By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
AN ANTI-fracking group is pushing ahead with local protests despite a miner with an exploration permit declaring it has lost interest in the area.
Frack Free Geelong spokesperson Elizabeth Packett said Lakes Oil’s loss of interest was no guarantee the region was safe from fracking.
“This industry has a habit of changing the name of what they do and hoping it fools people,” Ms Packett said.
“The only way to make the area safe from fracking is to remove their social licence and that’s what we’re continuing to do.”
Lakes Oil’s permit area stretches from Highton to Anglesea. The Independent revealed last year the company had conducted geological and geophysical studies in the region.
Ms Packett said the group would protest on Saturday by marking out a section of the exploration zone with hazard tape.
“As we’ve seen from overseas and interstate, fracking poses serious threats to our health, drinking water, rivers, farmland and other industries, particularly tourism.
“We want to raise awareness of this issue … by physically marking out an area where a potential gas field could lie,” she said.
“People will be shocked to learn it’s on the same land as private homes, businesses, churches, kindergartens, sports clubs, Deakin University and even Highton Cemetery.
“The state moratorium against fracking until June 2015 does not protect us from exploration drilling.
“The mining companies could start that any day and, if they find gas, you can be assured they’ll do everything they can to extract it.”
Ms Packett said the group was “pro-renewables and pro-green jobs rather than anti-fracking”.
