Lock the Gate Alliance has expressed its disappointment over the continuing carve up of prime agricultural land for the benefit of greedy gas companies on the Darling Downs.
LTGA spokesperson Ellie Smith said the announcement today by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Energy Minister Anthony Lynham that the destructive Arrow Energy gas project had been given the green light would do nothing to bring down the high price of gas.
“What’s more, it will cause even more farming bores to dry up, and will push the cumulative extraction of groundwater by the gas industry to well over 65,000ML per year” she said.
“We are witnessing the death of the Darling Downs by a thousand cuts.
“It is gobsmacking that at a time of severe drought throughout southern Queensland and the Murray Darling Basin that the greed of this water draining industry is being allowed to continue at an unrelenting pace.
“We call on the Queensland Government to end the releasing of land for coal seam gas development. This gas is predominantly bound for export markets, leaving consumers, farmers, and the environment worse off.”