Members of the Lovedale community in the Hunter Valley met with John Robertson, Leader of the State Opposition in NSW and Clayton Barr the State member for Cessnock and member of the Labor Party. The meeting was organised to discuss the new position of the State Labor Party on the issues of Coal Seam Gas. Both John and Clayton were very approachable and it was generally felt by all that the meeting was positive. John has agreed to adress our concerns and will get back to us when he resumes work at the end of January. Our concerns are as follows:
* That this industry must be able to prove scientifically that the benefits far outweigh its environmental footprint. The study must be independent of any mining body or company.
* That this industry must respect the human rights of the individual property owner impacted. This includes access to the site, the health issues, the visual impact on day to day life living with this industry.
* The long term impact on the food supply across this country, the impact on our water tables and the irreparable damage to our Green Lungs and our native flora and fauna. They must be able to dispose of the waste water without any damage to the environment.
* If this industry goes ahead who will monitor, oversee or audit the day to day exlporation and production activities.
* This industry cannot co-exist with Wine Tourism.
If you would like a much more detailed understanding of the effects of the Coal Seam Gas industry visit the Lock The Gate website.