NARRABRI is in line for a public hearing about the social effects of coal seam gas, as part of a national inquiry into the gas industry.
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Queensland-based Senator Glenn Lazarus is chairing a Senate inquiry into unconventional gas mining and told The Leader he had been watching the recent protests against Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga forest from a distance.
“I encourage northern NSW to fight to absolute hell this scourge on society,” Senator Lazarus said.
The purpose of the Senate inquiry is to give people “a platform to voice their concerns” about coal seam gas (CSG) mining.
It will focus on the human, social, environmental and financial impacts of unconventional gas mining across Australia.
Senator Lazarus has informally called the inquiry the “Bender inquiry”, in honour of George Bender, a Chinchilla farmer who took his own life after years of struggling against the CSG industry.
“A large number of those living in and around the gas wells in Queensland have had their lives turned upside down and shattered by the mining activities,” Senator Lazarus said.
“No one is listening or taking any notice of these people.”
Senator Lazarus said he was “hoping and praying” Narrabri got a hearing.
“We are keen to get to areas like Narrabri, the places being affected by gas mining,” he said.
“There is no point holding it in big cities – they’re not the ones affected.
“People out on the farms, in regional and rural Australia, are the ones seeing the horrendous effects of unconventional gas mining.”
The first public hearing is due to be held near the Queensland gasfields around Dalby and Chinchilla later this month.
The committee will soon decide where the next public hearings will be.
Senator Lazarus said he was particularly interested to hear about the health and social problems of those living in or near gasfields.
“I have families talk to me all the time about what’s going on – about their kids waking up in the middle of the night with bleeding noses, kids with headaches, kids being disturbed at school due to a lack of sleep,” he said.
“I’m concerned the government and the gas companies don’t know what they’re doing – or even worse, they do know and they don’t care.”
He encourage those affected by unconventional gas mining to make a submission to the inquiry by March 14.
For more information about how to make a submission or attend a public hearing, go to senatorlazarus.com
