Knitting Nannas will tomorrow (Wednesday 21 November) gather outside Parliament House in Macquarie Street from 8.30am to condemn the Santos Narrabri coal seam gas project in the Pilliga Forest.
Nannas are calling on all state politicians to commit to stopping the project in the lead-up to the state election. Politicians are being invited to meet Nannas outside Parliament at 9am to say where they stand on the Santos Project.
“This project is a massive threat to water supplies, including the Great Artesian Basin, as well as to the environment, farming lands and human health. Nannas see this as a big election issue, and we know that farmers and First Nations people agree with us. We are calling on all politicians to commit to do all they can to stop it going ahead,” said Nanna Chris Rumble on behalf of the group.
“We have written to every politician and have asked some to come outside and meet us and state their position on the Project.
“Before the election we will publicize the responses we receive from all the politicians. If they don’t respond we will publicize that as well. We have Knitting Nanna loops in cities and towns all over the state who will be talking to voters about this issue.”
Nannas will call on NSW politicians to follow the lead of Daniel Andrews and Victorian Labor and pledge to enshrine a ban on unconventional gas mining in the NSW constitution if they are elected in March.
For the past three years this group of grandmothers has held weekly protests every Friday, brightening up Martin Place outside government ministers’ offices with their banners. They sing, talk to people, collect signatures on a petition and, of course, they knit.
“We decided to campaign against this project till it is stopped, and we will not give up”, said Nanna Chris. “We have noticed in Martin Place in recent months that people are waking up to the dangers of coal seam gas and climate change. We are hopeful that growing voter awareness and the increasing evidence of the risks will convince politicians to rule out the Santos Narrabri project."
Where/When: NSW Parliament House from 8.30 – 9.30 am Wednesday, 21 November
Speakers: Anne Kennedy, Coonamble farmer and member of the Great Artesian Basin Protection Group. Anne is a long term campaigner against the Santos Project. Other speakers to be confirmed.
Politicians are being invited to accept their letters at the front of Parliament at about 9 am and make statements about their Party policies. The Hon. Penny Sharpe MLC has agreed to do this on behalf of the ALP.