I was reluctant to enter this argument, as essentially it is...

I was reluctant to enter this argument, as essentially it is fruitless. None of us really can understand or with absolute certainty say what's right ethically, morally and geologically (assuming that's a word!), as these issues are never black nor white. I think the two conversations I had about it on Friday summed it up.

First was with a client of mine, who is probably Australia's most authoritive academic in her field. She has a great passion for the land and those people who live on the land, especially the indigenous. She dislikes CSG and thinks it should be banned and cannot understand how we as a progressive people are willing to rape and pillage the earth's crust for the almighty dollar to the possible detriment of future generations.

The other was with a guy I have known for about 37 years, worked the land through southern and central QLD for as long as I have known him, worked with him part time for 8 years - he was a great conservationist and worked the land accordingly yet conservationists generally have a dislike of him because of his occupation. He now spends every week out in the Surat, talking to farmers and graziers and sees first hand the effect CSG has on the communities out there.

He says 9 out of 10 farmers are very happy with CSG, some with 15 wells on their property with $10-15k a well, set to increase significantly once they start producing commercial gas. Some who bought there property for $80k eight years back and have sold out to CSG companies for several mill. Has dinner at the pubs every night of the week and says the business owners are experiencing best business of their lives. Says the outcry is limited to what he refers to as prickle farmers... not sure what that means but guess it insinuates not real farmers at all.

Anyway, two amazing people that I both respect and admire, one all for it, one dead against it. Both with an intimate knowledge of the land, yet one seemingly coming from an ideological viewpoint and the other from a more industrialised practical one. Is one right and one wrong or do both have valid points. Or, by the mere fact that we are invested in CSG, are we already prejudiced to believing CSG is good for the community by and large? Rhetorical question...