I would like to commend Rob Gilbert’s call for locals to participate in the Independent Planning Commission’s assessment of the Narrabri Gas Project, with submissions closing August 10.

I would also like to encourage people to consider who is urging them to make what response and what their motivation is.

I spoke to the IPC last week, along with other locals like Ron Campey, Leah McKinnon, Rohan Boehm, Sarah Ciesiolka, Mal Donaldson, Bruce and Nicky Kirkby, John Tough and many, many others.

I am encouraging people to make an objection to the project and my motivation is that I did not like what the CSG industry did to my family, home town and businesses of Roma (Queensland).

The creation of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is swift when CSG comes to town.

Even real estate agents feel it when young couples they have sold a house to during the three year ‘boom’ time find that a few short years later that house is worth half what was paid once the ‘bust’ time comes.

Will you find yourself benefiting or suffering from CSG coming to town?

Narrabri locals do need to take part in the processes that help define their future.

But don’t think for a second that Santos is a local company. It is based in Adelaide with international shareholders, a Hong Kong company owns 20 per cent of the gasfield.

Santos currently employs 16 people locally and they anticipate a mere 40 locals will find an ongoing job (Santos’ own estimation) if the gasfield goes ahead.

Ninety per cent of the construction ‘boom’ phase jobs will be filled by specialists from outside the region.

Why did Santos not spend the last 10 years in Narrabri, training up locals with the skills needed to take up these jobs and live locally?

And don’t think for a second that the people making the decision about this project are local.

The Department of Planning (from Sydney) has recommended approval and it is up to the Independent Planning Commission panel (from Sydney and Melbourne) to decide if it should go ahead or not.

To claim that this process is being driven by outsiders as Mr Gilbert says, is correct. After all, it is a ‘state significant project’.

It should create benefits to NSW, yet Santos has been allowed to sell power made from gas for the last 10 years, without paying a cent of royalties to the state.

Like lots of locals who have already submitted their objections to the IPC, other Narrabri people definitely should take part in the determining of our own future.

Let’s choose locally owned projects, that train up local people to take the jobs.

Let’s pick projects that create broad-based local flow on benefits beyond a handful of people.

Let’s choose energy sources that do not have a limited life span, that do not have a boom/bust cycle and that do not destroy the very resources that other businesses totally rely on.

There is no silver bullet that will save rural communities, we know it will be left up to us, so let’s take hold of the reins, object to the gasfield and demand a renewable energy future for Narrabri.

Sally Hunter, Narrabri

To order photos from this page click here