Thousands protest against coal seam gas drilling  

Every day seems to bring new reports of protests against the coal seam gas industry somewhere in Queensland or New South Wales - the ABC has a report on one event on the weekend at Byron Bay- Thousands protest against coal seam gas drilling.

Organisers of two beachside protests in New South Wales say they have sent a clear message against the coal seam gas mining industry.

They say more than 2,000 people gathered for a vocal protest to spell out "No CSG" on Byron Bay's main beach.

Around 1,500 people held a separate but similar protest on Austinmer Beach, north of Wollongong, to spell out "Stop Coal Seam Gas".

Apex Energy has been given permission to drill 15 wells in the region.

A spokeswoman for Stop Coal Seam Gas Illawarra, Jess Moore, says even coal miners have raised concerns about the industry.

"We've actually need a full, public royal commission into exactly what the potential consequences of coal seam gas mining are, and until we've got the outcome of that royal commission it can't go ahead because it's just too dangerous," she said.

She says communities across the state are worried about the health and environmental effects of coal seam drilling.