NSW Minister Says CSG Here to Stay

New South Wales planning minister Brad Hazzard has said that landholders in the state will have to find ways to live in harmony with the coal seam gas industry.

"I will say this that having heard your interjection there, there is no question in my mind or the government's mind who think that coal seam gas are absolutely going to be locked up and not used then that's not a position the government can support because we need to support renewable and all other resources,” he said.

The minister was addressing a crowd of more than 300 people who attended a public meeting about the state government's draft Strategic Land Use Policy.

Australia has been witnessing intense debate over the extraction of coal seam gas, particularly in NSW and Queensland. Farmers are protesting over safety concerns and threats to the country’s food security.