Last year Anglo American assembled a show of force at the Planning and Assessment Commission (PAC) hearing held in Deman into their Drayton South Coal Project.
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At that time Denman Memorial Hall was a sea of high vis clad miners supporting their company in its push to have a new mine approved in the hope of saving their jobs, which were about to go, as coal ran out at the company’s neighbouring Drayton mine.
That PAC, chaired by Lynelle Briggs, delivered its review in November last year saying the project should not be approved given its adverse impacts on two of the country’s leading thoroughbred studs Coolmore and Darlely (Woodlands).
An identical result to previous PACs that have been held to review or determine the merits of Anglo’s plans for the Drayton South project.
Drayton mine ceased mining operations last month and only 10 of its former 500 strong workforce remain on site. Their job now is to assist with the rehabilitation of the 30 year old open cut operation.
So in our interesting planning process the same people assembled today for the final determination PAC in Muswellbrook, this time ,chaired by Paul Forward. And what was noticeably missing – the show of high vis.
Only a handful of attendees donned the bright shirts and their numbers were easily overwhelmed by those wearing the logos of either Coolmore or Godolphin owners of Darley stud.
Anglo wants to gain approval for Drayton South but they don’t want to mine it – they want out as quickly as possible. To date the company has sold a number of their Australian coal assets or are in the process of doing so including their Dartbrook mine just up the road from Drayton.
The sale of Dartbrook to Australian Pacific Coal (APC) flushed out a former Novacastrian Nathan Tinkler who today made a cameo appearance at PAC.
Mr Tinkler, due to his bankruptcy, had to remove himself from any direct management control of APC but he remains a coal player so to speak.
Today at PAC he took aim at virtually everyone and and rather strangely, given his notorious business record, including leaving a trail of bad debts in the Upper Hunter said he came to represent the 500 Drayton workers who lost their jobs thanks to Coolmore and Darley.
He came, he spoke, he left all very quickly, leaving people wondering what he was all about.
His former Patinack thoroughbred stud at Sandy Hollow lies idle and forlorn which led many in the thoroughbred industry to question how he could lecture people on business ethics and how mining and the horse industry can co-exist as no buyer can be found for his former property.
Several speakers today including Jonathan D’Arcy from William Inglis & sons told PAC that the uncertainty of mine development had led would be thoroughbred investors in the Hunter to look elsewhere.
He estimated $20 million worth of investment has headed to Victoria rather than the Hunter due to the perception coal is king in the region.
The weariness of all the participants, in this tortuous planning process was obvious, Anglo and pro-mining speakers slammed the time and costs involved.
Anglo’s Drayton South project manager Rick Fairhurst said his company had spent $70 million to date in its efforts to gain approval for the project.
While Godolphin’s Australian boss Henry Plumtre said it cost his company and Coolmore $1m for each PAC and they had endured four such judgements.
“All of us has had enough of this simply ridiculous planning process and we are wasting money that could be better spent employing people and developing our properties,” said a frustrated Mr Plumtre.
The two studs that are the glue to the $565 million/year equine cluster in the region are tiring of this circus and today Tom Magnier, the head of his family’s Coolmore operations in Australia, said they were looking at properties in Victoria.
Darley already owns a substantial holding in Victoria and in blink could relocate leaving the Hunter bereft of its two major drawcards.
The Department of Planning and Environment was condemned for its ignorance towards the equine industry and so was the Baird Government.
Speaker after speaker called for genuine protection for the Critical Industry Cluster Equine – a move which would also enable miners to know where they can and can’t go.
The establishment of buffers would thereby solve divisions and conflict within communities and end this slow grinding slog that we currently called planning.
All that is needed now is for the state government to develop a backbone and follow the lead of South Australia, Western Australia, New Zealand, USA and England and protect their world class agricultural industries.
We look with interest to the Baird Government’s response.