We write to congratulate you on your recent statements to NBN news in regards to Coal Seam Gas developments in NSW. People for the Plains represents farmers in the Narrabri region, part of the National Party held seat of Parkes so we are encouraged by these comments and offer to meet you any time you are coming through Narrabri and district.

We were pleased to hear your comment "If farmers don't want it on their land, they have the right of veto." (January 22, 2024)

This statement reflects the sentiments of tens of thousands of farmers who have written and voiced their opposition to coal seam gas developments on their land for more than a decade. You will remember that the assessment process for the Narrabri Gas Project received 22,949 submissions, 22,485 (or 98pc) of these objected to the project. A large number of these were farmers. At the time, this was the most opposed project in the history of NSW assessment processes.

Farmers, along with the broader public, have taken their concerns to Sydney three times over the last 13 years with huge rallies in 2012 (with 10,000 people in attendance), 2018 (with 10,000 in attendance) and 2023 (with 4,000 in attendance). At these events they partnered with their representative organisations such as CWA of NSW, Lock the Gate, NSW Farmers and Gomeroi to state that they do not want coal seam gas developments and pipelines on their land. Farmers have not been subtle in their message.

Farmers from the Boggabri branch of the National Party had a motion passed unopposed at the NSW National Party State Conference in 2019 that the NSW Government extinguish the expired zombie Petroleum Exploration Licenses across their lands.

We are thrilled to hear the National Party has heard these long held concerns and now believe farmers should have a right of veto over gasfields and gas pipelines.

Of course, legally this is not true, so we look to you for ways to make this a reality. We suggest as a first step that the National Party, under your leadership, sets an explicit national policy that gives farmers and landholders the right to veto coal seam gas developments and their associated infrastructure, such as pipelines. This would set the scene for legal changes to be made that would ensure this is can be a reality.

In the meantime, it would show farmers that the National Party has their back and it would give them the confidence they need to respond to pressure currently being exerted by the proponents of these projects.

We look forward to a National Party policy giving farmers a right to veto gasfields and gas pipelines on their land, followed by applicable legal changes to ensure this can occur.

Stuart Murray, Phone 0473921457, President, People or the Plains

Maybe, just maybe, if TRC would re-introduce at least one, maybe two kerbside pickups a year, the illegal dumping may decrease. The cost of taking rubbish to the tip and the loss of kerbside pickups in the year, would naturally increase the practice of illegal dumping, people are doing it hard out there with cost of living going through the roof. Come on Council you have put the rates up, now give something back to the ratepayers of this Region.

Phillip Jones, Moonbi

May I through your column congratulate and thank the men who have planted the roundabouts in Armidale. These brilliant pools of colour brighten the city and brighten up our day. We appreciate them.

Bill Crocker, Armidale

It was the abundance of fossil fuels, coal, natural gas and oil, that fuelled the start of the industrial revolution a few hundred years ago. The industrial revolution was led by an enormous leap in innovation that quickly caused a huge array of new industrial methods to take place leading humans to a completely new way of living. This resulted in an ever increasing need for more and more energy to fuel the new way of living.

The fact that using fossil fuels to create energy could someday lead to human induced climate change, I assume, in the early days of the industrial revolution, was given barely a fleeting thought by humans at that time.

It is now unfortunately common knowledge that the gases released when fossil fuels are burned to create energy cause a massive amount of pollution to build up in the atmosphere of the earth that is causing human induced climate change.

Scientists are loudly warning that the practice of burning fossil fuels to create energy must be greatly wound down as a matter of urgency to avoid further climate changes that have the capacity to cause terrible problems for humans across the world.

Brian Measday, Kingswood, SA