Mayor moves to ban fracking

Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn is moving a motion calling on the State Government to ban fracking within the City of Greater Geraldton and water supply areas present and future.

“There are petroleum exploration leases that go all the way under Point Moore and theoretically, they could be fracked,” he said. “But that’s our only source of water. We don’t drink sky water in Geraldton, we drink groundwater.”

Mr Van Styn said the Government had banned hydraulic gas fracturing from 98 per cent of the State. “We’re in the 2 per cent,” he said. “If it isn’t safe down south, why is it safe here?”

The mayor is also moving to seek support from neighbouring shires for an extended fracking ban.