Another local government has called on the federal government to give it more power over coal seam gas and farmlands.

The Griffith City Council will lodge a motion at the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra next month, arguing that it needs more authority to protect the interests of its residents.

Griffith City Council general manager Brett Stonestreet has told the ABC that the Council should be able to ban mining in areas where food and fibre is produced.

“Council does appreciate that it is quite a broad motion, but the issue for council is that agriculturally productive land across the nation is precious and we can't afford to get this wrong as we go into the 21st century with the clean and green food bowl status,” he said.

“From our council's perspective this is something [where] the national interest comes into place here.

“For the longer term if water tables and water supplies, if the productivity of land is compromised, that's something that can't be reversed.”

Griffith joins the city of Orange in its fight against CSG development.

A bloc is forming in NSW local government.

The voluntary collaboration of local councils has been dubbed “Centroc”, and has recently voted to ban gas mining and exploration within its boundaries.

Councillors want to put mechanisms in place for new CSG applications in the future, but might be hindered by the state parliament’s ability to overturn their decisions.

“I certainly have had a lot of contact from other councils throughout New South Wales, asking permission to use my motion,” said one of the orchestrators, Orange Councillor Jeff Whitton…

“There’s certainly a number of councils in New South Wales that I’m aware of that want to put motions to their councils as well.

“If you don’t have a position in council on a particular matter, especially to do with development, then it makes it very difficult, should something arise in the next few weeks or years and it was to be rejected by council, then you really don’t have any position to stand up with if they take you to the Land and Environment Court or the minerals court.