Act on gas now or you'll be sorry

Tara resident Dayne Pratzky says if Metgasco gets its way “you’ll all be living in a gas field like we are”.

Dayne is embroiled in a battle with coal seam gas mining giant QGC after watching his neighbourhood in the Darling Downs turn from a quiet rural area into a gas mining hotspot, ruining the local environment and the lifestyle residents enjoyed.

Dayne, who is involved in the making of Gasland 2 with Gasland’s creator Josh Fox, is coming to the Northern Rivers next week to talk at several Gasland screenings and warn locals to take action before it’s too late.

“No one should be forced to go through what we’re going through now. What I’m trying to say to people is don’t wait, be proactive and take it to the gas company and the government before you get to where we are,” he said. “We’re on the backfoot and we have complete and utter devastation of our neighbourhoods already, and legally dumping of produced water (water used in fracking) into rivers.”

He says while his own property does not yet have a well, QGC has drilled around 200 wells in his neighbourhood and that figure is heading to 2000.

“It’s like building a nightclub next to a primary school, it shouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “We live in a rural residential estate, with mainly 30-acre blocks, and we’re seeing a rapid coal seam gas mining expansion and industrialisation. We don’t want to live in a gas field – we want to protect our way of life, our environment and our water.

“The Northern Rivers is now unfortunately faced with our situation of defending rights to your own property and the clean environment we want to live in.”

Speaking to The Echo from outside Chinchilla Magistrates Court surrounded by 100 supporters, Dayne and Greens co-founder Drew Hutton were preparing to give the mining giant a taste of its own medicine.

On Tuesday Mr Hutton was arrested for blockading at a well sight in Tara, despite being invited by the property’s owner to do so. Dayne said Mr Hutton was bailed on Wednesday morning without conditions despite the police pushing to have him banned from travelling on any road in Tara or Chinchilla or going within 100 metres of any QGC facility.

“He was charged under Section 805 of the Petroleum and Gas Act which states you’re not allowed to obstruct any petroleum and gas activities unless you have reasonable cause. And that’s the grey area, because we believe we do have reasonable cause,” Dayne said. “We have returned to the court because we want to serve the gas company with the same Act, which we believe has never been used before in Australia until yesterday. The whole thing will likely end up in the Supreme Court.”

Dayne will be taking part in a post-film Q&A sessions when Gasland screens next Tuesday, April 5, at the Dendy in Byron Bay; on Wednesday, April 6, at Ballina Fair Cinema; and on Thursday, April 7, at Birch Carroll & Coyle in Lismore. All sessions start at 6.45pm.