COMMUNITIES across the South West joined Australia’s biggest highway protest to show support for better protection of water resources from coal and gas mining.
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Protests were staged along major highways in every state and territory across the nation including sites at Capel, Nannup, Bunbury, Margaret River, Cowaramup, Stratham, Harvey and Mandurah.
The protests were held under the banner of Lock the Gate #Water4Life campaign with people taking part in demonstrations to show their concern about gas field developments.
Gasfield Free South West WA spokesperson Lisa Phillips said people from all different demographics attended the protests and were given lots of support from passing motorists.
”Water4Life was a nationwide campaign not necessarily in relation to mining, but in the South West the greatest risk for us is from onshore gas,” she said.
Protesting with friends by the Forrest Highway in Myalup was property developer Chantel Gelmi who is building 60 homes in the shire of Harvey.
Ms Gelmi said her business was based on the South West being a clean and safe place to live and as an investor in Harvey she was concerned the area would be diminished significantly.
“I need all the information I can get to decide whether or not this is a good place for my residential development,” she said.
“If there are non-conventional gas mines around the Harvey area, I will not be investing.”
Raelene Poustie protested alongside Ms Gelmi said the support from passing motorists had been fantastic.
“We are beef farmers and beekeepers and we are very concerned about the environment, the air, the land, the water, and we are not going to let this happen.”
Deb Torney protested by the Forrest Highway in Leschenault, said she wanted to save the land and country.
“Without the land and the country we have nothing,” she said.
“This is a real high priority and I think the government should certainly look at this as one of the highest priorities this coming election.”
Further south near the Eaton turnoff, Gasfield Free South West WA spokesperson Carly Stone joined a large group of people protesting beneath the statue of Fergus the Bull.
Ms Stone said the group opposed gas exploration in the South West because we were right on top of the Yarragadee Aquifer.
“So we definitely don’t want that being put at risk,” she said.
“Any form of gas well going through the aquifer will put it at risk, not just fracking but even conventional gas needs to go straight through the aquifer so we are quite concerned.”
In Busselton, Janine Miles joined the protest and said communities were standing together to show they do not want water at risk from gas mining.
Ms Miles said there was already a gas site at Whicher Range near Busselton and a gas exploration licence was about to be granted in this area which put the Yarragadee aquifer at more risk of contamination.
“We have information about how the wells failed in the USA and we just want to make sure our water does not become contaminated and our children remain healthy,” she said.
