Independent member of the Legislative Council, the Hon. Mike Gaffney, will table a petition in the Upper House on Tuesday, calling for a permanent ban on hydraulic fracturing – fracking – in Tasmania.
The petition, begun by community group Frack-Free Tas late last year and sponsored by Mr Gaffney, calls for Tasmanian Parliament to pass legislation removing any future possibility of fracking in the state.
“The response that I have received from the community regarding fracking has been overwhelmingly in favour of the practice being banned in Tasmania. I do not believe that hydraulic fracturing is a practice that would be beneficial for Tasmania. Whilst I am not anti-development or anti-technology, the facts remain – the current process is largely automated and creates few long-term jobs. The potential risk to our health, tourism, environment and agricultural sustainability is not worth the claimed employment and economic advantages.”
“Until very recently, few Tasmanians had even heard of fracking. Despite this, more than 2500 have signed this petition in quite a short period of time.”, said Frack-Free Tas member, Jen Van-Achteren. “It is clear Tasmanians expect their government to act to protect our State’s clean image, our environment and our health from this toxic and dangerous mining practice.”
Ms Van-Achteren said Frack-Free Tas was pleased to see the Hodgman government extend the moratorium on fracking for a further five years, but believed the practice needs to be halted through the legislative process.
“The risks to Tasmania’s standing, its water supplies and its people, are too great to be dependent on the whim of an easily-reversed policy.”, she added.
“Tasmania deserves the certainty of a legislated, permanent end to the possibility of unconventional mining. Leaving aside the enormous issue of its impact on health, industries that really matter to our future – including agriculture and tourism – cannot prosper with the threat of fracking hanging over them.”
• Mark Ogge, The Australia Institute: The real economic impacts of coal and gas mining
Tuesday March 17 at 7pm
Nell Pascoe Room, Criterion House
108 Bathurst Street, Hobart
Mining companies invariably justify their projects on the basis of providing jobs and economic benefits.
While some people benefit from mines and gas fields, mining companies routinely exaggerate the economic benefits and ignore the costs.
Coal and gas mining are highly mechanised and employ very few people. They pay low tax rates and hurt other industries, particularly agriculture, tourism and manufacturing.
This workshop will examine the economic impact of coal and gas mining, breaking down the issues into simple, easy to communicate concepts and materials.
Mark Ogge works for The Australia Institute explaining the economic impacts of mining to communities impacted by coal and gas developments across Australia.
Hosted by
Frack Free Tas
To register phone Jen Van-Achteren on 0401 054 003
or email [email protected]
