Why are our politicians, regardless of Party affiliations, not acting to protect our citizens from Coal Seam Gas exploitation? Exploitation that sees prime agricultural land and National Parks poisoned with chemicals and salts that cannot be reclaimed or cleaned up. Exploitations that sees our State and Federal governments receiving as good as nothing by way of taxes and levies from this industry.

The only “Australian owned” component to this travesty are the companies that supply the water needed for this filthy and the irreversible industrial process and ancillary services that support the process. The overwhelming majority of principal executives and shareholders of these water supply companies and ancillary services have strong ties to major political parties.

Initially the Nationals who were the old “Country Party” swelled the ranks of the profiteers and lobbyists that have managed to sway all governments of all persuasions to allow the rights of land owners and existing legislations that protect the environment to be nullified. Tony Abbott before being elected made sounds that would lead anyone with a basic grasp of English to understand that he would give the decision of right of entry to private properties to the land owner....after the election a stony silence and no change to the pillaging of our environment.

In NSW we watched Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid and his money grabbing family use their political clout to rezone land for mining and generate profits of hundreds of millions for the investment price of a suburban house. Obeid was caught and has faced ICAC, but the disease that is CSG corruption rolls on to the likes of Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos and family who profit from the legislations and rulings that flow from the government he is a part of.

So sonofgloin, you think the governments make little to nothing out of the CSG industry, well, all I can SA is brace yourself if eve the industry does get shut down, because the 08 recession will look like a tea party in comparison to the finacial downturn we would see.

I find it amusing how so many people think the only revenues governments ge out of mining are royalties, when in fact, they collect billions in the form of taxes, from employ yes, to pay roll taxes, to fuel and import duties. So be careful what you wish for.

As for the harsh chemicals being used, the recent asbestos incident came from a product made from predominately ground walnut shells and, as soon as it was found t contain asbestos, work ceased and the product was no longer used.

Finally, with regards to prime ag land, a landmark descision has jus been made giving much more power to land owners of prime ag land. So progress is being made.

Where there is smoke there is fire. Address the commotion at hand in stead of making excuses for other people.

By the way sonofgloin, there is no such thing as reson g land for mining, as mining tenures already exist over most of the country, they mauve have to seek approvals, but not rezonning.

As in interested party in CSG, I look at the tension between landholders and miners and I have even suggest that if miners wanted to get land owners on side, the answer is, water.

You see all this wate tha is drawn from beneath their farms is channeled off in a maze if interconnecting pipes and if done so right before their eyes, yet, they (the farmers, can't have any.

Fix this problem and 90% of the problems will go away.

So, some facts.

A farmer with 20,000 acres of grazing land, if it were to be mined, could stand to earn as much as $4 million, per year, for thirty years RISK FREE.

Sure beats the hell out of farming because it would be impossible for them to make that type of money from grazing and, they don't even have to get out of bed, let alone employ anyone.

In fact, the amount of dollars being spent out where I am on the likes of infrastructure, machinery and flash cars is astounding, and all because of CSG payments.

So dont for one minute think the government is missing out.

Let me tell you, the ones making the most noise are the ones who are missing out.

Butch you make it sound as if all is right with CSG....that’s not correct as proven by the now spent CSG fields of mid west America whose legacy is spoiled land and water tables and uninhabitable spaces....almost like Chernobyl....same result but without the radiation.

Regarding your asbestos and walnut shells Butch......the evaporation ponds still contain benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes, which are volatile organic compounds regardless of the ban to use these in the fracking process....and the wells use hundreds of thousands of litres of water per day.....they become a chemical manufacturing plant as a bi product of the extraction. Just the other week a containment pond leaked because the CSG company failed to line it....they copped a small fine.....but nothing will grow on that patch of Australia for a long long while.

You note the jobs that the CSG industry brings and the revenue via taxes that the government draws, but I have never heard you complain about the free trade agreements that took all our other manufacturing jobs. You can’t use one as a defence if you have disregarded the other Butch.

Forget about the “tax” the CSG companies pay, it is negligible. All the government actually gets is a 6% royalty tax....and from the same tax man that grabs four times more from me. Nah Butch we get nothing from this except 3000 Chernobyl’s scattered throughout Qld and NSW.

This thread focussed on the BLATANT corruption that seeped into both sides of parliament and the bastard politicians that have known of it via whispers in the parliamentary toilets....an apt place to discuss such matters.

Finally Butch, I am not against CSG mining but the choice of locations. Not one well inland that costs to service and ship....all are right next to us on the coasts...funny that...

Rechtub>>By the way sonofgloin, there is no such thing as reson g land for mining, as mining tenures already exist over most of the country, they mauve have to seek approvals, but not rezonning.<<

Butch as you know everything below us belongs to the Crown....forget about zoning....re CSG the Crown can legislate to keep our farmlands as farmlands and our precious water table free of toxic chemicals.

>>Let me tell you, the ones making the most noise are the ones who are missing out.<<

God your starting to sound like Shadow Min......I understand about bring money to the districts...but after they leave there is no district left....I knew SM is a selfish soul, but I thought you were a decent thinking hard arsed bloke....it doesn’t matter, but I was definitely wrong.

The intensity of CSG mining would be much less if we were catering for
our own usage. Because, without thinking it through, governments have
approved the construction of LNG export plants at Gladstone, we have to
drill to an intensity to cope with other countries energy shortages.

The demand of these plants at Gladstone will cause shortages in Eastern
Australia. There has already been reported at least one refusal to
supply gas to one Australian company.
Even the proposed reservation of a quantity for Australian use does
not really solve the problem as our production will decline much
earlier if we are supplying the rest of the world.
We ill also be paying a higher price.
It is not a case of not sharing, watch the short shrift we will get
now that we are importing 90% of our fuel.

This also will reduce the time we will have to transition to a new energy regime.

Yes Bazz...there is NOTHING in it for Australia....NOTHING.....and our politicians are falling over themselves to give it away. Politicians do not represent us.....they represent foreign capital first...themselves second ...and there is no third.

Yes, Sonofgloin, there is nothing in it for us.
The sad part is there is no political party that we can vote for with
a policy that recognises reality.

I notice Martin Ferguson, who knows what the situation is in reality,
even now that he is no longer in parliament will not say it out loud.
They are so stubborn that the only time that they will recognise our
risk will be in the statement setting out their petrol rationing system.

Guys, to say there is nothing in it for us is simply not true, because there are literally tens of thousands of jobs, both directly and ndirectly that simply would not exist if the CSG industry wasn't there.

Having said that, I am also filthy tha we export so much of this finite resource, while business and individuals struggle to cope with the cost of enegy we pa in this resource ric nation. IN fac, I started a thread about that very same subject, but it didn't really grow legs. I still don't understand why because or cost of energy is of major concern, especially if we see increases for the next ten years, like we have seen over the past.

We should be worried, very worried in fact.

Rehctub,
I have given just a few talks on peak oil and its effects.
I notice an effect that many people, indeed a large majority, just
cannot accept the implications of much higher prices or alternatively
much lower use of liquid fuels.
When I suggest that airline fares will be so high that air travel will
be restricted to rich businessmen and politicians and that most will go
out of business, they find it incredible and ridiculous.

There is always the suggestion that "THEY" will come up with something
and anyway it is all an oil company plot to raise prices.

They also find any risk to food production to be unlikely.
Then I give the example of the tanker driver strike in the UK when
after three days women were fighting in the supermarket aisles for the
last tinned food, I notice a silence and then a few questions.
I find an effective way to put it is to ask how much a litre of
petrol costs and how much would you have to pay five men to push your car 12 Kms ?
I then point out that is what any alternative fuel has to achieve.

Our problem with gas is that it will be our transition fuel to whatever
comes next, but our politicians like the people I have I have spoken
cannot accept the problem especially as it is hopefully after the next election.
However, if the government wins the next election they may well run
straight into a liquid fuels crisis just as we become a 100% importer.