Western Downs Field Trip

Emus!

At first when I saw these two I thought it must be an emu farm...then I realised that we were far enough west for these to be living free in their natural habitat.

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.

Dwellings

This is where Debbie, her husband and four children lived while they were building their house. There are many people living out this way in caravans, lean-tos and shacks.

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.

CSG activity

Michael presented us with aerial maps showing the block boundaries and areas of CSG mining activity.

Debbie pointed out her block on the map.

CSG wells

The coloured squares on the map indicate sites of mining activity. There are many sites throughout the region.

The crew talk into the twilight at Debbie's home.

We travelled back through Tara, passing through at dusk, headed back to Dalby.

The Murray-Darling

On our way back to Dalby from Tara we saw this sign - a reminder that the water systems of the country are connected.

To Chinchilla

The next day we headed north west to Chinchilla. It is a sullen, overcast day.

Big wheels

We passed one of many road trains that rule the roads out here - this one carrying tyres for mining industry machinery.

Signs

We were struck by the starkness of this banner attached to a shipping container in a field.

Fighting farmers

We stopped to photograph these silos, noting the 'Coal 4 Breakfast' banner. Coal 4 Breakfast was a campaign that won the fight against proposed open-cut coal mines on farmland near Chinchilla.

Gratuitous scenery

Chinchilla

We arrive in Chinchilla, an hour north west of Dalby. Chinchilla is an attractive and tidy town. The civic buildings and the nature of the businesses imply a wealthier community than Tara or Dalby.

Neil Stanley

We visited Chinchilla to interview Barrungam man, Neil Stanley. We find Neil to be a charming and big-hearted person.

Charlie Creek

We were honoured to be taken to Neil's special spot on Charlie Creek.

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.

Gas wells at night

We made our way back to Dalby via Chinchilla. From the highway we saw some gaswells burning. We could also smell it in the air.

The wells were difficult to photograph because they were a long way from the road. This is as close as I could get to show the perpetual flame of the well.

John Mathison

Sadly our last day in the Western Downs. We interviewed John Mathison, KAP candidate for Condamine. We found John to be a sincere and friendly fellow who is very keen to discuss issues. John has made his living as a musician and nurse, and is sensitised to social issues.

Katter's Australia Party meeting

While the boys interviewed John Mathison, I sat in on a KAP meeting to discuss agricultural policy.

The man on the left is John Mathison's campaign manager Rob Harrold. On the right is farmer Rowell Walton, KAP National President.

Back east

In the afternoon we headed back east to Tooowoomba. I caught a snap from the car of another 'coal 4 breakfast' campaign banner.

Kerry Shine

In Toowoomba we interviewed Kerry Shine MP. Shine, the Labor MP for Toowoomba North, presented as an experienced, fair-thinking man with a good sense of humour.

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.