Greens want to drive home anti-CSG message

Michelle Tormey wants to change the Welcome to Penrith signs
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Penrith City Councillors are divided on whether or not to have ‘No Coal Seam Gas’ (CSG) signage attached to the city’s welcome signs.

Greens Councillor Michelle Tormey requested a report into the cost of installing ‘anti-CSG’ signage at Penrith City’s entry points, and said it is to send a message of support to surrounding areas.

“Part of the ‘no CSG’ signage is about being in solidarity with those communities who are being impacted,” she said.

“It’s also about sending a really strong message to the Government and to those companies that may want to come into our LGA to extract that kind of gas.”

The CSG industry is a controversial issue in Australia, and Penrith City Council has previously grounded its stance against CSG production or exploration, and sought a ban on such in the Penrith LGA.

Cr Tormey is concerned for the indirect effects that CSG exploration in surrounding areas will have on the Penrith LGA.

“Just to our south we have production wells in the Campbelltown and Camden areas, and some of them are really close to the Nepean River, which is upstream to us,” she said.

Cr Tormey said she envisioned ‘no CSG’ signage would be fixed to the existing welcome signs, and the Council report estimated the cost of each sign could be between $220 and $300.

Councillor John Thain said he is against fracking and CSG exploration in the area, but suggested cheaper ways to go spread the message.

“Maybe put ‘no CSG’ in the Mayoral Minute, or in our newsletter which will be at a lower cost,” he said.

Other Councillors don’t believe the signage is necessary. Councillor Bernard Bratusa questioned the relevance of ‘no CSG’ signage in the area.

“We don’t currently have any CSG mining do we? I didn’t think there was any CSG activation in our city,” he said.

Marcus Cornish said it could lead to all sorts of other signage requests.

Council resolved to defer the issue until further information is provided.

– Dale Drinkwater


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