A group of local ladies are taking a stand against proposed anti-protest laws they say will be used to enable shale gas fracking.
Knitting Nannas Against Shale Gas is a nationwide network of mature people, mainly women, who are active in lobbying against “unconventional gas and unconstitutional government practices”.
The Mandurah chapter recently commenced their public protests, knitting in front of Parliament House to raise awareness of the issue.
“We do it to ensure our kids have a healthy future,” Knitting Nannas Mandurah president Kay Pearson said.
“We can’t sit around and do nothing when we know full well that our civil rights are being taken away.
“Shale gas fracking is nothing short of environmental vandalism with major health implications for generations to come.”
Ms Pearson said the allocation of $30 million from Royalties to Regions to support exploratory drilling was also troubling, and an issue the group hoped to make more people aware of.
“At the moment, the West Australian public has no rights,” she said.
“So most landowners lock their gates. They padlock them and in many cases when the drillers are threatening to break down the gates, landowners chain themselves to the gates.”
Knitting Nannas has mobilised more recently, along with a number of other environmental organisations, to fight against anti-protest laws, which have been labelled as an attempt to quash any protests critical of government process.
“They want to be able to walk all over us,” Knitting Nannas member Karin Peagam said.
Ms Pearson and Ms Peagram said the need to protest was especially important in Mandurah, as many residents were unaware drilling permits applied to suburban areas.
"These gas wells sound harmless enough when first discussed with landowners, however the drillers fail to mention they also require roads to be bulldozed into your property,” Ms Peagam said.
“If you refuse to educate yourselves about important issues and fail to act, please don’t complain when you find yourself with a shale gas well within 40 metres of your back door, and there’s not a single thing you can do about it,” Ms Pearson said.
