Caroona Coal Action Group

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Media Snippets

the North West NSW Great Coal & Gas Rush
OZ -Chinese pay top $ for farms
ABC- Selling the farm
SMH - Mine air pollution
SMH - Gas delayed. New EIS.
Local coal mine set to expand.
Don't like Super tax? Sell mines!
Landline - Qld CSG 9/5/10
ABC Stateline - criticism of Mining Land Bill amendment
ABC -Mine Bill 'lawyers feast'
SMH. 'Coal cold comfort' 17/3/10
SBS TV food series reviews our local food issues
Mining Council complains - ABC audio
Officials gagged over mine - SMH
Gas issues in Qld - SMH
Hope Town - ABC report on BHP exiting mine boom town.
Adams on coal mining.
Shenhua mine plan proceeding
ABC TV feature Liverpool Plains again
New GetUp anti coal TV ad.
Qld Farmers update Senate Food Enquiry.
Mining threat not over.
BHP studying proposed large Caroona underground mine
Mining Conference: Mining better than Ag, less damaging claim.
State Government knew about Power Station arsenic pollution for 2 years, did nix..
Macdonald: Plains to be mined.
Water study timetable?. Meeting.
Shenhua FIRB ruling washup.
SMH 23rd July mining editorial
Media reports on July NSW Parliamentary demonstration:
SMH, Fin Review, Tamworth Leader, ABC radio & news. Draper. PrimeTV
Macdonald: "Mining more important than farming"
SMH - Toxic waste in town water. GPs concerned.
SMH story 30th May on our coal & gas issues,with followup support letter.
Santos to resume seismic testing -ABC
Hidden costs of fossil-fuel power - SMH
Guy Pearse -Quarterly Essay "Quarry Vision"
Crikeys take on Big Coal V's Science
Gov'ment dirty coal failure - SMH
Mining investment to be slashed -SMH
CCAG supports Gloucester struggle.
Gloucester residents mining rally.
World Water bankruptcy: Davos Report -SMH
PR spin- How miners hides bad news
Big coal mine labour sackings -Courier Mail
Nats choose miners over food producers
Greens support Windsor's water study Senate amendment
Mines and Communities: BHP Billiton accused of half-truths and evasions.
Daily Telegraph report on childrens toxic drinking water
adverse effects of mining - a Qld perspective
The Herald reports on coal mines plans to dump mine water into river

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Don't like the Supreme Court's decision? Just change the Law.

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 17:50

We've just heard that the government is due to introduce the Mining and Petroleum Legislation Amendment (Land Access) Bill 2010 in the NSW Legislative Assembly thursday (22nd April).

This clearly shows Minister Macdonald has no regard for the law or the Supreme Court of this State.

The court uncovered a regime in NSW where miners have for years been allowed to enter private land, flout the law and take short cuts with the environment and landholders rights. Now that they’ve been caught out, the government’s reaction isn’t to uphold the law but instead to totally rewrite it to benefit the powerful mining lobby.

The Minister’s changes would legalise the very behaviour from miners which the NSW Supreme Court found not only threatened the environment but undermines the rights of landholders, financial institutions and many other parties.

The message from Minister Macdonald is clear - mining is king in NSW and let nothing stand in its way including the law.

QLD Gov Begins to Protect Water from CSG Menace

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 12:50

Finally recognising concerns over Coal Seam Gas extraction heavily impacting water supplies, the QLD government has announced new regulatory trigger levels which will stop CSG producers from draining aquifers with impunity (as has happened in other parts of the world).

The new trigger thresholds will be a 5m drop for consolidated aquifers such as sandstone, a 2m drop for shallow alluvial aquifers and 0.2m drop for springs. When trigger thresholds are exceeded, the CSG operator will have to investigate and report to the bore owner and QLD Water Commission.
Whilst the devil is likely to be in the detail, it is at least a start in protecting precious water supplies and QLD is to be congratulated for pioneering sustainable development.

We ask what is the NSW government doing in this regard?
Why is it still dragging its feet over Water Study funding?
Where is are the NSW Ministers for Mines and Water on these important issues?
Just who is responsible for assessing cumulative impacts of CSG and mining projects on water supplies in NSW?
QLD is clearly leading the way....but in the words of the old tourism ad: "NSW government - where the b****y hell are you?"

Hunter's Dark Underbelly of Disease Exposed

Tuesday, 13 April 2010 09:07

ABC's 4 Corners brought home to Australia this week the high cost Hunter families are paying for the NSW's government's addiction to coal revenues.

Respiratory problems are rife, cancer clusters coming to light and people advised to move out of the area to save their and their children's health. Calls for an independent health enquiry and more 2.5PM dust monitors have been arrogantly dismissed by NSW's Health Minister. Yet again the cumulative health and environmental impacts of massive mining expansion have slipped through the regulatory cracks because dust containing toxic metals and other chronic disease initiators is not mine specific.

What price people's health? What happens when the Hunter Health bill outstrips the coal royalties? And is this happening already?

April Fool? BHP appeals on being caught out.

Thursday, 01 April 2010 19:09

BHP announced today that it will appeal the Supreme Court ruling, so that it doesn't have to do what the Mining Act requires of it during exploration.

BHP says "The Court decision creates significant practical difficulties, not only for resource companies but for landowners and banking institutions as well.”

So, all of a sudden, BHP has concerns for the landowners over whose freehold they thought they had supreme trampling rights? Why doesn't it have concern for the food production capabilities of this State? Or for the water contamination mining causes state wide? Or for the communities in which coal mining causes poor health?

We say that BHP only has concern for its own rights and all the rest is surely an April Fool!

Caroona Blockade Comes Down after 615 days.

Wednesday, 24 March 2010 00:00

Press release

This blockade has achieved its objective and the inadequacies of the old access regime have been exposed by Justice Schmidt's ruling in the Supreme Court.

We will not hesitate to put in place a new blockade wherever it is required, if any exploration or mining operations are authorised to proceed before proper, detailed scientific assessments are completed, to ensure that Liverpool Plains food production and the wider environment is protected.

We would like to thank everyone who has supported and participated in this blockade. However, the battle to protect prime agricultural land, its water supplies, our community and the environment continues, just watch this space!

Sky Not Falling In

Friday, 12 March 2010 16:51

Contrary to hysterical media reports from the mining industry this week, the sky is not going to fall in because of the Brown & Alcorn decision this week in the Supreme Court.

Her Honour Justice Schmidt effectively pointed out in her decision that the Mining Act was reasonable, sensible, and perfectly clear. However, the miners did not comply with it as they should, and now they are required to do so.

This issue is as much about blatant non-compliance with the Mining Act as it is about consulting all affected parties. Calls now for the Mining Act to be changed beg the question why have laws at all if there are no consequences for flouting them, and no government department is monitoring compliance?

In this situation, landholders and rural communities have become the de facto monitors (as many coal communities already know to their cost) and in our exploration case, the ONLY redress has been the courts.

We are certain that fair-minded people, who respect property rights, will think VERY poorly of politicians who, under pressure from mining lobbyists, seek to change the law to favour one interest group over another.

People that understand this issue realise how dangerous it is that a self-interested lobby group could approach the State government to get a law changed that protects the rights of an external party on a private land title.

CCAG live on ABC radio today.

Major Supreme Court win for CCAG

Friday, 05 March 2010 18:35

"I order that the decision of the Warden’s Court as well as the determination which accompanied it and the interim and final determinations of the arbitrator, be quashed and set aside." N.S.W. Supreme Court Justice Schmidt.

CCAG response. Full Decision transcript here.

'We thank all our supporters fighting for clean food and water supplies, and the Australian Farmers Fighting Fund (AFFF) for their support.'

Media: The Land, ABC radio, Leader, SMH , Australian

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Page 2 of 18

Food Fight

Latest from your foodbowl .....

Water study consultant appointed.

Qld introduces CSG information portal.

Qld proposes to quarantine land for food.

Water study reportedly referred to ICAC

Ministers confirm study funding after Ferguson visit.

Qld farmers organize to fight CSG expansion.

NSW Government legislation amendment
CCAG on miners deception
CCAG on exploration 'halt'

SOS Liverpool Plains urge buy back for Australia

NSW Government V's Supreme Court ruling-
Macdonalds new legislation here.
CCAG comments.
Greens position.
NSW Farmers comment
NSW Bar Association condemns cynical
move

Haystack Road Coal4 Breakfast - excellent latest newsletter regarding protection of Prime Ag Land in QLD

Blockade standdown -
NSW Greens support
NSW Farmers comment.

Supreme Court appeal - Decision here.
Tony Windsor MHR comments
NSW Greens comment

Abbott opposes mining before water study

Environmental Hazards of Oil & Gas Exploration

Commonwealth Intervention on MDB :-
CCAG supports commonwealth intervention of this vital resource.

Senate Food Enquiry :-
Peter Draper MP responds .
Tony Windsor MHR responds.
Senator Scott Ludlam responds.

Mine Field

3rd Sept Water Study process

20th June Court ruling released

1st June Local Council promotes mining

20st May Land Access Bill passed.

1st April BHP to appeal ruling. No joke!

24th Mar Blockade lifted. Thank you letter to all participants.

18th Mar Coalition says it intends to protect MDB floodplains and support Tony Windsor's Amendment to the Water Act.

10th Mar NSW Mining Council 'sky is falling' after CCAG court win. CCAG responds.

2nd Mar Coal V's Ag in Hunter Valley - mp3 audio debate here.

15th Feb CCAG in Mudgee visit - more water under threat.

3rd Feb Sir Lunchalot finally to visit Caroona in March. Expects silver service.....Details TBA.

14th Jan BHP seeking legal costs reimbursement after judgement handdown

6th Jan Court judgment on mining licence validity, ABC, SMH.

10th Dec Dr Van Stennis talks on coal particle pollution.

25th Nov Study consultants appointed.

24th Nov RiversSOS in landmark case with Planning to protect NSW water supplies

8th Nov Taste of the Plains @ Caroona

29th Oct Water study funding failure confirmed.

17th Oct Water study funding crisis?

1st Oct. Alan Jones talks to CCAG's spokesman Tim Duddy.

28th Sept Gunnedah- Senate hearings

18th Sept. Senate Enquiry into Food Production in Australia transcript.

17th Sept. Shenhua to snub Senate?

20th August. Senate enquiry calls for submissions

4th August. Local miner fined in court.
CCAG commences court actions.

20th July. ABC 4 Corners - 'The Good Earth'

& CCAG celebrates community blockade 1st anniversary.

16th July. Gunnedah Mining Warden again favours BHP in latest case.

July. Crikey Report: CSIRO scientists spruiking for the coal industry?. Seen at the blockade last week, Senators Joyce and Williams, MP Mark Coulton and various media crews.

24th June. Access arrangements decision to be taken to the Court of Appeal, with continuing AFFF support.

17th June. Senator questions Wong about exploration pollution.
Nationals put motion in Senate supporting prime agricultural land. Read a personal analysis of this motion here.

4th June. NSW Greens new bill to safeguard Prime Ag Land and Water to be debated. Read all about it and CCAG in Namoi Valley Independent coverage here and here.

28th May. Farmers and supporters considering further legal options. Macdonald 'conflicted' - Gunnedah Basin community appeals to Premier Rees. ABC report here

21st May. Mining Warden decision , as revealed to a packed Gunnedah Courthouse.

20th May. Senators visit Blockade and later hear submissions in Gunnedah.

18th May. Read CCAG's comments on the Water Study recommendations now under review by Minister MacDonald.

13th May. 'Landholders Dispute Information' in Quirindi Advocate. More of serial polluter BHP's poor practice revealed.

28th April. Final submissions were heard at the Gunnedah Mining Warden Court. Fifty CCAG supporters were in attendance. A decision is expected before end of May.

Gunnedah Mining Warden Court: transcripts of each day are available here Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5

Farmer takes fight to miner - SMH

In maybe the final Mining Warden court hearings before being superseded by Land and Environment court, in Gunnedah earlier in April, BHP and their legal representatives confronted landholders, for access to their land .Santos has ramped up its seismic testing and its PR, inviting selected locals on a 'no photography' tour of its drilling rig at Caroona.

The State Government commissioned consulting firm 'road tested' proposed water study Terms of Reference in meetings mid March in Tamworth, Gunnedah and Narrabri.
The document was enthusiastically critiqued by community participants for its lack of balance, its time and new data collection constraints, its avoidance of risk management and its ultimate irrelevance to Government policy.

In the NSW parliament Minister MacDonald responded robustly to recent events.

Where was the Blockade?