Western Downs Field Trip
We tracked the debate to the source - where its impact is currently being felt on the towns and farms of the Western Downs. We interviewed a wide range of folks, from Senators to local politicians through farmers, activists and townsfolk. Many have intriguing and nuanced views on the Coal Seam Gas debate.
Should you have further interest in this issue, you can find out more on the dedicated blog on the Crikey website.
Blockies
The Tara Estate is subdivisions of blocks of 30-50 acres of uncleared scrubby country. People from many places have come way out here to gain tenure on affordable land. The townspeople of Tara refer to the people of Tara Estate as 'blockies'. We came out to speak with some such people who are key campaigners against CSG mining.
Debbie Orr
We arrive at the property of Debbie Orr. We find Debbie to be a wholesome, kind and gentle woman who is very aware and reasonable. She lives with her husband Rod and four children in a house they built themselves, having lived in a caravan while building. Debbie is very concerned about the health effects of CSG mining on her children.
Oscar
We also met with a fellow named Oscar, who has a block nearby. He is a very likeable, down to earth and rational fellow who is passionate about protecting the abundant wildlife in the uncleared country of the blocks. Oscar told his story and expressed his views clearly and fairly in a filmed interview.
Michael
We met with a third man called Michael, a friend of Debbie and Oscar's, who also owns a block on the Tara Estate. Michael is a wise and experienced person, originally from England. He has had the misfortune of being involved in an industrial accident involving toxic chemicals that damaged his health permanently. He suffers from emphysema and other chronic health issues. Michael came here to live a healthy and affordable lifestyle with his family. Michaels's story is not unusual on the Tara Estate - many people come here because of illness and poverty looking for somewhere they can survive. I must say, it's meeting people like this that makes it difficult to remain objective about the CSG industry. We have become increasingly aware that the industry's affect on health and community is of grave concern.
Interviewing Neil
Neil gave a heart-felt interview. He is very concerned about the effects of mining activities on indigenous people and the environment. He is particularly upset by the destruction of sacred sites. Neil is a philosophical and dignified man who is concerned about the welfare of all, and he is committed to working for change.
Stress
We spotted a poster in Toowoomba reminding us of the stresses many farmers and other residents of the Western Downs face - drought, flood, economic insecurity, the rising cost of living, and more recently, the troubles that coal seam gas mining present. Many people we spoke with on the Western Downs talked about the psychological stress the presence of coal seam gas mining caused them.
A whirlwind tour
We celebrated the field tour with a few lagers in Toowoomba. It was a fantastic tour and we learned so much. Yet, despite having spoken with many people, we felt we'd barely scratched the surface of what there was to understand about the effects of CSG mining in the area. Hopefully, our work has contributed to the ongoing debate on the issue and will help to better inform the public.
Some answers and more questions
We had come to see that questions around the impacts of CSG mining were not only environmental, but deeply social. I was intrigued to know more about the effects of mining presence on the ordinary and poorer people of the region.
We had become aware of the dramatic rise in housing costs due to the presence of cashed-up mining industry workers in the western towns. Coal Seam Gas mining offers little employment to local people because most of the industry workers are fly in-fly out specialists such as geologists. We had also become aware of the incidence of women turning to sex work (servicing the majority male mining industry workers) in order to meet the rising cost of living caused by the mining industry itself.
And the population with the deepest connection to the area - the indigenous people - are amongst stakeholders whose voices are seldom heard in the debate about CSG mining. As well as environmental damage and socio-economic impacts, the desecration of sacred sites and related corruption in consultation processes are troubling to the already dispossessed and historically maltreated indigenous population.
Interestingly, a number of non-indigenous people in the area who feel strongly about the impact of CSG mining on their lives, reflected similarly – “now I know how the black fellas must have felt”. Of course unwanted CSG mining and its impacts and the holocaust that befell indigenous people does not compare in scale, but it remains an interesting reflection nevertheless.