Senator Ricky Muir made a surprise appearance at the special screening of the movie of “Frackman” at Bairnsdale last night. The movie tells the story of one man’s battle – with a lot of friends – against the multi-national giant coal seam gas (CSG) companies. Senator Muir’s appearance was a surprise to almost everyone in the 150 plus audience. “I’m here to listen” said the Senator who told us how he had made contact with the NoCSG people in the Seaspray area. Senator Muir discussed the limited opportunities a senator in the Federal parliament had over the CSG question and mentioned the petition by Senator Lazarus in Queensland calling for a Royal Commission to look into the social effects of CSG mining. This petition, to be found on facebook, has already gathered 50,000 signatures and was aiming for 75,000. Muir also mentioned in passing that both he and Lazarus were part of what the Federal government calls a “feral’ Senate. The movie Frackman will be screened again in Lakes Entrance next month. The event was organised by GasfieldFree Bairnsdale. Contact Debbie Carruthers at gasfieldfreebairnsdale@gmail.com