Farmers
in northern NSW and Southern Queensland have banded together to fight the
combined power of big business and governments in an attempt to have heard
their side of the debate about Coal Seam Gas and the future of the Great
Artesian Basin.
Narrabri
and Chinchilla are almost as remote from Sydney and Brisbane as life on the
land is from the world of inner city hipsters and politicians reclining on
their padded leather benches.
But
it is in these recharge areas of the Great Artesian Basin a relative handful of
farmers are fighting for what they say is the future of agriculture in their
areas.
They
are practical men and women who are not opposed to change and development but
their lifestyle and the lives of hundreds of thousands of sheep and cattle are
dependent on the continuing flow of water from the Great Artesian Basin -- the
million year old aquifer that supplies water to more than 22 per cent of our
dry continent.
Without
the drinking water produced from bores that tap into the Great Artesian Basin
(GAB), it would be impossible to run the current stock numbers, either cattle
or sheep, on the sweeping western plains.
The
farmers fear that Coal Seam Gas exploration and production that involves
drilling thousands of gas wells into and through the GAB could destroy the
aquifer and force them to walk off and abandon their farms.
Already
many bores near Chinchilla have stopped producing clean water, or in some
cases, any water at all.
But
getting their side of the story over against the powerful public relations
machines and cosy political lobbying groups used by the billion dollar mining
industry is an uphill fight.
Only
when someone such as Wallaby flanker David Pocock chains himself to mining
machinery in protest does the farmers’ one-sided fight even impact on the big
city media.
So
farmers are now asking Australians, particularly those in the cities, to take a
long drive into the scrub to see for themselves the truth of the matter.
They
have established a website, Gas & GAB Tours www.gasgabtours.com, to allow
everyone to take a self guided tour of the areas affected by the on-going gas
exploration and extraction.
The
site gives detailed information on how to get there, what to see, where to stay
or camp and who to talk to for expert information.
It
also warns against trespassing on land owned or controlled by the mining giants
-- an action which under new regulations recently pushed through by the NSW
Government can now result in fines of up to $5,000 and long jail terms.
