2015-12-03
Thursday, 03 December
The Greens WA Mining and Agriculture spokesperson Robin Chapple todaycalled on Premier Colin Barnett, Energy Minister Mike Nahan, and Mining Minister Bill Marmion to support a national framework to give landholders and traditional owners the legal right to say no to coal and gas companies coming onto their land.
Ministers Nahan and Marmion will be attending a meeting of COAG Mining and Energy Ministers on Friday (4 December), and the issue of a landholders’ right to say 'no' will be on the agenda after Federal Minister Josh Frydenberg confirmed in October that he would “bring the state ministers together to plan a way forward.”
This follows recent statements from Nationals leader Warren Truss, Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and Nationals senator Fiona Nash calling for landholders to be able to veto exploration and extraction on their properties.
“The public overwhelmingly support farmers and traditional owners having the right to protect their land and water from coal and gas companies and Friday’s COAG meeting is an opportunity to finally see some action from our government,” Greens MP Robin Chapple said.
“Now is the time for action. The Premier and his Ministers need to go into the COAG meeting on Friday and stand with the landholders and Traditional Owners of Western Australia to give them the ability to say no to coal and gas mining on their land.”
“Landholders are sick of politicians at a federal and state level talking a big game, only to do nothing.”
"Coal seam gas and coal exploration is highly disruptive to farming activities and risks polluting the land and water. It is time for the WA Government to act and move to legislate to protect our state’s agriculture, heritage and environment.”
Senator Richard Di Natale, Australian Greens Leader, said COAG must act urgently to give landholders in every state and territory legal rights to say no to coal and gas mining on their land.
“We Greens have legislation in the federal and state Parliaments to give landholders the legal rights they deserve to protect their land, water and climate.
“The Nationals say one thing in regional communities and the media and then do the opposite in Parliament.”
“Communities are sick of the empty promises and the Greens are standing with them to demand that COAG finally acts to fix this injustice,” Senator Di Natale said.
Contact (Robin Chapple): Tim Oliver – 9486 8255 or 0431 969 625
Contact (Richard Di Natale): Andrew Blyberg – 0457 901 600