Great Artesian Basin Protection Group

“Durum wheat is going head-to-head with coal seam gas in a battle over the state’s top agricultural region.
Doug Cush is a third-generation farmer in the area; in the past decade he has turned the dark soil plain’s rivers of gold – durum wheat – into a busy export business with his family’s upmarket pasta and milling operation, Bellata Gold.
Two weeks ago, Doug Cush gathered 300 locals to a community meeting in Bellata, population 550. The vista of coal seam gas development on their land – and on the Great Artesian Basin which will be drilled to extract methane from 280-million-year-old coal seams below the basin – left many dumbstruck.
The battle which sparked in the Hunter, then spread to the cropping and grazing communities of the Liverpool Plains, has now entered a new arena – arguably the richest agricultural area in Australia, the north-west slopes and plains centred on Moree.
On the back of vast grain and cotton production, few would argue that Moree is now ranked as the top agricultural region in the country.”

John Anderson, Chairman of Eastern Star Gas, makes some statements in this article, about the benefits from CSG mining! There are indeed great financial benefits for HIM, but not for Australia’s future.
He says ”I do think this industry is going to be very important for Australian agriculture in the future, both sides need to think these things through carefully and considerately.” Yes, John, please do think this through carefully, because there will be no agriculture in the future, wherever CSG mining has been. Nor any aquifers. How can you sacrifice our future food security, and our Great Artesian Basin, for your financial gain?
Read full article:
http://www.smh.com.au:80/business/fertile-plains-under-frack-attack-20110617-1g7sj.html