A SECOND coal seam gas (CSG) meeting will be held in Forster this Saturday to discuss energy giant AGL’S current fracking operations in Gloucester.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Related content: Councillor Linda Gill moves out to protest site...click here
An initial forum, held in Forster in September, discussed the CSG process and the concern surrounding the safety of the water supply in the Manning and Karuah catchments.
The follow-up meeting comes after AGL recently started fracking pilot wells at its Waukivory site just outside the township of Gloucester and gained government approval for more than 100 CSG wells.
Organiser Craig Andrews said the meeting is a must attend for anyone concerned about the impacts of coal seam gas.
“It’s another opportunity for those who missed the first meeting. If people don’t know about CSG then they should come along and find out,” he said.
“Once people understand the issue they will start to respond. This is now becoming an election issue. It’s something that’s happening state-wide.”
Guest speakers include Australian actor Michael Caton who starred in the movie The Castle and tv show Packed to the Rafters, who has joined the Lock the Gate campaign against coal seam gas.
Mr Caton worked in pumping and irrigation in Southern Queensland prior to acting and says gas extraction should not be taking place near prime agricultural land.
“They seem to uncannily pick some of the best agricultural land when there are places they could extract gas from where the water table isn’t as valuable,” he said.
“They are risking the environment. Once the damage is done it will be irreversible.”
Mr Caton intends to visit AGL’S Waukivory site on Friday.
Other speakers include the president of Groundswell Gloucester Julie Lyford and activist Dayne Pratzky also known as “the frackman” who formally lived in Tara in Queensland before Queensland Gas Company, now owned by British Gas, came to drill in the Tara area.
The meeting will be held in the auditorium at Club Forster at 6.30pm on Saturday.