A CAPACITY audience of more than 200 people filled the Gloucester Soldiers Club to put their questions and concerns about the recently approved Gloucester coal seam gas project directly to natural gas and electricity company AGL.
The Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance convened the meeting and engaged an independent moderator to ensure the impartiality of proceedings.
While the majority of the audience was from the Gloucester Valley, people came from as far as Taree, Clarence Town and Broke.
Alliance chairperson, Graeme Healy, said he was not surprised the forum drew its audience from such a wide area.
"Mining here has a wide footprint due to the river systems and it being a watershed," Mr Healy said.
"The rivers flow northwards into the Manning and southwards to Port Stephens. People in these communities are vitally concerned about potential impacts on water.
"The gas pipeline will be laid through several shires all the way to Hexham, so the direct impact of this project is being felt in many communities."
Mr Healy said the meeting began in uproar when the moderator advised the audience that AGL would not allow media to attend the forum.
He described this as 'an entirely understandable and predictable reaction from the audience.'
"It seems to me to be a very foolish and short-sighted policy of AGL that does the company no good," Mr Healy said.
"It just creates in people's minds a sense of suspicion ? what have they got to hide, why aren't they being open, why won't they put it on the public record? People are now even more sceptical about AGL's transparency."
Mr Healy said the community's concerns about the coal seam gas project are very broad and this was reflected in the questions being asked.
Issues raised included impacts on the levels and quality of the basin's water table, aquifers and river systems; possible contamination from so called produced water; the visual and practical impact of the network of gas wells and access roads; the likelihood of toxic chemical residues being dispersed; noise from heavy vehicle movements; declining property values and the general industrialisation of the valley.
"From the mood of the audience at the conclusion of proceedings it is doubtful that many of these concerns were eased," Mr Healy said.
"Some remarked that it raised more questions than it answered. Many remain angry and totally opposed to the project."
AGL was represented at the meeting by its two local managers and two technical experts.
"While the audience was appreciative of their attendance, there was great disappointment and some anger that AGL had chosen not to make a senior manager available for the meeting."
Mr Healy noted that many people have since commented that they see this as being indicative of AGL's disregard, and even contempt, for the Gloucester community.
The alliance will now seek a written response from AGL to the questions raised at the meeting.
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