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 (archived by 19/04/2012)��Pip Hinman addressed Marrickville Council on May 8 to urge the council to rule out coal seam gas mining in the area. The council voted unanimously to prohibit coal seam gas mining on the property of St Peters waste recycling business Alexandria Landfill.

Hinman's speech to Marrickville Council is below.

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I am a long-term resident in Newtown, a mother and an activist with Stop Coal Seam Gas Sydney.

The community group was set up two years ago when it became public knowledge that Alexandria Landfill had entered into a secret deal with Dart Energy (then Macquarie Energy) to allow for exploration for coal seam gas on its site at St Peters in a residential/light industrial area.

I support recycling waste, but wish to speak against council agreeing to Ian Malouf’s application for a permanent licence to run his Alexandria Landfill waste and recycling business in St Peters while also allowing an extractive industry — coal seam gas — to function on the site.

Apart from the legal reasons why this should not be allowed — as Lou Steer has outlined — there are environmental and social justice reasons why it is not in council’s nor the community’s interest for coal seam gas mining in the inner city — just 7 kilometres from the central business district and right next to schools, pre-schools and, of course, homes.

Our group is not just concerned about CSG mining in the city, however.

Councillors would be aware of the huge and growing community concern about coal seam gas in our local area — and across the country.

As the 5000 to 8000 strong farmer-led rally on May 1 in response to the NSW government’s land use policies — particularly in relation to coal seam gas and mining — shows these concerns are getting broader by the day.

This is because of the coal seam gas wing of the fossil fuel industry, which has bipartisan government support, has failed to convince broad �鶹��ý of the community that their industry is not a risk to our health and the environment.

Examples abound of the dangerous extraction methods, gas leaks, huge amounts of water being used, an extremely “casual” approach to dealing with the waste products from the drill operations, and the harmful impacts on our aquifers — both from toxic contamination and subsidence.

Numerous calls for a moratorium on the coal seam gas industry until the health and environmental impacts are known have fallen on deaf government ears.

Parliamentary inquiries have only gotten part of the way as miners refuse to divulge “commercial in confidence” information that the community has a right to know about.

Council would be aware that Mr Malouf himself does not have a track record of transparency.

He did nothing to alert council and residents about the deal he struck with Dart Energy to explore for coal seam gas. He may not have known then about the dangers associated with the industry — but he sure must know now.

The deal he has made with Dart doesn’t feature in his current licence application.

Why not?

Malouf must have had an arrangement with Dart Energy for the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) to be approved by the NSW government.

Why didn’t former NSW governments let Marrickville Council and our community know?

When the arrangement was discovered — by residents — in late 2010, we started organising against it and Sydney Residents against Coal Seam Gas was formed — later to become Stop CSG Sydney.

We’ve hosted public meetings — including with Dart Energy executives — information nights, film screenings, and community rallies of more than 2000 people last September.

This pressure on government has meant that Dart’s licence — which expired last October — has not yet been renewed.

However, the REF has not been revoked and Dart can start drilling any time.

Dart has told the Stock Exchange of its intention to drill 10 wells by the end of this year. We are worried that St Peters is included. We don’t know because despite our repeated requests from the government and the company, no information has been forthcoming.

We want a moratorium on the industry until we see the outcomes of a Royal Commission into the health and environmental consequences of coal seam gas activities.

This community group is not against mining, but it is concerned that the CSG industry is being given free rein despite the problems reported — including by �鶹��ý of the industry itself.

The state government’s draft strategic land use policy — with loopholes for miners to get into sensitive areas — including to allow drilling in the Warragamba catchment area (a dam which supplies water to 4.5 million people) — gives us very little confidence that it is governing in the community’s interests.

I urge councillors to grant Alexandria Landfill only a five-year development application contingent on it abandoning the agreement with Dart Energy (or any other coal seam gas exploration/production company).

Other councils have done more than this.

Lismore City Council and Kyogle councils voted last year to impose a moratorium on all coal seam gas activities on council-controlled land.

Lismore council rejected a seismic testing application by Metgasco — a coal seam gas miner — and decided on greater public consultation and complete transparency about any changes to activities on development application-approved sites. They are also holding a poll at local council election time to gauge community views on coal seam gas.

Marrickville needs a waste recycling centre. We don’t want this waste centre becoming a hazardous waste centre.

CSG mining potentially affects a far wider community than is usual for a development application — and with potentially dire consequences for our health and water supplies.

I urge councillors to ensure that this development application prevents coal seam gas activities.

This is the only way it would be consistent with the Marrickville Local Council plan 2011 and community standards.