Locals join nationwide anti-fracking protest

Local residents held an organised protest on Forrest Highway on Saturday to raise awareness of potentially dangerous mining practices and urge the state government to take action against coal-seam gas and tight shale drilling in Western Australia.

The protest, organised by Lock The Gate Southwest, was part of a nation-wide protest held next to highways and busy thoroughfares around the country with the slogan “Water 4 Life.”

Protests also occured in Pinjarra, Bunbury Busselton and Perth.

“We’re holding the protest at Mandurah’s famous water sculpture, which is fitting, because fracking is damaging our water resources,” Burrucup resident and Lock The Gate member Coralie Harris said.

“We’re here because everyone’s concerned. This is about conservation, not devastation. Nobody wants it.

“We're just hoping that, publicly, we can get this off the ground and that the state government can start taking notice of what the people want."

Ms Harris said the current exploratory drilling occurring on two mining permits between Mandurah and Bunbury had residents, especially those in farming areas, worried as little information had been made available to them on future drilling plans.

“Our most recent meeting was in Bunbury, and we’ve just had ones in Barragup and Harvey as well,” Karin Peagam said.

“They’re being held all over the place because there’s a real fear our water resources will be a second priority after letting the big interests mine everywhere, and that’s not common knowledge.

“You can see it up in Dandaragan, where there’s a whole lot of wells being sunk and people are only starting to realise now that these wells are sunk next to aquifers – basins that supply a large amount of Perth’s water supply- and there’s no guarantee that they won’t be affected by fracking.”

Ms Harris said actions like Cervantes residents recently voting to ban “fracking” in the area showed change can be made on the issue.

“Mandurah is a much bigger place, so it will take a lot more work to make people aware that this is going on right on their doorstep,” she said.

Ms Peagam said it was an issue she hoped more people would become active on, as it could affect everyone.

“We’re not lef-wing Greenies or anything, like the media might suggest about us,” she said.

We’re just ordinary people who are worried about where we live, our environment and what we’re leaving behind for our kids.”