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?