. 
SODD ACTIVITIES:
Property Owners uniting in the objection against the advancing mining industry encroaching on there land.
Sunday 13th of March 2011
Concerned landowners and general public protesting at Community Cabinet Meeting in Toowoomba
Minister Kate Jones was questioned about her comments “I think we have struck the right balance now” in relation to land access by CSG companies, made in a recent Sunday Mail newspaper article. The Minister was informed that landholders in our community do not feel that Land Access Laws are “balanced”. She defended her comment by explaining that only one line was taken from an extensive interview and expanded on this comment by saying that the Government had changed laws to increase landholders rights in dealing with CSG companies.
She did acknowledge landholders did not feel the “balance” was right and it was necessary to continue working to improve land access issues. Minister Kate Jones and the Director General John Bradley pointed out that it is government policy to agree with legislation stating the people of Queensland own the mineral rights underneath our land and in our region Strategic Cropping Land legislation would protect good quality farming land.
Kate Jones is new to the position of Minister for Environment and Resource Management and well versed in government rhetoric regarding who owns the mineral rights and the possibility of Strategic Cropping Land laws protecting farming land. She may be willing to acknowledge the inequality of land access laws but has’t yet demonstrated a willingness to give land owners and mining companies’ equal rights. Government policy and position will only change with public pressure. If you would like to let Minister Kate Jones know how you feel about the Queensland Governments land access laws,
e-mail derm@ministerial.qld.gov.au
by Leanne Mengel
Monday 22nd of November 2010
State launch of Lock the Gate campaign
Representatives of farmer and landholder groups will launch their Lock the Gate campaign Monday 22nd November, in response to the imminent destruction of large swathes of rural Queensland by the mining industry.
These groups will be presenting their case at a media conference. Details:
When? 1 p.m., Monday 22 November
Where? George Street entrance, Parliament House.
The media conference will be presented in front of an old, padlocked farm gate. Speakers attending will be from the following groups:
Friends of Felton Rob McCreath
Save Our Darling Downs Graham Clapham
Jimbour Action Group John Alexander
Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group Gary Tessman
Western Downs Alliance Michael Bretherick
Wandoan Clean Foods Alliance John Erhbacher
Dulacca Action Group Lee McNicholl
Friends of the Earth Drew Hutton
The Lock the Gate campaign will be a non-violent campaign of non-cooperation and even civil disobedience. Groups will have different emphases with some locking their gates to coal and gas mining companies on a permanent basis and others doing so until the State Government or the relevant company is prepared to re-negotiate how mining operations are to be conducted in their areas. All, however, are calling on landholders in their communities to refuse entry to mining companies.
Friends of the Earth spokesperson Drew Hutton said the movement was taking this step because the processes have been so heavily weighted against landholders and environmentalists and in favour of mining companies.
The groups expect the Lock the Gate campaign to spread across the state and across the country as coal and coal seam gas encroach on to more and more good agricultural land and settled areas.
"Country people are traditionally hospitable and usually only ask visitors to shut the gate after they enter their properties. Now we are telling them if they try to come onto properties we will lock them out; if they get on we'll lock them in," Mr Hutton said.
4th of November 2010
DERM Visit - Arrow Energy's Environmental Authority
>>read article
4th of August 2010
Protest Rally at Parliament House
After being invited to participate by sixdegrees, SODD organised for almost 60 people to attend the Protest Rally held at Queensland's Parliament House. As a group we were pleased to be represented by all ages and backgrounds, and especially the kids who rode pedal tractors kindly donated for the occasion. Well done everyone, keep up the good work.
click refresh button if slide show is not playing
26th of June 2010
Environmental Visitors at Waverley Cecil Plains
22nd of June 2010
Well Over 100 Farmers and Community Members
attending the Arrow Energy information session at the
Cecil Plains Town Hall
19th of May 2010
Waverley Rally
A 500 strong crowd of farmers, environmentalists and concerned citizens met at 'Waverley' on Wednesday 19th May to take part in a peaceful rally against the expansion of the Coal Seam Gas Mining Industry. 'Waverley' is the first intensive cropping property on the black soil plains that has been approached by a mining company looking to prove their methane reserves in the area.
Local landholders are concerned about the potential effects of coal seam methane mining on their valuable farming lands and the State Government's unreserved support for an industry that has a history of negative environmental impacts overseas.
Members from Save Our Darling Downs used the rally to launch their local action group and explained that it was now their responsibility to inform all Queenslanders about the potential negative impacts associated with the extraction of methane gas, since the government had clearly failed to do so. Waverley farmer Ruth Armstrong remarked that "The State Government and the Premier of Queensland, in throwing their wholehearted and unqualified support behind this industry, are gambling with the health of our rural environment and the future of our food security. Approval for such a massive scheme should not have been given to an industry, and particularly to a mining industry, without first assessing the impacts to our environment and our rural sector. What project gets the go ahead without implementing systems to deal with waste management?"
Farmers surrounded the field with heavy farming machinery as a show of solidarity, and called on the Premier to issue a moratorium on all further developments to Coal Seam Methane mining until scientific research proved that there would be no detrimental impacts on groundwater and current land use practices, and until systems could be put in place to adequately deal with the water and salt by-products of the extraction process. Farmers made it quite clear that if the State Government was not prepared to do so, then they would impose a moratorium of their own. 'Waverley' neighbour and local landholder Graham Clapham said, "When it comes down to it, if all else fails, we will physically keep them off." With such an overwhelming show of strength and support, I don't doubt it.