Gas ban demand
SOUTH Gippsland Shire Council has been urged to oppose any prospect of a coal seam gas industry in the shire.
Council last Wednesday voted to consider a community petition in formulating its response to the Victorian Government’s inquiry about unconventional gas.
Council last month received a petition signed by 1700 people asking council to ban CSG and mining.
Cr Don Hill welcomed council’s consideration of the petition in responding to the inquiry.
“We have not been doing the right thing by the community with regards to coal seam gas and we should take the opportunity to do it properly,” he said.
But Cr Kieran Kennedy would not support the motion to accept the petition, saying council should take a stronger stance and call for CSG to be banned.
Mirboo North’s Rodger Davis urged council to not only support the moratorium on new exploration and fracking licences now in place, but also declare outright opposition to CSG and coal mining.
“Support the people that put you in office, the ratepayers, by telling the Victorian Government that we do not want any more coal mines or coal gas,” he said.
Mr Davis said CSG mining would threaten the viability of the region’s farming land and could result in the loss of Murray Goulburn and the businesses that support it.
He said CSG mining would also reduce property values, resulting in less rates income for council.
Mr Davis said the exploration companies now operating in the area, Mantle Mining and Lakes Oil, would likely sell on any resource discoveries to large overseas companies that would not respect the environment.
A council report stated that in 2012, council passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on CSG and opposing CSG mining on any land owned or managed by council until the mining technique was shown to be safe. Council reinforced this position at its August 2015 meeting.
Deputy mayor Cr Nigel Hutchinson-Brooks attended a CSG meeting at the Arawata Hall recently, along with a retired member of the auditor-general’s office. Cr Hutchinson-Brooks said that person said council’s approach to the CSG issue was appropriate.
Take a stand: from left, Claire and Rodger Davis of Mirboo North discuss their concerns about coal seam gas with South Gippsland Shire Council mayor Cr Jeanette Harding before last Wednesday’s council meeting.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Sep 29 2015. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
