June2009
Cameron Supports Caroona Concerns in Senate
Senator Doug Cameron, Federal Senator for NSW, roundly supported the people of the Liverpool Plains in his impassioned speech to the Senate this Wednesday. He revealed that he had received “numerous pieces of correspondence from concerned citizens”, and read out excerpts from five of them.
He said “an independent, catchment-wide study of the water structure of the region needs to happen, and it needs to happen soon….before any mining commences”. We certainly agree, as we wait, with cautious optimism for the NSW Government to agree to the Terms of Reference of the proposed Water Study.
We thank him for visiting, his understanding of the critical issues at stake and his support for farming on our Prime Agricultural Land. Read the relevant Hansard speech here.
Senators for Food Production
Following an extensive tour of Liverpool Plains’ Prime Agricultural Land, the Senate Committee for Food Production heard submissions on various aspects of food production on Tuesday. The Senators and a packed gallery of 40 people, heard submissions on the quality and productivity of the soil, the management of the water, how clean food will be contaminated by coal and gas mining and personal reports of how mining and agriculture do not coexist successfully.Organic farmer, Geoff Brown, explained how producing clean food for his fellow man is his life’s work and how he is working to make our good black soil even better on his farm, whilst Robert Hunter QC spoke at length on the need for common sense to prevail in such a productive farming area. Chair of the Committee, Senator Heffernan stated that ‘no mining should start until the … Read More »
Santos spin fails to convince Blackville
With questions to be answered later, lack of guarantees as to environmental concerns, dodging of subsidence issues and no hard information on their gas or water finds, or what they will do with up to 20,000l/hr of saline coal seam water potentially produced here, those at the Blackville community meeting remain unconvinced that farming and coal seam gas extraction can co-exist safely on the Liverpool Plains. Santos were keen to distance themselves from other mining companies operating in the region and that their staff took full responsibility for the technical competence of the deep drilling processes. When questioned on the mud-volcano accident in Java, where Santos sold its stake after the environmental disaster displaced many thousands of people, or what Santos would do 20 years from now when the gas was exhausted, if subsidence did occur or water resources were … Read More »
Court decision favours mining over farming
Farmers fighting to protect the Liverpool Plains from the impacts of large-scale mining say a decision by the Chief Mining Warden only confirms that NSW planning and approval processes overwhelmingly favour mining over the environment.
BHP Billiton were granted access to drill despite four land holders raising serious concerns about the environmental risks of BHP’s operations.
Read more about this David and Goliath battle here.
Minister Macdonald needs to substantiate figures
Interviewed recently Ian Macdonald, Minister for Primary Industries and Mineral Resources (amongst others) cited 3000 jobs from mining would be generated in the Caroona area. We ask him to substantiate these figures. We ask him how many agricultural jobs and tiers of agro-business will be lost as a result of farmers and their families leaving. With mines closing all over Australia, qualified miners being thrown out of work with little notice and places like mine-filled Muswellbrook suffering one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the country, we wonder just where does he get his figures from?.
Truth Will Out
A senior BHP Billiton executive has revealed that despite the company’s repeated public assurances that it has no intention of mining underneath the precious black soils and aquifers on the Liverpool Plains, it may change that position in the future.
The cat is out of the bag, as the community always suspected. Read an excerpt of the interview with ABC New England’s Kelly Fuller here.
Publications
Current Newsletter here July 2010
July 2010 October 2009 June 2009 May 2009 August 2008 May 2008 October 2007 March 2007 December 2006
CCAG Fact Sheet here (2010)
Media Releases
CCAG on Blockade and Greens support
Water Study Call and June 2008 Media Release
Print your own stickers to support us!”For car windows, bumper, mailboxes, wherever.
Use Avery Labels DL01 for A4, or plain paper and tape. Just click on either image below to start download.
IT’S A CRIME TO MINE THE LIVERPOOL PLAINS
– COAL IS A BIG BLACK HOLE FOR FOOD
Felton
With similar issues to CCAG, Friends of Felton held a successful protest in Toowoomba recently, armed with wheelbarrows full of vegetables. Click on the links below, please leave a comment to keep the stories alive on the web.
http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/general/qld-election-pressure-in-farming-vs-mining-row/1460480.aspx?src=enews
http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/general/greens-back-farmers-against-coal-takeover/1460472.aspx?src=enews
SOS Liverpool Plains
Our mission is to support CCAG by raising awareness of the real effects of coal mining: on the people; the workers; the communities; the rivers; the land and the air surrounding these developments. To raise the facts to the light and let people decide – to reinvigorate democracy and negate the morally-corrupt 3A Planning Law which seeks to destroy it.
Who we are:-
We represent country and city women from all walks of life – business women, wives, mothers, teachers,
medics, scientists, accountants, IT professionals and grandmothers – who support the Caroona Coal Action Group and the work of RiversSOS, real people who resolutely campaign against the destruction of this country’s most precious resource after its people – WATER.
We want to make people aware how little the NSW government does to enforce environmental remediation; how there are … Read More »
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