A committee has been formed to create a united force against coal seam gas exploration in Bunnan following a community meeting last week.
Anguished community members gathered to voice their concerns at a meeting at Bunnan Tennis Club last Thursday after residents learnt coal seam gas exploration will be occurring in their backyard.
The committee, Save Bunnan, will work to advocate the concerns of Bunnan residents, lobby government and communicate with other groups against coal seam gas mining in NSW in an effort to stop it taking over their land.
Members of the group joined more than 1200 people from across NSW at the Lock the Gate Alliance’s representation at Sydney’s Martin Place on Sunday.
Initial concerns of the future of the Upper Hunter seemed a distant pressure for Bunnan residents, until some landholders received a letter in the mail from Santos QNT Pty Ltd (Santos) notifying that a Bunnan property owner has agreed to work with Santos and allow drilling on their property in the future.
The letter expressed a need for as many landholders as possible to have their water bores tested.
This letter, coupled with the viewing of Gasland in Scone, fuelled the community’s anger and concerns.
Save Bunnan committee member Jan Bryan said some of the main concerns were the pollution problems and associated effects on the local water supply as well as contamination of stock and farm products and the consequent de-valuing of land.
“We would like to keep this land for our children and future generations, but we can see our country ending up a whole in the ground,” Mrs Bryan said.
“The topical areas are at the head of our watercourse and that water doesn’t belong to the particular landholder, it belongs to us all.”
Another member Dennis White said they were not fighting the person who wants to do exploration, but we’re concerned about the future of their village.
The community members were frustrated that there has been no community meeting held by Santos.
Upper Hunter Shire councillors Michael Johnsen, Lea Carter, Lorna Driscoll, Deirdre Peebles and Ean Cottle attended the meeting.
Residents challenged the councillors as to why they hadn’t told the people and questioned its support for the community.
Councillor Michael Johnsen said Santos had addressed the council at a public council meeting and they knew of other exploration areas in the shire, but in this case the state government overrules the council in the decision making.
“We want communication just like you, but it is only a courtesy for the company to inform the council of what they are doing,” he said.
Councillors said the council would be discussing its position on coal and coal seam gas mining at it’s meeting on Monday night and putting a submission into the NSW Coal and Gas Strategy.
The committee has started a petition to stop coal seam gas extraction and exploration in the whole of NSW.
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