The Lock the Gate Alliance believes that Australia is being let down by deficient laws and governments which allow the unconstrained growth of destructive fossil fuel extraction industries at the long-term cost to water, food security and the health of rural communities. An undemocratic process has disenfranchised the Australian people. Government representatives are elected to serve the people and must be held accountable to act in the people’s best interests. The Lock the Gate Alliance is demanding that governments restore the balance between rampant short term development of Australia’s mineral resources and the preservation of the environment and quality of life for present and future generations.

The Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance was represented at the inaugural meeting at Broke and is a foundation member of the Lock the Gate Alliance.

Spokesperson, Graeme Healy, said that it was revealing to learn how extensive the coal and gas footprint is becoming and shocking to hear how communities are being impacted. “Many groups have been fighting their own local battle for a long time and it is from a sense of desperation that these groups are now seeking to act collectively with a view to having a significant impact at a political level.”

The Lock the Gate Alliance has developed a set of four demands:

1 the immediate establishment of a Royal Commission to investigate all impacts of the coal and gas mining industries and to define a robust and balanced framework under which they will be governed;