SYDNEY KNITTING NANNAS ON THE TIME2CHOOSE RALLY IN SYDNEY MARCH 24

Sydney Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed 

Media Release

Knitting Nannas, from all around NSW, will be joining with an anticipated 10,000 people across NSW to take part in the Time2Choose Rally on Saturday 24th March in Macquarie Street outside Parliament House starting at 12 noon.  One year out from the next State Elections.

As Knitting Nannas, we are committed to protecting our land and water to ensure our children, grandchildren, and generations to come can have a future with a clean and healthy environment, natural beauty and biodiversity.

We call on the upcoming government to make NSW a Coal Seam Gas Free State.

We, the Nannas of our State, are not going to give up our fight for our rights to clean air,water and environment.

Our fight against greed.

Our fight to keep our governments honest.

We want our next state government to be considering  the majority of NSW people, who live in these areas that are being destroyed by fracking, making them sick from what is being spewed out of these gas flumes . Destroying the land by having nowhere to store the poisonous water and salt coming out of the ground from the wells dug for coal seam gas

We want a Government that is responsible and answerable to its people,  with consideration for their livelihoods and their health.

So we hope this fight and rally will make the people who are going to stand in the next election  listen to their Nannas, and do the right thing and make a difference to the party of their choice, or being an independent, and fight for RENEWABLES.

VIVA LA NANNALUTION

GRAFTON NANNAS CAST ON AGAIN

The Grafton Nannas had another long break over the hot summer. This was  a summer in which the impact of climate change was obvious to us Nannas as well as to many other community members - but apparently not to many of our political leaders. So sad, as another political leader from another nation might say in his interminable tweets on twitter!!

Today some re-energised stalwarts from the Grafton Nannas cast on outside the Grafton office of our federal member Kevin Hogan. 

Why there?   Well the Grafton Nannas are concerned that the leader of Mr Hogan's National Party - one Barnaby Joyce, the Member for New England - is pushing to have CSG and unconventional gas mining expanded throughout the nation. 

Will our local member be prepared to cross the floor to support his constituents?

Mr Joyce, unlike the Nannas, obviously does not understand what a threat this invasive industry is to the environment and the health of local communities.  He is claiming that we need more gas produced because we will soon have a domestic gas shortage.

We Nannas know only too well that the claim of a gas shortage is a furphy.  There is only a shortage because all of the plentiful gas being extracted in this country is being exported. And Mr Joyce and others in government know this but they are suddenly waking up to the issue of ENERGY SECURITY and they are claiming that gas supply is an important component of this.

We Nannas would like to know why, when they have been at the wheel (so to speak) since 2013, this important matter has only just occurred to them.  As a result we are obviously in for a period of prolonged knee-jerk reactions and boringly predictable policy-on-the-run.  Again - so sad!

Mr Joyce is proposing that farmers who have gas  wells on their land receive 10% of royalties.  He claims this will lead to acceptance of the industry and allow it to expand throughout the nation.  He seems to be forgetting that it is not only landowners who potentially have wells on their properties who oppose this invasive industry.  It also impacts on their neighbours who would not be getting the 10% bribe and others in the local community.  And what is a bribe worth when the long-term impacts are considered?

The Nannas have written to Mr Hogan about their concerns and presented their letter at his office.

After enjoying their knit-in (a great social occasion with many laughs) and chats with passers-by,  these doughty women are re-energised for further knit-ins and lobbying on gas and energy security and climate change.

An amazing Nanna accessory

GRAFTON NANNAS WRITE TO LOCAL MEMBER CONDEMNING NSW GOVERNMENT'S NEW ANTI-PROTESTER LAWS

The Grafton Nannas delivered their letter objecting to the draconian anti-protester laws to the office of Chris Gulaptis, Member for Clarence, during their knit-in on Wednesday  11 May.  The text of the letter is printed below.

NSW Government Laws Against Protesters

Members of the Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas are very concerned at your Government's new laws imposing heavy penalties on protesters.

These are aimed particularly at the concerned citizens who protest against coal and gas-mining companies.  They were obviously introduced at the behest of the mining industry which we, along with many other community members, believe has far too much influence on governments.

The Nannas regard these draconian laws as an infringement of civil rights.

We understand that protesters may face fines of $5500 (an increase from $550) for trespass and could face up to 7 years jail for interfering with mining operations.

While penalties have been increased dramatically for protesters, the penalties for serious breaches by mining companies have been drastically reduced so that they are a mere "slap on the wrist".  For example, mining without authority, which under the former laws was a $1.1 million fine plus $110,000 a day for a company if successfully prosecuted in court, is now "punished" with a $5000 penalty notice.

Furthermore the Nannas are appalled that these new laws give police the unprecedented powers to search vehicles and confiscate equipment which in their opinion may be used for a lock on.

It appears that NSW is heading in the direction of becoming a police state where civil rights are trashed.

Favouring mining companies has long been a policy of NSW governments but your Government is certainly outdoing the pro-mining bias of previous governments.

It's very obvious to the Nannas that your Government's priorities lie with the big polluting end of town.  While Minister Roberts and the Premier may think that these harsh laws will stifle community opposition, we assure you that you are mistaken.

The Nannas, along with other members of the community, have a right to object to developments which threaten the environment and human health and will continue to do so.

GRAFTON NANNAS PROTEST AGAINST NSW GOVERNMENT'S NEW PROTESTER LAWS

After a long rest the Grafton Nannas have returned to the street fired up about the draconian laws Premier Mike Baird and Resources Minister Anthony Roberts have legislated.  These laws are designed to discourage the community from protesting against mining - particularly CSG and unconventional gas mining.

The Nannas met today at the usual spot outside the office of local MP, Chris Gulaptis, Member for Clarence.

 
To emphasise their point about the threat these laws pose to civil liberties in NSW, the Nannas chained themselves together using knitted chains.  As one tired Nanna pointed out, "It's not easy knitting these chains.  I've been so busy the last few days that I haven't had any time for nanna naps.  I'm tuckered out and just want to get back to some straight knitting!!"

Part way through the knit-in the Nannas were greeted by a very unusual visitor who claimed his name was Neville Bogan.  Neville, who claimed to be an "old mate" of our local member (which the Nannas doubted),  kept the rather astounded Nannas entertained with some unlikely tales and cheeky banter before he  disappeared around the corner.

Neville Bogan, itinerant entertainer!

Some time later the Nannas were joined by a visitor from The Daily Examiner who was interested to hear why we had returned to knit outside Mr Gulaptis' office.  As well as discussing their concerns, the Nannas told him that they were delivering a letter to Mr Gulaptis which clearly stated why they were there.

The Nannas enjoyed the  outing and decided that the government's attack on civil liberties meant that they needed to return to regular knit-ins.  As one Nanna said sadly as they packed up before heading to the coffee shop, "These politicians are really very slow learners.  You'd think they would have worked out by now that gas-mining was a no-go because of community opposition.  But here they are introducing fascist-type laws to stop protesters.  Shows they still think they can foist gas-mining on us."

SHIRT SIGNS

GRAFTON NANNAS WRITE TO MP ABOUT GOVERNMENT'S CSG PLANS

The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas recently wrote to their local member of State Parliament, Chris Gulaptis, about his Government's plans to re-start CSG/unconventional gas mining in NSW.
The text of the letter is printed below:

The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas were delighted when the NSW Government bought back the petroleum export licences covering the Northern Rivers.  We thought, "At last we have a gasfield free Northern Rivers!"

We note that in your February "Clarence Valley Newsletter" you reiterate that there will be no coal seam gas industry on the North Coast.  The Nannas presume that by "coal seam gas" you mean all forms of unconventional gas.

We are concerned, however, at a report which appeared in The Northern Star on February 9th.  Mining Minister Anthony Roberts was reported as having a plan to unlock new coal seam gas reserves to local mining companies that will supply to the local markets rather than for export.  Since that rather astounding revelation all has been quiet.

What exactly did the Minister mean?  Has your Government plans to issue further PELs for gas companies in this state?  If so, what areas are to be targeted?

You are well aware, Mr Gulaptis, of the concerns of the Nannas and will appreciate that we are anxious to learn exactly what the Government intends.


The Nannas are looking forward to our local MP's response.

A GAS FREE NORTHERN RIVERS - LETTER TO CHRIS GULAPTIS MP

During their Knit-in on Tuesday 10th November the Grafton Nannas delivered a letter to their local State MP, Chris Gulaptis, Member for Clarence. The text of this letter is printed below:

* * * * *

The members of the Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas are delighted that the NSW Government, of which you are a member, has negotiated a buyback with Metgasco (of PELs 13, 16 and 426) which, if agreed to by the shareholders, will see them out of the Northern Rivers.

We applaud you for your efforts in helping to bring this about.

Obviously we hope that the Metgasco shareholders will accept the deal the Government has negotiated with its board.

If they do not, we assume that the Government has a contingency plan which will see the licences cancelled so that Metgasco leaves the Northern Rivers permanently.

The Nannas, however, still have concerns about the gas-mining industry.  Removing Metgasco  does not guarantee that the Northern Rivers will be gasfield free.  We, along with many other community members, want the threat of unconventional gas exploration and mining removed permanently from our area.

We urge you to work towards ensuring that the Government declares that the Northern Rivers is permanently off-limits to unconventional gas-mining so that no further Petroleum Exploration Licences are granted here.

Has the Government currently any plans to declare the Northern Rivers Gasfield free?

* * * * *

The Nannas are hopeful that the Government will realize that removing Metgasco, while certainly very welcome, is only part of the "job" and that they will complete the job in the very near future.  Then the Nannas should be able to pursue some more nannerly interests!!

STITCHING UP THE BIG ISSUES

MEDIA RELEASE

14^th June 2015

The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas celebrated “World Wide Knit in Public Day” in Market Square in Grafton on Saturday.

A highlight of this special knit-in was the unveiling of a pair of giant knitting needles which were so large that they needed two stalwart Nannas to wield them. 

During the knit-in the Nannas called on local National MPs to stitch up the big issues associated with the gas-mining industry in the Clarence and the rest of the Northern Rivers.

“We are very disappointed that the Nationals rejected the move to vote at their State Conference to have the Northern Rivers made gasfield free,” said spokesperson Lynette Eggins.

“Following all the hype from some North Coast Nationals about listening to their communities as well as the statements from State Leader Troy Grant, we were beginning to think the Nationals were serious about keeping this area free of that invasive, polluting industry.”

“There are seven PELs (Petroleum Exploration Licences) in the Clarence electorate.  Three of these have expired.  They should not be renewed. And we call on the Government to cancel the other four, two of which are held by Metgasco.”

“We also call on the Member for Lismore, Thomas George, to support his fellow National, Chris Gulaptis, in having the whole Northern Rivers declared gasfield free,” Ms Eggins continued.

The Nannas believe that if the Nationals and their Coalition partners, the Liberals, fail to declare this region gasfield free, it is very likely that there will be more big confrontations like those seen at Glenugie, Doubtful Creek and Bentley. The Nannas and many others were hoping that these confrontations were a thing of the past in the Northern Rivers.

GULAPTIS WANTS A GASFIELD FREE NORTHERN RIVERS

The Grafton Nannas have been lobbying their local member  about their concerns about CSG and unconventional gas-mining since the time of the Glenugie campaign  around the end of 2012.

Many members of our community want a gasfield free northern rivers because they believe this industry threatens the local natural environment, productive agricultural land and the health of the community.

It has been difficult to convince local Members of Parliament about the validity of our concerns but, following the March State Election where sitting members lost votes, it seems that the penny has finally dropped. 

The Knitting Nannas Against Gas who are members of the Grafton Loop are very pleased that their local State Member of Parliament, Chris Gulaptis,  is now reflecting the views of a majority of his constituents in the Clarence Electorate. He conveys this clearly in a recent speech in the NSW Legislative Assembly.

* * * * * * *

Transcript from Hansard of the speech made by Chris Gulaptis MP, Member for Clarence, to the NSW Parliament on 7th May, 2015.

Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS (Clarence—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.21 p.m.]: I speak for the first time in this the Fifty-sixth Parliament of New South Wales with the honour and privilege to serve as the member for Clarence. I thank the voters in the electorate of Clarence for this privilege. It is also a great privilege to serve this Parliament as Parliamentary Secretary for the North Coast, and I take on this role with great humility and with all due responsibility.

During the election campaign and, in fact, over the past four years, one issue has been at the forefront of community concern across the North Coast, and that issue is coal seam gas [CSG]. Since coming to government in 2011, the Liberal and Nationals Government has taken every measure to regulate the coal seam gas industry and to provide protections for our water and our environment. We have taken a very measured approach to the development of a CSG industry in New South Wales when compared with the approach of the previous Labor Government and we have taken a much more precautionary approach to that taken by the Queensland Government.

The NSW Gas Plan developed by the Liberal and Nationals Government is based on science. It has been very successful in reducing the CSG footprint across New South Wales from about 48 per cent to 11 per cent through its buyback program as well as through the cancellation of licences, where appropriate. But still community opposition to CSG grows. I live in this community and I hear what a wide cross section of people say.

These are people from all walks of life, like the Knitting Nannas who sit outside my office every Tuesday afternoon, the famers who rely on the clean, green reputation we have in the Northern Rivers to market their produce, and just ordinary townsfolk who are concerned about the future for their grandkids. These are not extremists, just everyday people from my electorate. They are very fearful of the potential for long-term impacts on our water, our land, our livelihood, our health and our lifestyle that the CSG industry may have in my electorate of Clarence and in our beautiful Northern Rivers. We live in a lifestyle region and we must protect the very essence that makes it such a wonderful place to live.

I applauded the action taken by the Liberal and Nationals Government to suspend Metgasco's drilling program at Bentley last year, and so did the people of the Northern Rivers. There is something very fundamentally wrong when 6,000 or 7,000 people are prepared to confront 1,000 police because they feel so concerned about the impacts of the CSG industry, that it is an industry which is incompatible with our traditional agricultural industries, that it is wrong for the Northern Rivers and that it is dangerous to our environment. Confrontation of this magnitude is not the way we conduct business in any jurisdiction in Australia, nor is it acceptable or appropriate to conduct business like this in the electorate of Clarence.

I was extremely disappointed by the decision of the Supreme Court of New South Wales to quash the suspension of the drilling program issued to Metgasco by the New South Wales Government. I was disappointed because I believe the decision is wrong and it flies in the face of community sentiment. The community wants a gas field-free Northern Rivers. I support my community and I support this proposition.

I have urged the Government to explore every opportunity to appeal the decision of the Supreme Court. Should this not be an option, then I firmly believe that the Government has the capacity to deliver a gas field-free Northern Rivers through the NSW Gas Plan. I urge the Government to investigate, as a matter of urgency, every option available to do so, starting with the Metgasco licence. I believe there is an opportunity whereby a compromise position can be reached which satisfies Metgasco, the New South Wales Government, the taxpayers of New South Wales and the community of the Northern Rivers. They want a gas field-free Northern Rivers. That is what I want, I know that is what my colleagues on the North Coast want and that is the goal we should be aiming for as a government.

GRAFTON NANNAS' LATEST LETTER TO CHRIS GULAPTIS MP

The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas delivered a letter to their local State Member, Chris Gulaptis (Member for Clarence) on May 5.  This letter deals with Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 445 and with the Government's response to gas miner Metgasco's recent court challenge.  The text of the letter is printed below.

The Grafton Nannas have been pleased to note that the elected representatives in the Northern Rivers are taking seriously the strength of community opposition to gas-mining in the region.  We trust that before too long this will lead to the Northern Rivers becoming a gas-free area.  Then the Nannas will be able to cast off, put away their needles and yarn and relax and take on more nannerly activities.

We understand that several of your National colleagues indicated prior to the election that there could be (or would be) further buy-back of Petroleum Exploration Licences (PELs) in this region - including PEL 445.

Now that the new government has had some weeks of settling in, the Nannas would like to know whether you and your colleagues are pursuing the buy-back or cancellation of PEL 445.  Assuming you are pursuing this matter, just how much progress has been made?  When can the community expect to hear the good news that the PEL is defunct?

On another matter the Nannas are very concerned about the likelihood of  Metgasco returning to the region following the favourable outcome of their court challenge.  It would be very unfortunate if the Nannas and all those other community members who opposed Metgascos's venture were forced to blockade once again to protect the region from this invasive and polluting industry.

Has the Government made any decision yet about its response to he Metgasco court outcome?

We look forward to learning about your progress in dealing with this issue.

THE NSW GAS PLAN - NANNAS WRITE TO LOCAL MP

The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas has recently written to their local State Member of Parliament, the Member for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis MP about their concerns about his government's Gas Plan.  Below is the text of the letter:

The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas has major concerns about the NSW Gas Plan which the Government is assuring us will protect the community from the many ill-effects of gas-mining.

The concerns elaborated by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer in her report have not been properly addressed - nor has the Government implemented some of her most important recommendations.  We mention just two as examples:

• comprehensive environmental monitoring, including baseline monitoring, is needed with data to be held in a publicly accessible data repository (Recommendation 10)
• further research into the fate and transport of chemicals and their biological reactions (Recommendation 12) 

Neither of these measures has been enacted and it seems that they are unlikely to be dealt with as the Chief Scientist recommended.

The Chief Scientist's Report also referred to the many health risks at all stages of CSG extraction and listed adverse health outcomes - respiratory, genitourinary and digestive diseases, skin diseases, some cancers, hormonal disruption, and fertility and reproductive effects.  Just how does the Government propose to deal with these very serious impacts of gas-mining?  We Nannas are particularly concerned with the likely health impacts on our children and grandchildren. 

Since the Plan's release we have seen a number of publicly-funded advertisements attempting to "sell" the plan to voters. Both the advertisements and the spin produced by the Government and various Ministers have been totally unconvincing. 

Local MPs had the opportunity to stand up for their constituents when the Government came out with this Plan.  Local MPs could have stood up to the Government and said, "No gas-mining in my electorate."  The Nannas think it is shameful that MPs who are members of political parties toe the political line rather than serve the interests of their electorates.  In our view it is no wonder that many electors feel as they do about politicians and the major political parties.

If the Baird Government retains government after March 28th we fully expect it to encourage gas-mining - including fracking - throughout the Northern Rivers.  Nothing it has done in the past - including its ineffective Gas Plan - gives us any confidence it will be otherwise.

The Nannas assure you that they will, along with many other citizens concerned for the future of our area, continue to oppose this invasive and toxic industry.