The New South Wales Labor Party is now supporting a moratorium on all Coal Seam Gas exploration licenses, the issuing of coal seam gas extraction licenses and applications to expand existing operations

The leader of the NSW Labor Opposition, John Robertson stated that, until a water-tight regulatory framework is in place based on independent scientific research and conclusive evidence, the government should not be allowing coal seam gas mining to proceed.

This new development could ensure the NSW Greens bill imposing a moratorium on coal seam gas development passes the state upper house. This will put enormous pressure on the Coalition government.

President of the lock the Gate Alliance, Drew Hutton, said it was now time for the Queensland ALP to do the same.

Protesters halted dredging in Gladstone harbour for 2 hours today, when Friends of the Earth campaigner Derec Davies hung a banner and locked himself to a Gladstone port corporation dredge.

The protest was supported by a small group of local fishing boats and one kayaker.

Derec was locked to the dredge from 9:30 am until 11:45 am, when he was cut off and arrested by Gladstone Police.

The causes of the apparent ecosystem collapse in Gladstone harbour can only be satisfactorily addressed by a halt to the dredging of the harbour and a genuinely independent testing regime.

Gladstone harbour borders the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area and Curtis Island, on which four huge liquefied natural gas plants will be built, is part of that WHA.

Friends of the Earth spokesperson Drew Hutton said neither the Queensland government nor the federal government were trusted by most people to get to the bottom of the problem because they had too strong a vested interest in seeing these projects go ahead.

Yesterday's framework statement on coal seam gas by the federal Nationals leader Warren Truss simply continues the party's practice of telling farmers they sympathise with their plight and they will be looked after but does little to address the real problems of the too-rapid expansion of the gas industry.

President of the Lock the Gate Alliance said the Nationals must make it clear what actions they will take to protect such assets as good farm land and underground water.

"Will the Nationals support legislation that protects all good agricultural land and not just the tiny percentage the Queensland government will protect under its Strategic Cropping Land legislation?" Mr Hutton asked.

Research centres are lining up to get a piece of the pie in the form of research grants into coal seam gas but many of these are wholly or partially funded by the very industry they are supposed to be researching.

This money could become available if the Gillard government agrees to the demand by Independent MP, Tony Windsor, for substantial funding to be put into the impacts of the coal seam gas industry before the industry moves ahead.

Lock the Gate Alliance president Drew Hutton said many research centres had a fundamental conflict of interest on coal seam gas and should be disqualified from any of this funding.