MOORABOOL council has joined a collective push for a moratorium on all coal seam gas mining and new coal operations in the state, almost a year after lobbying by concerned residents.
In an emotionally charged council meeting last night where some No New Coal campaign supporters were brought to tears, the council greenlit an alternate motion — council officers did not advise one way or another for the council to support the moratorium — put forward by East Moorabool ward councillor Tonia Dudzik.
‘‘We need to stand up for our community,’’ Cr Dudzik said.
‘‘We need to protect our people in our town and keep them safe, to keep their food safe.’’
Councils including Bass Coast, Colac-Otway, City of Yarra, Moreland, Port Phillip and South Gippsland have already signed the moratorium.
A mining partnership between Mantle Mining and Exergen is currently evaluating the results of a scoping study which could see a coal mine in Bacchus Marsh.
At a packed-out meeting, nearly 50 local supporters of the moratorium broke into rapturous applause when the council voted 5-2 in favour of supporting the moratorium.
Several councillors admitted they’d been recently swayed to support it.
‘‘I came here tonight with a conservative view … now I think it’s a moderate response to the issue,’’ East Moorabool ward Cr John Spain said.
‘‘I changed my mind,’’ East Moorabool ward Cr Allan Comrie said.
Eleven passionate residents got up to speak, including environmentalists, mothers and business people, who implored council to ‘‘show leadership, not management’’.
‘‘Support us, not them,’’ an emotionally visible Parwan resident Kate Tubbs asked the council.
Another resident, Jennie Fraine, said: ‘‘Council is fence sitting rather than showing action.”
‘‘Send a message to government, seize the opportunity and fight for your community … locals should be in charge of local decisions,’’ resident Mark Farrell said.
West Moorabool ward councillor Tom Sullivan and mayor Cr Pat Toohey voted against the move, saying it would limit council’s ability to influence the process further down the track.
‘‘It could do us a disservice,’’ Cr Sullivan said.
‘‘We could be perceived as biased … it would limit us and put us at a greater risk’’.
