JOSHUA ADAMSON
The Ipswich City Council has joined the crusade against CSG, joining nearby councils in banning the infamous form of mining in the area.
Coal seam gas has never strayed far from the headlines, with stories about its negative effects on both people and the environment proving divisive.
Ipswich was originally a town built on coal mining, with the first coal mine in Queensland started at Redbank in 1843.
However after the nearby Scenic Rim and Somerset Council have taken steps to end CSG mining in their areas, Ipswich has followed suit.
All existing leases on coal seam gas mines will be ended, and no new permits will be extended.
Division 2 Councillor Paul Tully said that coal mining in Ipswich has been declining for the past few decades, and has got to a point where the costs far outweigh the benefits.
“There are still rich coal mining deposits in the region but they’re becoming more difficult to mine, more costly to mine, and the quality of the coal is not what you’d get in other parts of Australia,” Cr Tully said.
“You wouldn’t say that Ipswich is any longer a major coal mining town, in fact it’s a very minor coal mining town.”
The Ipswich City Council refutes critics claims about job losses, saying the end of CSG mining in the region will create 500 new jobs for every one lost in mining.