LOCK The Gate Alliance national president Drew Hutton will appeal his fine over a coal seam gas protest at Tara, west of Toowoomba.
Mr Hutton said his barrister advised he could win an appeal against a $2000 fine imposed in Dalby Magistrates Court on December 8 for his part in a March blockade against a CSG pipeline on the Western Downs.
He risked a maximum $50,000 fine under section 804 of the Petroleum and Gas Act for "obstructing a CSG company without reasonable excuse".
Mr Hutton believes the case could set "an important precedent" for landholders looking to stop resource companies accessing privately owned land.
"The legislation says you need a reasonable excuse to stop mining companies from entering your land - we would like to challenge in legal precedent what that means," he said.
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