A town divided: Community values and attitudes towards coal seam gas development in Gloucester, Australia

Abstract

The 2300-person community of Gloucester, New South Wales in Australia anticipated the prospect of coal seam gas (CSG) development, a form of unconventional natural gas, for nearly a decade before a 2016 decision to cancel the project. Gloucester has become well known for its extreme level of community division focused on coal seam gas development: residents report conflicts ranging from blocked access to services through death threats and active boycotts of businesses. We conducted open-ended interviews, participant observation, and mail surveys in Gloucester in late 2015 with the goal of understanding the deeper issues associated with CSG-related conflict in Gloucester. We argue that the long period of stagnant uncertainty associated with the potential development was a major contributor to the amplitude of the community divide. The major conflict focused on whether a coal seam gas development would threaten or accelerate progress toward shared goals of securing Gloucester’s future and maintaining residents’ quality of life. We posit that exacerbating factors include the existence of highly concrete visions of what Gloucester would be like in futures with or without gas and the sense that the community was not empowered to choose whether or not to pursue local gas development.