On Friday 19th
October the Grafton Chapter of Knitting Nannas Against Gas was launched with a
knit-in outside the office of the Chris Gulaptis, Member for Clarence in the
NSW State Parliament. Mr Gulaptis is a
member of the National Party which is currently in a coalition government with
the Liberal Party in NSW.
The Grafton
Nannas, who were inspired by the original Knitting Nannas in the Lismore
district, were protesting against the State Government's support for the coal
seam gas (CSG) industry.
A
spokesperson for the group stated that they had decided that Grafton should have a similar group to supplement the work that other anti-CSG campaigners are doing in the Clarence Valley.
"In supporting this
damaging industry the Government is ignoring the genuine concerns of ordinary
people about issues such as fracking, the threat to aquifers, declining
property values and loss of productive agricultural land," she said.
"We are being told by
the politicians that everything is O.K. because they have strong safeguards in
place. This is simply not true.
"None of
the measures announced by the Government several weeks ago will address the
serious social, economic and environmental problems associated with coal seam
gas mining.
"We want our
politicians, and in particular our local member Mr Gulaptis, to take the
community's concerns seriously. We don't want our grandchildren to live in an area devastated by gas mining."
The Nannas delivered a letter outlining their concerns to Mr
Gulaptis' office. They are seeking a
meeting with him to discuss their concerns in detail.
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| Cupcakes to Celebrate the Launch |
