seasons cricket competition.
      For these stories and more please read The Swoop.
      http://cecilhotelcc.nsw.cricket.com.au/pageitem.aspx?id=55078

      Reply

    • Brian Diamond says:

      03:46pm | 12/07/12

      I heard Jacko and Lal were off to the Cecpit. They are a package deal and will play first grade cricket for them, plus footy for the Brown Cowboys. This is a lot bigger issue in Casino then this struthin CSG stuff. Maybe they should be in a parade, riding up front in a Gemini eating baked beans.

    • Darren Hadlee says:

      04:11pm | 12/07/12

      I’m back this year and ready to cut sick on some seam bowling.
      I Darren Hadlee Jr, work for Metagasco and can unequivocally state that I have never used the word unequivocally in a sentence before now.
      I heard CSG stands for Christian School Girls which is another matter entirely.
      Anyway what I’m trying to say is we should think of the miners in all this cos the kids are the future.

    • Brian Diamond says:

      04:40pm | 12/07/12

      Des and Craig will be pulling on the creams as well. This is going to be righteous.

      Has anyone thought about baked beans if this CSG things breaks open. I take it the Beans can’t grow man. No beans no life.

    • Allan says:

      04:40pm | 12/07/12

      Wow.  I think drug abuse may be the biggest issue down there

    • DJ says:

      01:31pm | 12/07/12

      Should I wait for my tap water to catch on fire before complaining about CSG? This is a frequent occurrence in the states where the water tables have been heavily affected by CSG mines to the point they can set their tap water alight. Do we want that here…....??????

      Reply

    • Brian Peppers says:

      04:14pm | 12/07/12

      BURNING WATER!!!!

      YOU BET WE WANT BURNING WATER!!!!
      Imagine how we could defeat the pending invasion of the Dothrakoids if we had burning water.  Them and their Chariots of Jade will be no match for us and our Burning Water!

    • MC says:

      01:36pm | 12/07/12

      This is a FB comment from someone who has traveled the impacted areas of Queensland recently and spoken directly with the “happy locals” who love having CSG on thier farms and apparently co-exist contentedly. It should give each of pause to reflect: ” Last weekend a few of us visited farmers affected by coal and CSG around Miles. It was educational, heart-warming and impactful. We met a farmer who used to sleep 8 hours per night: now he only gets 3 because of the 24-hour trucks. One spoke of the dark night sky he used to love: now when he looks out at night its lit up by a series of CSG wells. Another farmer said he’d worked all his life to develop his farm to be left for his children: his children no longer want a property surrounded by mining. We were shown a portion of the pipeline to Gladstone being put through farming properties. Although the pipe is less than 1 metre wide, up to 20 metres of land is cleared and scraped clear of vegetation either side of this pipe. A number spoke of the health issues and stress and depression that are wearing them down. Most farmers are capable, independent people: watching the health of their family and their property be affected by people who don’t understand the land, or care about it, is extremely disempowering. One quietly-spoken farmer told me his main concern now is that a normally peaceful farmer could be driven past the point of what’s bearable. Knowing that people elsewhere are concerned makes a big difference to these farmers. I highly recommend a visit to these mining areas. The farmers around Miles. This is part of the letter they’re circulating in their community: As I know you are well aware, the coal & gas companies & their activities that now dominate our region have caused a lot of farmers a lot of distress in many different ways. Both mental & physical health, financial distress and land degradation to name just a few. (We)...have been recognised by a group of people in Brisbane who are equally worried about what is going on out here as we are. These people recognise our concerns as legitimate concerns. A small number of these people have been out & met with several local Cameby farmers and have been absolutely taken back with what has been happening out there and the wrong doings that some of these farmers have had to endure. Now a group of 20 or more of these city folk are coming out by bus on the 7th & 8th July, to also see for themselves what is really going on in the area. They will be visiting Miles, Wandoan, Kogan & Tara and they want to talk to people out here to hear for themselves what we are/have experienced and how we are being affected. (We).. are inviting anyone who has been affected by any energy company to a BBQ lunch at the XXXXX Hall to meet these people & let them know first hand, what you have experienced – good &/or bad.”

      Reply

    • Great article says:

      12:05am | 13/07/12

      This is very interesting MC thanks for sharing.  No wonder people are out bringing attention to this dangerous industry.  Great article Anthony Sharwood!!  We really can’t expect much more from Stuart George, he is a Councillor too for Richmond Council and on Rous water board.  Got it all sewn up.  But he tells us there are no conflicts of interest!?  When you are paid by the company that sponsors Beef week Metgasco as the land manager, of course you are going to ensure its endurance! The protection of our land, water and industry I.e. beef is essential that parade of concerned citizens was not “political” it was “community”. I am sure those people would have preferred not to have had to march in that parade for that purpose, it is just necessary when your town is being taken over by an unwanted industry helped along by certain people who have vested interests and positions that can manipulate it into that community.

    • M.F. says:

      02:02pm | 12/07/12

      TARA is as mad as hell and is not going to take it any more. The tiny town on the western Darling Downs says it has repeatedly been maligned by Greens and “blockies” demanding an end to coal-seam gas mining.
      Tara has been depicted as a town full of rebels. I couldn’t find any the day I visited.

      Suggestions that Tara is leading the charge against gas is a misconception advanced by the media. The truth is that most Tara townsfolk support the gas industry with the appropriate environmental safeguards. And so do businesses in the district.

      Yet Tara has been repeatedly portrayed on television as the town backing the infamous Lock the Gate campaign.

      It isn’t.

      “Tara is getting the blame for all the protesters but we have never had a placard waved in Tara,” says 55-year-old Richard Thornbury. “Why would we want to lock the gates? Gas has brought jobs and wealth and the hope of a more prosperous future.”

      Tara business leaders dismiss demonstrators as a rent-a-crowd.

      Thornbury, whose family arrived in Tara in 1936, is president of Tara Futures, a community group set up to combat negative images of the town.

      Thornbury says scenes on television of protesters being dragged away by police happened at Wieambilla, more than 30km away.

      Tara families couldn’t recognise the protesters on television and most of them were professional protesters who live in Brisbane and were brought to the demo by the Greens, he says.

      Tara has now joined Chinchilla, Miles, Dalby and other Maranoa and Darling Downs towns embracing gas.

      Gas-fired power stations such as Braemar 2 at Tipton West are sprouting alongside wheat crops and cattle yards. Braemar 2 generates enough electricity to power 200,000 homes. And it’s cleaner than coal.

      But the heat remains in Tara, where an unsigned flyer condemning the Greens-backed Western Downs Alliance has been circulated.

      “These are the people claiming to represent Tara,” it says. “They will in fact continue to devalue our town by their self-serving thoughtless and often unlawful actions.

      “This is a group of people who are devaluing our homes, our town and our blocks of land.

      “Make no mistake. It is these people who are destroying the value of our town.”

      The flyer criticises the “lazy drones” on unemployment benefits. “The workers they abuse and threaten are the same people paying the taxes that supply their benefits,” it says.

      “These people who do not represent us fraudulently continue to scream ‘Hands off Tara!’.

      “Tara doesn’t need this. Many people participating in the protests do not live in or around Tara.”

      Article too long to post here. Source : http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/tara-sees-red-over-protests/story-fn6ck620-1226130867527

      Reply

    • MC says:

      04:25pm | 12/07/12

      Apologies.  I should point out to readers that Tara itself is quite a distance from the gas field (30 km), as such, is not impacted (other than by association in the media).  The people in Tara Estate, however, ARE actually impacted, as they live essentially within two active gas fields - “Kenya” and “Ana”. You can see the relative locations vis a vis gas installations, evaporation ponds etc on Google Earth. Type in “Wieambilla, Queensland” . Therein lies Tara Estate. The little pock marks everywhere are gas wells. Bear in mind this is an old image and there are significantly more wells now. Re. The article you post above…I do find a comment in the article you posted a bit odd (sic) “Tara families couldn’t recognise the protesters on television”? Many, if not most of the protesters, are Tara Estate residents who shop in Tara and send their children to school there. This might be a case of poor journalism, or it might be that the people interviewed are themselves not long term Tara locals, or possibly they benefit directly from gas industry employment and don’t wish to bite the hand the feeds, or perhaps gas impacted people from other areas joined them in solidarity…possible a mix of all scenarios but hardly basis for discrediting the cry for help.

    • Tez says:

      03:15pm | 12/07/12

      I dont think this is about wether CSG Is good or bad it appears the banning of the protest floats is the problem it is still legal to protest if it had been just the two hospital protest floats would they have been baned.

      Reply

    • MC says:

      03:18pm | 12/07/12

      Apologies.  I should point out to readers that Tara itself is quite a distance from the gas field (30 km), as such, is not impacted (other than by association in the media).  The people in Tara Estate, however, ARE actually impacted, as they live essentially within two active gas fields - “Kenya” and “Ana”. You can see the relative locations vis a vis gas installations, evaporation ponds etc on Google Earth. Type in “Wieambilla, Queensland” . Therein lies Tara Estate. The little pock marks everywhere are gas wells. Bear in mind this is an old image and there are significantly more wells now.

      Reply

    • mikem says:

      04:39pm | 12/07/12

      It would seem the president of the Beef Society doesn’t understand the concepts of ‘free speech’ and ‘conflict of interest’.

      Reply

    • Straight answers please says:

      11:35am | 13/07/12

      Is metgasco gonna pay compensation to everyone downstream of their “temporary holding ponds” next time we have a 1 in 25 or100 year flood, (we’ve had 3 in the last 5 years) that spills hydrocarbonated water from the dewatering that goes on at each well?

      I live upstream from those wells, so they won’t poison my topsoil or pastures.  But what about the people downstream?  What responsibility will metgasco take for the damage to land, especially cropping land.

      metgasco also claim that they’ll bring in 2 billion dollars over the next 30 years, the life of the gasfields.  And 15 jobs in casino.  How much money and income comes into the region via farming and tourism and if that income suffers from CSG production will Metgasco compensate those businesses and employees who lose out as a result of CSG mining?

      Reply
 
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