Stop CSG in the Great Artesian Basin

Australia's lifeblood - the Great Artesian Basin - is under threat from Santos' coal seam gas projects.

A new report has confirmed Santos' Narrabri CSG project "could be enough to stop bores flowing throughout the basin, which is the sole water source for towns and farms across 22 per cent of Australia." [1]

The basin covers almost a quarter of the country, and is the only supply of fresh water for much of inland Australia. No Great Artesian Basin means no farming. It means no cattle-grazing. It means no irrigation, no drinking water for rural communities. Without overstating it, losing the basin would be catastrophic.

The blue bit in this map represents the Great Artesian Basin. You don't have to be a professional cartographer to note that it is frigging enormous.

Any risk to this water supply is simply unthinkable and unacceptable.

It's urgent NSW Premier Mike Baird hears our voices, and soon. Last week, documents were leaked uncovering the NSW Government's plans to rapidly open up the state for new CSG developments.

If Premier Baird gets away with actions like this without feeling a strong community backlash, he'll view it as a mandate to keep pursuing this dangerous practice.

Companies like Santos are very powerful, so we need as many voices as possible to stop this madness from going ahead.

[1] Great Artesian Coal Seam Gas Risk. The Australian. 7 November 2014