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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Verdict keenly awaited

Thursday, 29 October 2009 08:48

The Land & Environment Court has reserved its decision in a landmark legal case which will decide if NSW Minister for Mineral Resources Ian Macdonald breached the Mining Act when he granted BHP Billiton its $100 million exploration licence over farmland at Caroona. The case was heard before Senior Judge Justice Preston.

In a two-day hearing in Sydney on 26 & 27 October, lawyers for CCAG argued that the Minister had failed to comply with the Act in a number of ways in issuing EL6505 to BHP. CCAG are seeking to have the licence declared invalid.

In his summing up, Mr Bruce McClintock SC for CCAG told the Judge: "There seems to have been a serious degree of confusion within the Department as to what was going on. It is extremely easy to comply with the relevant sections of the Mining Act and it is clear that the Minister has not done so."

A decision in this important case is expected before the end of the year.

CCAG Joint Win in Greens Best Community Campaign too

Thursday, 29 October 2009 00:00

At the 5th Greens Bad Developer Awards 2009 on 23rd October, CCAG were joint winners with Gwandalan-Summerland Point Action Group in the Regional division in recognition of our campaign against wholly inappropriate development on the Liverpool Plains.

The Gwandalan-Summerland Group received a resounding victory in the Land and Environment Court in September, fighting the Dept of Planning's Part 3A OK of the massive Catherine Hill Bay and Gwandalan residential developments. With GSPAG's side supported by the EDO, Justice Lloyd described the proposed land swap a "land-bribe" and threw out the development plans because there was "reasonable apprehension of bias" given that Mr Sartor had entered a memorandum of understanding and a deed with the developer.

We thank NSW Greens for their unstinting support and congratulate GSPAG on their win against this wholly unsound and fatally-flawed legislation.

Minister Macdonald Warns of Grave Threat to Food

Friday, 23 October 2009 17:35

The same minister who has willingly placed the Liverpool Plains under threat from coal and gas mining, is currently wringing his hands over the parlous state of the world's food security and urging farmers to grow more!

Whilst we welcome Mr Macdonald's acknowledgment of the looming problem, his gung-ho attitude to granting exploration licences to coal and gas mine the Liverpool Plains prime agricultural land food-bowl smacks of hypocrisy.

We ask the question - if Minister Macdonald is genuine on this issue, surely he would cease all mining-related activities until a comprehensive, independent water study is completed, and the grave risks to our food and water security posed by mining on these fertile lands are properly understood?

Troubled Waters

Friday, 16 October 2009 07:38

report The biennial report from the National Water Commission shows that Australia's water system reform continues to be plagued by "interstate bickering", "slow intergovernmental processes" and "states [that] lack adequate policy and implementation resources".

One of its key findings was however that "It should be assumed that groundwater and surface water are connected, unless it can be proved otherwise." Quite so. Roll on our Independent, Catchment-wide Water Study.

And in recognition of their undeniable impact on water resources, one of NWC recommendations was that "it's time to bring the mining industry into water planning processes".

Since the NSW Mining Act does not even mention the word "water" once, we applaud this approach!

Santos' Watery Presentation

Friday, 16 October 2009 07:37

LPSC Mining Consultative Ctte met with PR reps from Santos this Tuesday. Given the importance of the subject to the community, Santos were closely questioned about their expected water extraction, water quality, subsidence, their understanding of the interconnectivity of the MDB and GAB systems, the Mooki fault system and their plans for the salt produced.

A definitive answer was however given to one question: there will be 3 more 'community meetings' but they will be 'one-on-one's' only....where have we heard that before?

Coal Seam Gas-bagged

Saturday, 10 October 2009 06:34

Woodside Petroleum's CEO Don Voelte has raised industry and investor eyebrows alike with his critical assessment of CSG projects. He suggests, now that the "coal-seam euphoria" phase is over, that owners of CSG projects in Australia are "struggling" because the costs and technical requirements of this industry are much higher than initially estimated.

In particular, Mr Voelte candidly asked “What in the hell do you do with the water? You have to treat the water, and while some is clean, some is saline, some has magnesium and manganese and its really going to be a high-cost disposal issue".

Of course Voelte is a gas and oil man through and through, pushing LNG instead, but given his long experience, he knows a dud when he sees one and has, consequently, spent none of Woodside's cash on CSG.

BHP recycles: old approach now 'new'

Tuesday, 06 October 2009 19:01

Once again, "key stakeholders" have been sent a letter "seeking to understand [their] views about the possibility of establishing underground coal mining in the Caroona region" via face-to-face interviews ethics

, but this time with consultants brandishing a one page 'ethics guide'. So, the same old secrecy prevails - the ever hopeful 'divide and conquer' routine.

As we have always said, our community welcomes communication with BHP via public meetings, where all concerns, views and perspectives can be offered in the open. We are very confident that via such real community consultation, BHP and their high-priced helpers will be certain of "what other interests and concerns exist in the community and what [our] expectations are of [them]."

Real community consultation is what "key stakeholders" want. Bring it on.

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Page 7 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?