A FARMER who spent more than seven hours locked to a truck yesterday in a bid to disrupt work at Santos’ coal seam gas site in the Pilliga has accused the National Party of betraying the region’s primary producers.
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Ted Borowski, who was arrested after being eventually cut free by police about 4.30pm, blocked workers from accessing the site in protest over the National Party’s alleged failure to stand up for farmers.
The 58-year-old, from the Coonamble area, was one of about 600 people who turned out at the Crossing Theatre in Narrabri last week to hear from US rancher and anti-coal seam gas campaigner John Fenton.
Yesterday at about 9am he used metal piping to attach himself to the underside of a truck in the latest act of civil disobedience in the Pilliga as unrest over the proposed $2 billion project grows.
“The land is all I have and, while it’s very difficult to take time away from the farm, it’s critically important to me that I make (a) strong stand to protect our land and water from coal seam gas fields,” he said.
“Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner displayed absolute contempt for NorthWest NSW farmers when he recently announced a fast-track of the proposed Narrabri Gas Project.
“The National Party has lost my vote. They are completely out of touch with farmers. This Santos coal seam gas field project is going nowhere: we are not going to let gas fields into the region.”