With more than 50 people at the event and many engaging in a healthy discussion at the end of the presentation, the group is now set to tackle the problem of coal seam gas mining in NSW.

Michael McNamara, a member of the national Lock The Gate Alliance, visited Armidale as his last stop on his tour of NSW to raise awareness of coal seam gas mining in NSW and Australia.

“As part of his ‘Defend Our Water’ tour of NSW, Michael spoke on the nature of coal seam gas, the risks it has for water supplies as well as the health of our land and atmosphere – especially on Australia’s agricultural land that produces our food” said Mr Tom Livanos, spokesperson for AACSGas.

“Concerns about this type of mining have been raised by the National Water Council, the National Toxics Network, tourism operators, farmers, environmentalists, parents and concerned citizens across the country.”

Local environmentalist, Carmel Flint, presented photos and information on the damage she said has been done in the Pilliga State Forest near Narrabri.

The Pilliga is currently under exploration licence by Eastern Star Gas and being mined on a trial basis.

“In the Pilliga, it is not only the threat to water, land and air which is an issue, it is the impact on native plants and animals, including threatened species like the Barking Owl and the Koala,” she said.

“There is also a serious risk of increased fires in a fire prone environment.”

Both presentations focused on the lack of adequate assessment and analysis of the risks posed by coal seam gas mining - a relatively new type of mining - and focused on the need for a moratorium on coal seam gas mining until further independent studies have been done.

A rally is planned for the National Day of Action at 10am on Sunday October 16.

It will be held at Curtis Park, below the Farmer’s Market.

For details on how people may get involved, email tom.369@hotmail.com, kateboyd@bigpond.com or carmelflint@tpg.com.au