Mullumbimby Community Action Network

Originally published 17Jan2013

mullum-zine

MULLUM MEETING SAT & updates

Newsletter 121
17 January 2013




MULLUM CSG SURVEY – GLENUGIE – KYOGLE - PRO-BONO LAWYERS NEEDED

BETTER PLANNING NETWORK & NSW WHITE PAPER

Hello and greetings

As I settle down after the festivities, holidays, farewelling visiting rellies and heat shock, I am waking up to the Mullum CSG survey. I shall send/resend the Data Spreadsheets for the Area Coordinators to fill in – hopefully most surveys will be nearly finished now. If not, please contact me and let"s work out some support for anyone who needs it; (66843723).

A meeting for the Area Coordinators and any surveyors who might like some support will be at my place this Sat 19th January at 4 pm. Please bring your completed survey forms and data spreadsheets.


DEADLINE FOR SURVEY COMPLETION: Australia Day Sat 26 January. Let"s aim for it.


YELLOW AREA is still needing an Area Coordinator; anyone can offer to do this!

The next part of the process is registering each road as a Gasfield Free Road on http://www.csgfreenorthernrivers.org and using the template on that website to fill in individual Road Declarations for presentation to the Mayor Simon Richardson. Then we will organise the party - hopefully to declare Mullum Gasfield Free.


BYRON SHIRE SURVEY: Areas in other parts of the Shire are getting underway: next meeting for the Umbrella Group 6 pm Wednesday 30 January, Old Mayors Room, Mullum Neighbourhood Centre. Contact Amica Sanday csgfreebyronshire@gmail.com


NEWS FROM THE GAS FRONT

Regular updates are coming in from http://www.csgfreenorthernrivers.org and Coal Seam Gas News. Glenugie is still needing support and the campsite has moved onto privately owned land so protesters will not be hassled. Congratulations to the brave souls who went to the protest and especially those who locked on to vehicles, hung from tripods, cemented themselves into concrete and got arrested.


PRO BONO LAWYERS NEEDED!

Those who were arrested are needing legal support. Please network!
From KAG Mailout

http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/anti-csg-protesters-appear-in-grafton-local-court/1709741/
Could you help us find a group of pro-bono lawyers who can help our ongoing
campaign?
We need a group of solicitors who can share the pro-bono work. Please speak to people
you know.
If you find someone, ask them to contact Danae 6624 2475 mobile 0432 557 845. Danae
will pull together the group and arrange for them to be briefed by a lawyer skilled in this
work.


KYOGLE

The Metgasco trucks have been in to spread gravel over the next area
likely to get attention from their drilling program. This is at
Doubtful Creek near Ettrick/Dyraaba SW of Kyogle. The neighbours set
up a blockade and stopped the trucks but the landowner let the trucks
in through a little used road and we intend to blockade both
entrances on Wedn , Thurs and maybe Friday mornings, starting about 6
AM. Most will get this too late for the early start on Wedn or Thurs, but
please come if you can any time from now. Red alert will be saved for
when there is imminent risk of drill rig entering : then we will need
everyone .
It takes about 25 mins to drive there from Kyogle via Summerland
Way.at 13 km turn off to the right (west) onto MacDonald's Bridge
Knight's Road on right. Go to Booth's Road. Follow signs to protest.
Hope to CU there.

And from Amelia Hicks, Secretary of CSG Free Ballina
(also one of the gorgeous Girls Against Gas):

The action at Glenugie is ongoing. All visitors welcome. Cool headed people committed to non violent peaceful protest still needed.

At 10am tomorrow morning Mayors Barry Longland, Jenny Dowell and Simon Richardson will be visiting Glenugie.

The blockade at Doubtful Creek (SE of Kyogle) is active now. The site is at Orange Alert. There are locals in attendance.

A camp has been set up on a private property (Dean and Angie Draper's) near the drill site (which is on another property). Everyone is welcome to visit and camp there. It is a good opportunity to familarise ourselves with the site. There are two camping areas: one up on the hill (which is breezy and gets Optus & Telstra mobile signals) and another down below, near the kitchen. Please bring your own food & drinking water.

The address is 254 Dunns Rd, Doubtful Creek and their phone number is 6667 1262. A kitchen has been set up, portaloos are coming but for now a pit has been dug. Only bring dogs if you can keep them under control (cattle, horses & wildlife on the property). And the bonus is that there is a creek on the property you can swim in!

Here is a link to the Google Map of the site.

We must remember that this is a part of a long campaign. So stay alert, determined and informed. I look forward to seeing you all there :)
--



"RISKY BUSINESS" AL JAZEERA MOVIE on http://www.mullumaction.org

Please have a look at this!! This is just what it looks like in Queensland – I have seen the pipes, the 40m swathes they are in, the flares flaring, the ugly industrial infrastructure, the noisy compressor stations, the massive noisy RO plants (reverse osmosis) so that the miners can return the ‘produced water" to the farmers and ‘make good" loss of ground water, the security vehicles following intimidatingly, the closed shopfronts in Tara, etc. Just imagine if all this was across Byron Shire. C"mon Mullum, let"s get our surveys done!!

As Drew Hutton says: "Everything in coal seam gas leaks; it leaks from the wells, it leaks from the pipelines, it leaks from the compressor stations and it leaks from the ground!"
(Could that have anything to do with the heat wave and how will they 'make good' the Warrumbungles 42,000 hectares?)


SUE VADER

Local resident/activist Sue has been down to Glenugie and her reports are also on http://www.mullumaction.org Thanks Sue!



COMMENTARY BY AIDAN RICKETTS
(who wrote the Activists Handbook)

http://aidanricketts.com/the-great-gas-invasion-is-doomed-to-fail-as-communities-unite-and-fight/

Well worth a read. Inspiring stuff!!



KFC BYRON???

Graeme Williams writes:
I've knocked up a submission (attached) that will go to Council raising my concerns about the proposal and invite you to do the same. A Facebook link is here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/keep-byron-free-from-kfc/full-submission-outlining-key-issues-of-application/512214572145799

Feel free to copy or edit my words if you would like to also send a submission into Council. It's super easy as a template letter has been created and you can add your own words and email off to Council.

But be quick, the submission period closes on 28 Jan 2013!

It was only a couple of months ago that our community came together and helped stop a Dan Murphy's store opening in our already alcohol-induged town. KFC obviously needs to hear how strong our community voice can be as well!




WOOLWORTHS AND COLES

Judy Mac sends this:

http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/trends/coles-woolies-odd-ones-out-in-worlds-top-250-20130116-2csnl.html

Well.. now we have the no to KFC campaign in Byron ....
KFC creating employment for locals cf backpackers is one of the spurious arguments supporting KFC being in town.
The argument is flawed eg war is good for business etc.
But does anyone know perchance how many Mullumites are employed in the local Woolies???

There are references to the no to Woolies in Mullum campaign on the FB site but some people seem to think that there was no campaign in Mullum!

Hope you have all done a like on the site.
http://www.facebook.com/KeepByronFreeFromKFC?fref=ts
Some depressing comments [the usual anti hippy/anti green etc] showing the local divide as we experienced in Mullum.

Great to see the new IGA's strong marketing with discounts for pensioners etc and extended opening hours.




NSW PLANNING: WHITE PAPER AND DRAFT LEGISLATION

Will be released in February and environmental safeguards could be removed. Is this to facilitate csg/coal mining? BETTER PLANNING NETWORK have written a draft template letter for us to send to our mayor asking for a community forum. Here is their covering letter with part of the template below. I am willing to participate in this process – anyone else willing please contact me 66843723.

Dear Better Planning Network
The White Paper is expected for release in early February, and once it is released, much of our energies will shift to understanding, analysing, campaigning on, and responding to it. For this reason, it is vital that we use this relatively quiet time (ie. the next 2-3 weeks) to do whatever we can to prepare ourselves.
On this basis, and as agreed at the general BPN meeting held on 18 December 2012, we encourage you to pursue the following strategies ASAP:
1/Contact your Local Council (both staff and Councillors) to request that a Council-organised community workshop be conducted on the White Paper. This could occur via:
- A formal written request to the Council General Manager (copied to the Mayor and Councillors), and signed by as many local community groups as possible (see attached template)
- A motion put forward by a sympathetic Councillor and proposing the conduct of a community workshop on the White Paper.
Provided the White Paper comes out in early February, it is recommended that Council workshops occur around late February/March 2013. This will allow ample time for workshop attendees to reflect on the information provided and prepare their formal response to the Government.
2/ Contact your State MP to request that he/she host a community forum on the White Paper . This could also occur via a formal written request by individuals and/or community groups.
Provided the White Paper comes out in early February, it is recommended that MP-hosted workshops on the White Paper occur in late March-April 2013.
There is no issue with both a Council workshop AND a MP-hosted forum being held in the same area at different times.
Please give us the details of any such workshops so we can promote them through our network.
Thank you and kind regards
Corinne Fisher
On behalf of Better Planning Network
Ph: 0421 831 889

THE TEMPLATE LETTER:

Dear [insert name of Council General Manager]
Re: Request for community workshop in February-March 2013 on NSW planning system changes
The [insert name of area] community is an engaged community committed to the enhancement of our local amenity and environment. We value and enjoy a good relationship with [insert name of Council] and hence write to request that Council organise a workshop in February-March 2013 in relation to the proposed NSW Government planning review and potential changes.
We understand that the White Paper and Draft Legislation are due to be released in early February 2013 with a brief consultation period. We are also aware that many local residents know little about the planning review process that the NSW Government has employed during 2012. We also believe that residents wish to be informed about such major developments.
As a starting point, we suggest that the workshop:
1. assist the community understand the NSW Government planning reforms
2. discuss the implications of these reforms for our Local Government Area
3. consult with the community on how to cooperate in the new environment for the benefit of our local area
4. gain feedback on what the Council needs to know to support their community
5. obtain resident views for the Council response to the White Paper and Draft Legislation.
We believe that the [insert name of area] community will appreciate this workshop initiative by the Council.
This letter is written on behalf of the community organisations whose names are attached. I would be grateful if you could respond to me and I will ensure that all groups are kept up to date with progress. Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Signed
on behalf of [list all community groups signing the letter]
cc. The Mayor, [insert name of Mayor] and Councillors [insert names of Councillors]



*****************


Cheers
Deborah




http://betterplanningnetwork.good.do/

betterplanningnetwork@gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/BetterPlanningNetwork/

http://twitter.com/bettplannetwork





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More Information:
• http://www.csgfreenorthernrivers.org/
• http://coalseamgasnews.org/
• http://www.keerronggassquad.org/
• http://www.gasileaks.com/
• http://lockthegate.org.au/
• http://www.stoppilligacoalseamgas.com.au/
• http://www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/coal-mining-and-coal-seam-gas
• http://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/coal-seam-gas-by-the-numbers/
• http://stop-csg-illawarra.org/
• http://www.ccag.org.au/
• http://bimblebox.org/
• http://ntn.org.au/
• http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=561260378#!/CsgFreeNorthernRivers
• http://www.youtube.com/user/csgfreenr/videos