UPDATE: Gas Pipeline Go-Ahead Faces Push-Back

BY OLIVIA DILLON

A local MP is pushing to get the Hunter Gas Pipeline put on public land, rather than private property. 

Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell, is calling for Santos to consider running the Pipeline through public land like travelling stock routes, to avoid disruption to locals. 

"It has to be something that's considered under this approval," Mr Layzell said.

Mr Layzell said consultation between Santos and local landowners needs to take place, before the best outcome for all parties can be achieved. 

"At this stage it's about surveying the land where the Pipeline is actually going through at the moment, and then we can actually try to look at alternatives, options, things that actually work for the community and landholders, rather than having a rigid pathway through their properties," he said.  

He also said moving the Pipeline onto public lands, would be an "appropriate way to gain community support for something that the state needs in general." 

EARLIER

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean's decision to give the Hunter Gas Pipeline the go-ahead is facing backlash. 

On January 13th, Mr Kean gave energy giant Santos, permission to explore possible routes from its Narrabri Gas project, to the east coast gas network. 

The project has the potential to provide up to half of the state's natural gas needs over the next 20 years, providing up to one million households with affordable gas. 

However, Greens MP and Spokesperson for Coal and Gas Sue Higginson, said the decision to green-light has been rushed. 

"Unfortunately, as it has been described by many experts, this project is a 'climate bomb'. We know right now, opening up new gas reserves is dangerous and reckless policy," she said. 

"The Santos project is too late. We are rushing through it. This is a project about delivering Santos profits. This is not a project in the national, regional or local interest."

Ms Higginson said the Pipeline is projected to lock-in an additional 5 megatons of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere every year, at a time when Australia and NSW are trying to find more than 7 megatons in reductions per year. 

The corridor would cross through 95,000 hectares of Pilliga Forest, and is facing push-back from landowners and First Nation's custodians. 

Ms Higginson said their voices are not being considered. 

"We know this project is going to harm cultural heritage and of course, it's likely to harm the land and the water. We know the Gomeroi are standing strong and fierce in resistance. They do not consent to Santos and this project," she said.  

Greens make final pitch to Hunter voters ahead of election weekend

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The Greens have made a last-minute pitch to Hunter voters, just days out from the Federal Election.

It's considered a real possibility the minor party could hold the balance of power from the crossbench, offering confidence and supply to the next Government in the case of a hung parliament.

The party's promising to address local issues including housing affordability, for dental to be included in medicare coverage, climate action, and a 10-year job-for-job guarantee scheme for coal workers through the energy transition.

Senate Candidate David Shoebridge says mining jobs won't stick around, and the major parties need to prepare today.

"It's remarkable that both other major parties seem to think that coal's future will go on indefinitely," Mr Shoebridge said.

"We know that's not true, and we need politics to be honest about this, but also ensure that coal-dependent communities and coal-dependent economies have not just a lifeline, but a prosperous post-coal future."

The party's pushing a six percent wealth tax on billionaires, as well as a crackdown on tax avoidance and subsidies for corporations, to help fund the policies.

Greens Senate Candidate David Shoebridge and Newcastle Candidate Charlotte McCabe.

Newcastle Racism Forum Cancelled

BY IAN CROUCH

A Newcastle forum to discuss racism has been called off amid fears it could incite a counter rally from right-wing extremists.

Fairfax reports the Greens hoped to hold the event at the Hamilton Gallipoli Legion club tonight to discuss the growing fear and division in our multicultural society,  but decided to cancel after receiving responses from groups including True Blue Crew and the Lads Society.

One of the messages posted on a public Facebook page at the weekend from a man believed to be associated with the True Blue Crew called on all NSW patriots to stage a counter protest.

The Gallipoli Legion Club also urged the Greens to cancel the forum after it received messages from other groups.

Organisers hope to reschedule the forum to an alternative venue in the near future.

End of Gas Exploration in Hunter and Central Coast

BY LAURA D'AMICO

Swansea and the Central Coast will see on-land gas exploration come to an end, after the cancellation of the State Government's Petroleum Exploration Licence 461.

The license, granted in 2008, originally covered over 15,000 hectares around Swansea, Wyee and Budgewoi, impacting tens of thousands of homes.

With the cancellation of the license, the towns are being assured no more gas exploration can be undertaken.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald has welcomed the announcement by Resources Minister Don Harwin, saying the cancellation removes uncertainty for the communities.

Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham said it's a good start but there is more the Government could be doing.

"It's a step in the right direction but the government needs to get serious about cancelling licenses across the Hunter and Central Coast," Mr Buckingham said.

"The region is still faced with many other petroleum exploration licenses and the prospect of offshore gas drilling, the State and Federal Government need to do much more to move away from fossil fuels towards a renewable energy future that deals with the impacts of climate change."

Georgina Woods from Lock the Gate Alliance has also long been opposed to this type of testing. 

"We welcome the buyback of the Petroleum Exploration License. It's long overdue to be honest, a great relief for local residences," Ms Woods said.

"This was a legacy exploration license from before the Chief sciences review of the Coal-Seam Gas Industry, which recommended strict new regimes for that industry in this State and it's a terrific relief that the government has finally gotten rid of it."

For more information on Government plans on resources and energy, please visit the Department of Planning and Environment.

Image Sourced from Utility Magazine

Hunter Shark Net Data Reveals Death of Marine Life

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

The NSW Greens are launching a fresh push to remove shark nets off Hunter beaches, following the release of a state government report.

It found throughout the 2017-18 period, 93 marine animals became caught in the nets, with 42% dying as a result.

Several of those were non-target species like turtles and rays and threatened Grey Nurse Sharks. 

Marine life caught off Newcastle, Bar, Stockton, Dixon Park, Merewether and Redhead account for 23% of the creatures snagged in nets between Newcastle and Wollongong.

Greens MP Justin Field wants to see money funnelled into other bather protection methods such as life-saver monitored drones.

"I'm calling on NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair to abandon the shark net program...and to redirect those resources into more effective, non-lethal technologies, including the targeted use of SMART drumlines," Mr Field said. 

"The best long-term solution is to move away entirely from lethal options like shark nets to community-based observer programs," he continued, "better resourcing volunteer and professional life-guarding services, drone surveillance technology and community awareness..." 

It comes as Summer netting preparations get underway for a September start. 

Image: SunshineCoast Daily. 

Push-Back On Hunter Street Mall Changes

BY ARIANA GATTI

Not all Newcastle City Councillors are impressed by the approved changes set for the Hunter Street Mall redevelopment, costing a rather sizeable amount of $700 million to employ.

Proposed changes to traffic conditions, including the increase of speed zones in the area to rise from 10km/h to 40km/h is being considered as a consequence, rather than an improvement.

Other planned changes set for the mall include updated kerb and guttering, wider footpaths to accommodate for more outdoor dining and street furniture, as well as a two-way cycle path.

The mall will, however, maintain a single motorist lane for westbound traffic to move through and parallel parking along the street.

Concerns hang in the air of the future success for businesses, cafes and other stores along the pedestrian-filled street if the speed of cars travelling through is too fast.

Newcastle Greens Councillor, John McKenzie, says the mall is one of the most popular areas in the Newcastle CBD and should be looked after appropriately.

"It's providing a vibrant business culture and it's actually bringing life to the city, which we know how precious that is at the moment with all the work happening around us", he says.

"I am very much in favour of all the fantastic changes going on in our city right now, but that doesn't mean we have to open the flood-gates to just any development. We really need to be careful when looking at what should be re-developed".

Image Sourced: http://www.colliers.com.au/28157/

Asset Energy blast criticisms levelled against seismic testing

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

The company behind seismic testing off Newcastle's coastline is defending the operation in the face of widespread community opposition.

It comes after a protest in Carrington greeted the start of the testing on Saturday, with Former Greens Leader Bob Brown addressing the crowd, describing the partnership between Asset Energy and the federal government as 'corporate exploitation.'

However, Asset Director, Tobias Foster, said the effect of the testing upon marine life has been blown out of proportion.

"The seismic survey is utilising a very small acoustic energy blast, certainly not blasting the water as some antagonists have claimed.

"We don't expect any sort of impact to the degree that the Greens and others have suggested."

NSW Greens MP Justin Field has spoken on behalf of the party, condemning the underwater air-gun blasts which he says will hurt 22 species of threatened marine life and consequently impact commercial fishers and Port Stephens whale watching businesses.

The 4578 square kilometres off Newcastle's coastline which is subject to the PEP11 Exploration Title is being touted as "highly prospective" for the discovery of significant quantities of natural gas, with Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan in support, despite the disapproval of his NSW counterpart, Don Harwin.

A similar survey was conducted in the same location off our coastline in 2010, prior to the drilling of the first ever exploration well 55 kilometres due-east of Newcastle.

Tobias Foster said that round of testing yeilded no recorded marine-life impact, stating the company undertakes it operations transparently.

"We undertook a community consultative process during that exercise and continue to engage all stakeholders and continue to do so for this process," he said.

"We look forward to continuing that dialogue and explaining how our exploration efforts are within reasonable environmental guidelines and acceptable under the Offshore Petroleum Greenhouse Gas Storage Act."

Mr Foster reiterated the 'minor' nature of the testing, saying it's being confined to a two-dimensional survey.

"Three dimensional is great for much larger, broader scale interpretations of the Earth's geology," he said.

"In this situation we're refining it to a very small location and performing what's called a high-resolution survey so we're actually getting information from the geology only a few hundred metres to possibly a kilometre below the seabed. "

Asset Energy is a subsidiary of Perth-based company, Advent Energy.

Not happy: Protestors gather as the PMG Pride sets out to conduct seismic testing. Image: The Herald.

Sniff Off: Greens Slam Police Dog Searches

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

The drug dog program used by Newcastle Police has been labelled as 'wasteful and abusive' by the NSW Greens.

It comes after the party obtained data revealing there have been 684 searches as the result of suspicions raised by sniffer dogs in the Newcastle region over the four year period from 2014 to 2017.

Of those searches, only 150 resulted in the finding of illicit drugs - meaning around 78% of dog-prompted searches were unnecessary.

Greens MP, David Shoebridge says the searches are invasive and embarrassing.

"When you talk to people who have been the subject of a drug dog search, it's often happening on a train," he said.

"[Commuters] are literally pulled from their seat and all of the regular commuters they share the train with observe them.

"They're surrounded by police and police dogs before getting patted-down in public.

"It's a deeply humiliating process...and to think police are doing it on the basis of a drug dog indication that three out of four instances is wrong," he continued, "goes to show what a gross abuse of civil rights the drug dog program is."

David Shoebridge says the Greens have been running a Facebook campaign for four years titled 'Sniff Off,'  which identifies where drug dogs operate and allows the community to avoid them.

NSW Police have defended their scheme, saying the dogs provide a vital service in keeping our public transport and events such as music festivals safer by acting as a deterrent and road to punishment for drug users.

However, the Greens MP believes the number of resources used to conduct the searches is "out of whack" with the amount of drugs they uncover.

Critics would say any quantity of an illicit drug is worth locating and confiscating, but that may not be the sentiment shared by Mr Shoebridge.

"I'm not an expert in this," he admitted, "but my understanding is that major drug dealers don't move their drugs around cities like Newcastle and Sydney using their Opal cards and public transport."