Members from the Armidale Action on Coal Seam Gas and Mining are opposing mining in the region because the effects they say it will have on water and the land.

They joined more than 120 people protesting Santos’ planned coal mine at Maules Creek and one of the organisers, Pat Schultz, said “two car-loads of people from Armidale” joined the latest fight against coal seam gas.

A few local members of the group travelled to Narrabri yesterday to do a letter-drop and hand out pamphlets, after Ms Schultz said the mining company Santos sent flyers to residents highlighting the benefits of mining.

“[Santos] only focused on the good things,” Ms Schultz said. “But we are going to let people know there are also negatives that come from mining.”

Member of the organising group Bea Bleile said the proposed mining operations threatened to turn the North West into an industrial wasteland.

“It is important to stand in solidarity with the farmers and the traditional owners who are directly affected,” she said. 

“All gas land is wells and pipes where the land has been cleared and can’t be used for anything else. We might not be immediately affected [in Armidale] but we all need water and eat food.”

Ms Schultz said while CSG didn’t directly affect people in Armidale, the group was lending its support to those who would be impacted, especially farmers.

“We believe it is a high risk industry, with a high risk to water and the land,” she said.

“We have thrown our support to those on the Liverpool Plains and farmers in the region… because a lot of small communities are affected by mining, like Narrabri, Boggabri, Gunnedah and surrounding towns.” 

The group will be holding a meeting at the Royal Hotel on January 13 at 6pm, to discuss future plans. 

Dr Bleile said the group will evaluate what they have achieved since being established in 2011 and decide where to go from here.