Bevan Shields

Illawarra Mercury

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council is eyeing off suburban Wollongong for coal seam gas exploration, sparking a showdown with prominent elders and activists. An application to examine a huge area of land stretching from Primbee in the south to Clifton in the north was lodged by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council in March, NSW Trade and Investment confirmed yesterday.

The proposed site covers densely populated neighbourhoods, vast stretches of coastline and a massive chunk of the environmentally sensitive escarpment. Chairman of the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council Roy Kennedy blasted the decision as "sneaky" and "offensive". "This goes against the very grain of who we are, what we stand for and what we have fought for," he said. "We're trying to protect our country and people who should be backing us up want to rip it up."

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