A community meeting held in Murwillumbah has unanimously supported the proposition that Murwillumbah be declared CSG-free.
The meeting, attended by 40 local residents, viewed a film about the impacts of coal seam gas (CSG) and discussed the road survey process that underpins the CSG-free Communities initiative.
Participants resolved to start surveying their neighbours about their views.
Michael McNamara from Lock the Gate – Tweed said, “We are pleased that there are people in the Murwillumbah community who share our commitment to give local residents a voice.
“We are prepared to survey Murwillumbah, street by street” he said.
“Giving local communities a voice about the direction of development in their area is something the state government and the mining companies have never been prepared to do.”
In the road survey, residents are able to answer Yes, No or Unsure to the survey question ‘Would you like your road/land declared CSG-free?’.
“If we get a majority of residents on a street indicating that they support their street being CSG-free then we will declare that street accordingly.
“Judging by the response in surrounding rural villages, where the levels of support for being declared CSG-free are averaging 97 per cent, I think it is only a matter of time before the whole of Murwillumbah is declared CSG-free,” he said.
“Communities covering half the Tweed Shire, and ALL of the Arrow Energy exploration licence in the Tweed Shire (PEL445), have already been declared CSG-free,” he said.
