Flashback: Brad Hazzard attends 2012 coal seam gas forum in Lismore

When Brad Hazzard arrived in Lismore to debate coal seam gas exploration in the region he was met with a welcome only a passionate Lismore crowd could give him.

As Brad Hazzard’s ministerial motorcade turned into Lismore City Hall he was met by an unmissable yellow wall of anti-coal seam gas protesters.

Almost 1000 residents launched a passionate rejection of gas exploration in the Northern Rivers region in what Hazzard later described as one of the “more lively” public forums he’d ever been to.

In December of 2012, then-planning Minister Hazzard arrived in Lismore to discuss the new Barry O’Farrell Coalition government’s coal seam gas policy which would include exploration in the region.

State member for Lismore Thomas George and Hazzard originally designed the meeting for senior public servants to answer questions about the government‘s CSG policy, the yells and jeers of the crowd rendered the panellists unable to get a word in.

Planning Minister Brad Hazzard addresses a community meeting in Lismore.

Persistent noise and protesters carrying banners and flags disrupted proceedings making Mr Hazzard agitated.

At times, protesters were swearing, prompting Mr Hazzard to take the microphone and address the crowd.

“There’s little kids here! They don’t deserve this,” he said before being met with a volley of outrage.

“If you want to have a public meeting, we’ll have a public meeting. If you want to carry on like this, you can carry on like this.

“It’s two hours, I’m happy to sit here and if there’s no conversation - no answers - I’m going to do what we started doing which is introduce the public servants.”

Audience questions covered a lack of regulation, lack of popular support, threats to biodiversity and water, and the potential impact on climate change.

A young girl stole the show when she asked Mr Hazzard to “promise me my animals won't get poisoned” which led to a standing ovation by the hundreds of protesters in the crowd.

Mr Hazzard called the meeting a “ten out of ten for a demonstration but zero out of ten for a try at a community exchange of concerns”.

Scientists, Indigenous elders and residents of the Northern Rivers pulled no punches at the meeting. Picture: Marc Stapelberg.

”Nothing about this morning’s meeting will stop us from trying to reach a fair and open policy for those who genuinely want to take part in a conversation on the issue,” he said.

The mass protest followed years of demonstrations throughout Lismore giving rise to the infamous ‘Lock the Gate’ slogan that defined the community spirit against the mining projects.

Lock The Gate Northern Rivers spokesman Ian Gaillard said at the time the emotions were legitimate.

Hundreds of marchers walked the streets of Lismore CBD protesting against coal seam gas mining in the area. Picture: Cathy Adams.

“Unconventional gas is unsafe and that's why people are emotional, it’s their livelihood at stake,” he said.

“Your land, the place you live, the purchase of your house are the biggest decisions you make in your life.”

The meeting took place only a few weeks after 87 per cent of people in the Lismore LGA voted against exploration in the region leading to former Mayor Jenny Dowell to declare that gas companies should ‘look elsewhere’.

“They have heard loud and clear from our community we don‘t want them here and I don’t think it is worth the public relations battle and the negativity for them to come to Lismore,” Dowell said.