Locals protest CSG at Gunnedah

The day of action attracted concerned citizens from Gilgandra, Rowena, Coonabarabran, Morree, and Narrabri and as far north as the Queensland border, to show their opposition to CSG, especially Santos' CSG exploration drilling in the Pilliga State Forest, as well as the Shenhua Watermark open-cut coal mine on the Liverpool Plains.

Convenor of Gas Field Free Dubbo Region, Sally Anne Forsstrom, said the day prompted people to think about the impact of CSG and talk about their options in the lead up to the state election.

"What we were trying to show people is that there is enormous concern about the impact of coal seam gas on our water," she said.

"The CSG is going to depressurise the Great Artesian Basin. Once the water table drops, those people (in Walgett) will have no water," she said.

"By allowing the CSG mining to go ahead, it will depressurise it and contaminate it."

Ms Forsstrom organised the bus to take people from Dubbo to the protest, where there were speeches from Indigenous elders, who spoke of their connection to the land and the destruction of their heritage, as well as farmers who spoke of the how "their whole livelihood could be affected".

Ms Forsstrom said the trip drew together independent candidate Colin Hamilton and Greens candidate Matt Parmeter, together with hundreds of supporters for Country Labor, the Green's and the independents.

"Everyone except the Nationals," she said.

"There's a lot of anger towards the Nationals because of their push towards coal seam gas."

"People that have followed the Nationals for years and years are feeling betrayed. The farmers feel betrayed.

"It looks like the Nationals can't speak for themselves, they can only speak with the Liberals and that's the voice of big mining."