Right now, multiple communities in NSW, QLD and beyond are in uproar and blockade mode against Coal Seam Gas (CSG) exploration – but you won’t see it on the news.

Why not? It’s hard to say – mainstream media is a many-horned creature. But there’s plenty of reporting going on about this citizens uprising all the same. Here’s some leads to look at…

Artist as Family, a marvellous crew travelling on bikes around Australia for a year (complete with baby, and dog) are currently at the Bentley Blockade, and doing a beautiful job of reporting what’s happening there.

There’s also the excellent CSG Free Northern Rivers facebook page, which is regularly posting info, photos and updates of what is emerging as an extraordinary and very well organised Temporary Autonomous Zone at Bentley.

Here’s what our friend Brett from Coonabarabran had to say yesterday:

“Life up in Coonabarabran and surrounds has been pretty full-on lately with Santos drilling in the nearby/adjacent Pilliga state forest for CSG – 30 or so of us have been arrested or fined for trying to stop santos activities thru non- violent direct actions, such as lock ons to equipment.

Anything you could do to help us get the word out there would be excellent”

There’s a Pilliga-specific Getup campaign you can add your signature to.

There’s also a General CSG Getup campaign that you can add your signature to, in solidarity of these communities fighting back against some pretty nasty stuff.

If you’re fuzzy on the implications of Coal Seam Gas, or not clear why everyone’s so rabidly indignant about the exploration techniques being used, start at Lock The Gate Alliance, who have been providing clear info on this issue for some years now.

Feel free to add anymore links to reporting below. And thanks to these communities for witnessing, speaking out, and doing something about this issue.

Awareness of and taking action about this issue benefits us all.

Our current and future communities need access to clean ground water and other natural resources that should be stewarded for the good of all, not contaminated for many generations to come.

**Update: this article about the riot squad being proposed to break the Bentley Blockade was in the Daily Telegraph yesterday. I’ll leave this with you to compare with Artist as Family‘s reports on this ‘outbreak of vital democracy’.

Lead photo by Artist as Family