Community anti-CSG campaigns have had some big wins lately, most recently in the suspension of the drilling licence for Metgasco in New South Wales.

The suspension followed large protests in March, which saw 2000 people turn out to blockade a CSG drill site in the region, initiated through social media.

The fight against CSG drilling is growing along the east coast of Australia with various community actions showing further evidence of success, such as the postponing of the CSG development in the Pilliga Forest.

Compared to 1982 with the likes of then little-known Bob Brown who canoed down a river and kicked off the Save the Franklin campaign, forcing governments to take notice of environmental issues, modern protests are attracting much larger crowds and national and international audiences through the internet and social media.

Social media provides live updates from anti-CSG protests from across the globe, facilitating the sharing of information and a sense of global unity.

Australian efforts to extract CSG affect a large proportion of the country and specifically areas with rich coal mining histories.

Because of the growth in social media, groups no longer rely on traditional media, such as newspapers, television and radio, to spread their message and mobilise people into action.

As a result, people from opposite ends of the political spectrum have found themselves part of the campaign.

Righties, lefties and all in-between have joined the cause via social media, leaving governments little choice but to respond.