Tony Windsor MP pictured on the family’s Coonamble farm, “Beanbah South”, with sons, Andrew, who runs the property, and Tom, urges caution from those who are arguing about land use in terms of property rights.
FOR most farmers, coal seam gas (CSG) issue emerged from nowhere and now threatens to overturn long-held assumptions about what it means to own farmland. Unprepared, battling against a tidal wave of capital and the political upper hand of the miners, landholders have so far had to resort to delaying tactics or compromise. Is there a better way? Tony Windsor thinks so.
Rural Press science and environment editor Matthew Cawood caught up with the Independent Federal MP on the family’s Coonamble property, “Beanbah South”.
A few weeks ago, Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan called Tony Windsor and asked whether the Independent MP had any issues with the Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT).
Mr Windsor said he hadn’t.
He regards the MRRT as a more equitable way of sharing the nation’s mineral resource than mining royalties.
Then Santos moved onto the Liverpool Plains with the intention of drilling “pilot” coal seam gas (CSG) wells, despite other mining activity being halted until the results of a Namoi catchment groundwater study are released in March (Santos this week agreed to halt activity until the report was released).
“That’s when I thought that these people aren’t listening or learning,” Mr Windsor said
The Land
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