Aidan Ricketts
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    • Mind over matter: The world of abstraction is driving us to destruction
    • The real threats to our liberty and survival
    • Avoiding the abyss of conspiracy theories
    • The difference between a legal system and a fantasy novel
    • What’s a conspiracy and what’s just common garden variety corruption?
    • Unpredictability, humility and an emerging anthropandemic
    • The trilemma – climate change, economic collapse, and rising fascism
    • Happy New Normal for the decade ahead
    • Fires, liars and climate deniers
    • The race to the bottom in australian politics
    • Talking about lock-on devices – an article in ‘The Conversation’
    • The Ponzi scheme is teetering
    • Regenerative culture a key part of the blockade experience
    • Staying sane in the late Anthropocene
    • Extinction Rebellion
    • Major parties have failed on climate, it’s time to rebel.
    • Elections In The Late Anthropocene
    • It is the Greens that are defeating the Nats and it’s all about your preferences
    • Australia’s powerhouse of democracy and innovation is in the Northern Rivers
    • Is identity politics a problem for the left?
    • The climate emergency and the awful state of Australian politics
    • Liberty, freedom and civil rights? Do any of us understand these things anymore.
    • Democracy and rights under threat in corporate police state
    • The forest wars are back, time to mobilise
    • …more commentary
  • Workshops
    • Newkind Festival: Australia’s masterclass for social change
    • Earth laws & regional community environmentalism
    • Greens. Reboot. Future. A weekend of great speakers and big topics
    • Stop CSG Sydney – talk by Aidan Ricketts 25/07/14
    • …more workshops
  • News & Events
    • The lucky country is fast becoming a crime scene
    • Gas body fired up over methane leaks
    • Contaminated sites – CSG/LNG
    • Extreme coal in the UK
    • Activists efforts rewarded in Vanuatu
    • …more news & events
  • Media
    • Activism educator Aidan Ricketts explains how and why protests can be peaceful
    • Bob Brown Is Taking “Shocking” Anti-Protest Laws To The High Court
    • Anti protest laws could arrest nannas, seize tractors
    • “They blinked first”
    • Colin Barnett quick to protest against ‘activism degrees’ – The Australian, 16/10/2014
    • ‘Degrees in activism’ put brake on growth – The Australian, 15/10/2014
    • Magistrate throws out vexatious police case against CSG protesters
    • Outrage over school PR ‘by stealth’- The Northern Star
    • CSG clash a certainty
    • Communities use new tactics
    • Gas group attacks lecturer
    • …more media
  • Activist Resources
    • The Activists’ Handbook
    • The ‘How To Guide’ for declaring your community gasfield free
    • Direct Action and the CSG-Free Community Strategy: an activist training resource
    • Planning and Mapping your Campaign – a guide for local action groups
    • …more resources
  • Reviews
    • The Ecologist review
    • Resurgence review
    • Chain Reaction review
    • Plan to Win review
ABC Radion National Law Report

Environment protesters turn to corporate law – ABC Radio Law Report

On January 30, 2013 · 3 Comments · In Media

Metgasco is basically a coal seam gas company operating in the Northern Rivers, and as far as we know the only available reserves of gas they have are in the Northern Rivers. The residents of the Northern Rivers are resolutely against coal seam gas development. We’re not dealing with a small protest movement here, we are dealing with a massive virtual social consensus against this industry. So there’s a palpable sense of failure of democracy in the Northern Rivers, and I think people are kind of aghast at seeing this industry imposed on them by force by virtue of the State government, the riot squad.

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If the law is an ass are we obliged to obey it? – Northern Rivers Echo

On January 23, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Media

Since the state Liberal/National government’s push to expand coal-seam gas (CSG) across the state, residents of all political persuasions are uniting against the threat of this unnecessary environmental destruction.

While cynics might claim to be CSG fatigued, there is little doubt a network of wells and toxic ponds spread across suburban, […]

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Risky Business – Al Jazeera’s report on CSG in Australia

On January 14, 2013 · 1 Comment · In Media, News & Events

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Nannas say No to CSG at Glenugie. Photo by Jimmy Malecki

Glenugie protestors to fight on – Northern Rivers Echo

On January 10, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Media

Mick Daley was embedded with protestors at Glenugie on Monday, January 7, when police enforced the legal right of coal seam gas mining company Metgasco to commence drilling. This is his report.

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"A Risky Business" - CSG Doco screens world wide on Al Jazeera

CSG doco screens worldwide on Al Jazeera

On January 10, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Media

LISMORE’S Knitting Nannas Against Gas, and the broader Northern Rivers Lock the Gate communities will feature in an Al Jazeera documentary about Australia’s coal seam gas battles which will screen to millions of viewers worldwide this weekend.

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CSG protest to continue despite police blockade raid - ABC News

CSG protest to continue despite police blockade raid – ABC North Coast

On January 8, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Media

Activist and lecturer in law at Southern Cross University, Aiden Ricketts says the protest, now in its seventh week, will not bow to police pressure. He says the police raid was an expensive “festival of force” by the O’Farrell Government.

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Top cop praises protestors but defends arrests – Northern Star

On January 8, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Media

LOCAL Area Commander, Superintendent Mark Holahan, has praised the “peaceful” action of protestors at the Glenugie blockade yesterday but defended police action saying 18 “went too far”.
Yesterday 18 protestors were arrested and 25 charges were laid – mostly for resisting/hindering police and public obstruction.

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Protesters ready for the long haul at Glenugie, NSW

Protesters Ready for Long Haul – Northern Star

On January 8, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Media

“This is what the future looks like for Metgasco – potentially they face this at every site they go to,” Lismore author and activist Aidan Ricketts declared. “If they want to do this at every drill site for the rest of the year, they’ve got a very big job ahead of them.”

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Glenugie Local Deb locks on at blockade

People power vs CSG, the year in review

On December 17, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Commentary

It’s been an intense year in the fight against CSG in the Northern Rivers, and it seems the gas companies cant win a trick. The success of the Glenugie blockade has surprised most participants and is evidence of the ever-growing nature and power of this organic social movement. It isn’t the first community to stand up and it wont be the last. The companies and the state government may be able to tough out a blockade or two, but they will not be able to withstand sustained community opposition in the long term.

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Lismore meeting a barometer of betrayal (photo: K Ausburn)

Lismore meeting a barometer of betrayal

On December 6, 2012 · 7 Comments · In Commentary

A lot has been made of some reported events outside after the meeting where politicians were allegedly jostled, but this was a public meeting and this was an angry public in the raw. The Northern Rivers community are justifiably outraged at this failure of democracy and are not the kind of community to take it lying down. If writing letters, meeting with politicians and going to meetings was going to work then the government would have backed away long ago, but the community knows the government is deeply committed to this part of the fossil fuel industry.Yes it was noisy but above all it was powerful example of a community that will not be patronised by arrogant pollies

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Aidan Ricketts speaks at Metgasco protest, Casino NSW, 7 Nov 2012

We Are the People

On November 8, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Commentary, News & Events

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CSG clash a ‘certainty’ – Northern Star

On November 8, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Media, News & Events

The peaceful action continued a protest which began on Friday against Metgasco performing seismic surveys of an area on the eastern edge of the town.

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Extreme Coal in the UK

On August 30, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In News & Events

Fracking for Coal Bed Methane and Underground Coal Gasification

Come and find out why this is happening, what these technologies involve and what you can do to stop them

Discussion, Films and short presentations by:

Aidan Ricketts: Author of recently released

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Chain Reaction Magazine: The power of locking your gate

On August 22, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Reviews

Reprinted from Chain Reaction #115, August 2012,

The unconventional gas industry is on the march in Australia. Having moved to full production first in southern Queensland, there are now exploration permits issued or in the application process across vast tracts of NSW and Victoria […]

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Lismore residents CSG vote

On June 16, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Media

Up to 20 communities have now signed up to a pledge to protect the region from the industry’s “radical plan to turn the Northern Rivers into gas fields”. The declarations are powerful statements which send a clear political message, says Southern Cross University law and justice lecturer Aidan Ricketts. He said the declarations counter the legal power of coal seam gas companies to force entry to land and make it clear to politicians the political cost of allowing access is unacceptably high.

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