ENOUGH is enough.
These three words sum up what was clearly, and repeatedly, expressed about open-cut coalmining in the opening session of a state government planning and assessment commission meeting in Singleton yesterday.
Three commissioners began hearing two days of submissions into a proposed $600million Warkworth open-cut expansion.
An audience of about 150 people heard that the project was a potentially toxic business which a broad cross-section of shire residents opposed.
During the morning tea-break 50 placate waving protesters drove home their opinion to media assembled outside the meeting by chanting slogans such as “Don’t bugger Bulga” and “Rack off Rio”.
Environmental activist Bev Smiles encapsulated the protesters’ feelings when she said: “Mining is out of control in this area, it’s having huge impacts on community health, our air, water, Aboriginal and European heritage, in fact the very social fabric of our community.
“We’re concerned about the particular impacts of this open-cut as well as the cumulative impacts of mining in the Hunter and the fact that government authorities do not have the the staff, the resources or the will to monitor and regulate existing mines, let alone more and more that are being approved.
“This is not an issue about jobs, there is a shortage of labour to fill the jobs now for mines that have approvals stretching for 10, 20 and 30 years into the future, it’s driven by multinational company profits.”
The commission consists of former state government departmental heads Neil Shepherd, Brian Gilligan and Gabrielle Kibble.
They are hearing 70 public submissions into the Warkworth expansion for which state Planning and Infrastructure officials recommended approval last month.
Approval would extend the mine by 11 years while 200million tonnes of coal was extracted.
Dr Shepherd opened proceedings at Club Singleton by saying it was a public meeting, rather than a formal hearing, as this did not extinguish anyone’s appeal rights.
While he could not say when the commission would bring down its decision he was at least sure it would not happen before the end of this month.
Singleton Council planning director Mark Ihlein was the first speaker. He said he spoke on behalf of the council and the Singleton community.
Mr Ihlein said the council had, on four occasions, resolved unanimously not to support the open-cut expansion because of its likely impacts on the environment, the community and public infrastructure.
He said the council opposed the loss of 764 hectares of endangered ecological habitat, believed land swap offsets would not protect ecological biodiversity, opposed mining a conservation area that should be protected by ministerial guarantee and called for the urgent and permanent protection of the supposedly guarantee protected land.
The council resolved to protect Wallaby Scrub Road, Bulga, wanted an independent Singleton shire health study before the government considered any more large scale developments in the area and required dust, noise and biodiversity assessments at Bulga, Jerrys Plains, Broke and Warkworth, Mr Ihlein said.
Bulga Milbrodale Progress Association representatives Steward Mitchell and John Krey told the commission they believed their association’s extensive submission to the state government about the open-cut had been ignored.
The existing Warkworth pit, five kilometres from Bulga, was already operating outside its environmental constraints and the village would be devastated if the mine was allowed to come within 2.6 kilometres, or even closer than that, Mr Krey said.
Warkworth was operating without a 2003 land conservation agreement being enacted and this development breach should either be rectified or the open-cut workings stopped, Mr Krey said.
Singleton Shire Healthy Environment Group spokesman John Drinan said the cumulative impact of coalmining to date on the Hunter Valley proved that the region was being deliberately sacrificed for state economics.
The area’s poor air quality was overwhelmingly caused by coalmining and power generation and this was having a proven adverse impact on people’s health, he said.
This alone should be reason enough to reject the Warkworth expansion, Mr Drinan said.
Bulga Rural Fire Brigade spokesman John Lamb said he was concerned that closing Wallaby Scrub Road to allow the area to be open-cut would increase emergency vehicle response times throughout the Bulga area and put people’s lives at risk.
This would also force at least 780 more vehicles a day onto the Golden Highway and Putty Road, increasing risks there as well.
Speakers before the commission, and outside during the protest, gave various examples of coalmine development conditions that were breached by various companies and not enforced by authorities.
The commission’s proceedings are open to the public and will continue from 9am today at Singleton Diggers club, in York Street.
Warkworth open-cut’s operations manager Cam Halfpenny will make a submission today.
He gave The Argus a media release yesterday saying the proposed expansion was “critical” for the future of Mount Thorley Warkworth operations.
It would create new jobs and he was “absolutely committed” to working with neighbours to manage mining impacts through a range of measures, he said.
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