Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke. Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman.
A bill designed to impose a moratorium on coal seam gas has been narrowly defeated in NSW parliament.
The coalition government has been accused of forcing a quick vote on the coal seam gas moratorium bill to spare National Party members and country based Liberal Party Members a public campaign against them on the issue.
The private member’s bill proposed by Member for Barwon Roy Butler in the lower house was passed in the Upper House on Wednesday with support from Labor, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, the Animal Justice Party and the Greens.
The Narrabri coal seam gas project is currently under assessment and has been proposed by oil and gas giant Santos.
Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke and Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman voted against the moratorium.
Lock the Gate Alliance spokeswoman Margaret Fleck accused the government of betraying rural people by voting against the bill.
“It is deeply troubling that, at a time when we are still struggling with the impacts of an unprecedented drought, the government would put our scarce water resources at further risk by encouraging the polluting and risky coal seam gas industry,”
But NSW Nationals leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the bill’s supporters had voted for “downward pressure on job opportunities and upward pressure on gas prices and energy prices”.
