I HEARD Kevin Anderson saying the government’s decision on coal seam gas was a good balance: for whom?
“NSW Farmers’ Association is bitterly disappointed the NSW government has caved in to the powerful mining and energy lobby on its much anticipated land and water protections. What we and thousands of city and country people wanted more than anything else from this government was our land and water to be protected,” the association’s president, Fiona Simson, said.
“What did we get? We got an incomplete package with watered down water protections and a virtual green light for exploration and mining right across most of the state.”
Ms Simson said not only had the government broken an election promise – it had ignored the wishes of thousands of city and country people who marched to Parliament House on May 1.
It had also ignored more than 1500 submissions asking the government to do a very reasonable thing – protect our land and water.
The government released its final draft of its strategic regional land use policy package which sets out the framework for the assessment of all mining and coal seam gas licences in the future in NSW.
Ms Simson said that after decades of lack of strategic planning in exploration and mining licences, the Coalition government had made some important steps forward. “But unfortunately, like many other governments, it has caved into the mining and energy lobby at the expense of our state’s natural resources,” she said.
This is no different to what Kevin is doing to services, education and jobs across regional NSW.
Does the electorate continue to support the Nationals? Do we look for another Nationals candidate, someone who will listen to the electorate or simply look for a someone else to vote for?
STEPHEN MEARS
TAMWORTH
