Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak, yet again, in this place about my community's strong concerns about harmful coal seam gas mining in the northern New South Wales region. We know this is on the agenda again from the New South Wales government and we know it is on the agenda again from the North Coast Nationals who are pushing this. We saw this recently with the release of the Draft North Coast Regional Plan. Quite rightly, there was a fair amount of criticism about the plan in terms of its lack of future planning for the area, but I want to focus today on one of the areas it really exposed. The plan shows their commitment to making sure that coal seam gas mining is expanded into the future; it really did expose that. It shows the New South Wales government is mapping coal seam gas resources in the region and it says that:

Once completed, this information will inform future regional and local planning by providing updated information on the location of resources.

If we turn to the plan itself and go to page 28, it says:

The North Coast also includes areas of the Clarence-Moreton Basin, which has potential coal seam gas resources that may be able to support the development and growth of new industries and provide economic benefits for the region.

It is there in black and white, that the New South Wales government and the North Coast Nationals are pushing ahead with their coal seam gas mining agenda. We know this to be the absolute fact. We know this is their plan. They have always been committed to it. The fact is our community does not want harmful coal-seam-gas mining. This is reflected by the many protests, the petitions, the Bentley blockade. People from all areas have come together and said quite rightly we do not want to have this. Indeed, this was reflected in state Labor's policy at the state election. We went to that election with a gas field-free North Coast. We had the biggest swings against the National Party up there because of everyone's opposition to their plans to expand coal-seam-gas mining. It is New South Wales Labor but had a plan to make sure we protected it. What we are seeing really is the true agenda of the North Coast Nationals.

On top of their CSG plan being exposed, last night we saw the New South Wales parliament passing legislation that means people protesting against coal-seam-gas mining across the state are now liable to criminal penalties of up to seven years just for a peaceful protest. That includes people like the Knitting Nannas, a group that is committed to stopping coal-seam-gas mining. It includes farmers and peaceful protesters. This is one of the most draconian laws I have ever seen go through the New South Wales parliament. They are trying to silence the protesters against it.

The people who should hang their heads in shame are those North Coast Nationals who voted for the unfair laws: Ben Franklin, the National Party MLCs of the North Coast, Geoff Provis, Thomas George, Chris Gulaptis. They have all sold out the North Coast yet again. Not only are they looking to expand coal-seam-gas mining; they all voted to stop local protesters opposing it. What it shows yet again is that the National Party are liars. They lie to the people of the North Coast. They continue to lie to them. They have a plan to expand harmful coal-seam-gas mining. Last night they put laws through the New South Wales parliament to stop our community protesting against it. We will not be silenced. We will stop CSG mining on the North Coast.