The NSW Minister for Resources has confirmed he does not move outside the city circles and conferences/meetings with the mining industries. His statements last week at the ‘Australian Petroleum and Exploration Association CSG’ conference in Brisbane that mining debate is a distortion of the facts by the Greens is so far off the mark and exposes his own untruths.
If he moved outside his city circles and mining industry club, he would see the gravity of concern from all walks of life – all sides of politics. This mix has certainly been evident at the many rallies against CSG.
Confirmation of the facts can simply be verified by a trip outside his circles to regional Qld, the Pilliga and Hunter Valley, NSW etc. Sit down with medical professionals re the serious health issues that are impacting the communities in regional Qld that have now been identified as consistent with gas exposure. Look at evidence of simple daily bathing resulting in scalding and severe rashes from water contamination. See orange clouds of potentially fatal nitrous oxide rolling over rural properties. Talk to the farmers who, on the first-hand, thought it all sounded good until they discovered they had been lied to. The Minister obviously did not view 60 Minutes and 4 Corners, where irrefutable evidence saw household water from the taps ignite into flame – precious and vital water supply being drained from bores.
NSW Health has confirmed the impacts on health from mining in the Hunter Valley. This valley for generations has been home to some of the best thoroughbred/wine industries in the world, with the spin-off of tourism providing enormous economic benefits; and their protection for the long-term future should be paramount. Evidence at Pilliga shows that CSG water completely destroys soil structure.
Despite all the evidence, the Minister states we need to follow Qld and transform NSW into this economic hub! The Minister stated: “truth was the only salvation”, so is the irrefutable evidence what he considers to be the “irrational and uninformed debate” we are having! Then we had the NSW Planning Minister in Lismore stating: “well it’s going to happen anyway”.
So a blind eye is to be turned to real and true science as our nation is to be turned into the world’s quarry of mines and gasfields on the con we are running out of energy sources, when in fact Australia has massive over-supplies for our domestic purposes and more importantly, we have the richest sources of renewable energy.
L Smith
Tweed Heads
