Raymond “Bubbly” Weatherall, who has been fighting the oil and gas giant for many years, said the fight for culture, land and water was far from over. Pip Hinman reports.
Climate Coalition Sydney organised a forum that heard from four union and environmental activists fighting against the Australian government’s fossil fuel expansionism. David Killingly reports.
The Gomeroi people, farmers and climate activists have slammed Resources Minister Madeleine King’s push to fast-track the controversial Narrabri coal seam gas (CSG) project. Jim McIlroy reports.
The Nannas called on all parties to support a private member’s bill being proposed by Justin Field, an independent MP, to cancel all the PELs to assist First Nations’ peoples, regional communities and more.
“The Santos Narrabri Gas Project of 850 gas wells was given conditional approval by the Independent Planning Commission in September last year,” Marie Flood said.
“If the expired licences are resuscitated by the NSW government, Santos and other gas companies will resume exploration to expand gas mining and turn the North West into an industrialised wasteland. This has already happened in Queensland.
“Moves by gas companies to reactivate the PELs are also a response to the federal government sinking billions of taxpayer dollars into five new gas fields across the country: the entire Gunnedah Basin, where the Narrabri Gas Project is located, is one of the [Scott] Morrison government’s gas targets,” Flood said.
Brown is a Sydney-based Gomeroi activist, from Gamilaraay Next Generation - a grassroots collective of Gomeroi/Gamilaraay youth.
It was formed to fight the first stage of Santos’ disastrous Narrabri Gas Project. It is calling for a halt to the destruction of Gomeroi country and a just transition to publicly-owned renewable energy.
Sarah Ellyard, a nurse and member of the 70,00-strong NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Climate Change Action Reference Group, told the protest that her organisation was opposed to coal seam gas because of the damage it causes to First Nations’ peoples rights and public health.
The protest opposed the federal government’s gas-fired recovery plans, an immediate and just transition away from all fossil fuel projects and for 100% renewable energy.