The Australian Greens have moved to protect South Australian farmers from shale gas fracking, as community concern grows over unconventional mining on farming land.

Australian Greens Senator for South Australia Senator Penny Wright today sponsored a Senate motion in favour of giving landholders legal rights to refuse shale and fracking on their properties.

"This is a dangerous industry that puts our precious water and farming land at risk," Senator Wright said.

We give notice that on the next day of sitting we shall move that -

The Senate notes:

1.    The concern of communities in South Australia and Western Australia about their land and water being threatened by shale and other unconventional gas mining.

2.    That landholders lack the legal right to refuse shale and other unconventional gas mining on their land.

3.    The scientific uncertainty surrounding the environmental and health implications of hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') for shale and other unconventional gas mining.

The Australian Greens are saddened that Arrow Energy workers are the latest victims of the Queensland CSG industry's unsustainable pace, which has been spurred on by government at the expense of other industries and the environment.  

"Both the state and federal governments have allowed the CSG industry to expand so quickly that it has proved unsustainable for workers as well as the environment," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens mining spokesperson, said.

Reports that Queensland's biggest water treatment plant for coal seam gas operations has now been opened by QGC in the Darling Downs without plans in place to manage the resulting salt mountains, could spell disaster for local communities and the environment, say the Australian Greens.

The Australian Greens today congratulated the community campaign against coal seam gas that has delivered CSG exclusion zones for towns in New South Wales.

“This is a win for some of the passionate communities of New South Wales who have locked the gate to the big mining companies threatening to ruin their land, water and livelihoods with coal seam gas,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens mining spokesperson, said.

Polls out today show strong community opposition to CSG in New South Wales and the Abbott Government needs to start listening, say the Australian Greens.

"According to Lock the Gate's poll, 84% of NSW respondents support a ban on CSG on productive agricultural land and 74% want a ban on fracking, while a Newspoll in The Australian today shows 56% of NSW and ACT respondents are against CSG altogether," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens mining spokesperson, said.

The Abbott Government can't hand over federal powers to refuse coal seam gas proposals that risk our water to the states, as Minister Macfarlane claimed today.

"The Greens and the rural independents worked together in the last Parliament to Abbott proof federal legislation to protect water from coal seam gas," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens mining spokesperson, said.

"Minister Macfarlane and the big mining companies want to see this federal protection in the hands of the very state premiers who have let this dangerous industry run rampant.

The Australian Greens today warned the Abbott Government against ignoring science and the community, by expanding coal seam gas at all costs, instead of embracing renewable energy.

"It's reckless and short sighted for Mr Macfarlane to demand that ‘every molecule of gas that can come out of the ground does so' when the National Water Commission has warned CSG risks our water supplies, which underpin our agricultural industry," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens mining spokesperson, said.

The Australian Greens are the only party you can trust to stop Tony Abbott fast tracking the coal seam gas (CSG) industry if he wins the election on Saturday.

Yesterday the Coalition resources spokesman Ian Macfarlane reportedly said the domestic gas issue would be one of his top three priorities if the Coalition was elected, saying we should get the CSG industry going and it should be sorted by no later than Christmas. See the report here.

The Australian Greens today condemned the Newman Government's decision to open up the Channel Country to gas and petroleum mining.

"The Newman Government has today ripped up protection for wild rivers in the Channel Country, opening up previously off-limits areas of western Queensland to oil and coal seam gas mining," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.