Porkie Pies – Olympic Edition August 08

The Worst of the Mining Companies, PR agencies, NSW government spin

Ø Gold medal winner: Nikki Williams, CEO Minerals Council 

 (aka “Mining Spin Central”)

For her latest porkie-laden fairytale in the Northern Daily Leader (11/08/08) that: “mining and other land users happily coexist.” 

Tell that to the farmers who’s water supplies have dried up; to the farming communities whose health has been affected; to the towns that become fragmented by the “fly-in, fly out” workers; to the councils who can’t fix the roads fast enough from heavy truck damage; to the farmers and communities outside the mine licence devastated by noise, dust and pollution for which the mines bear no responsibility. Have a look at the Hunter Valley with its piles of toxic broken rock pretending to be soil with no natural drainage; at the ponds full of acid water leaking heavy metals and massive amounts of salt into the water supplies. Coal mining ruins everything it touches and other land users are anything but happy….for hundreds of years to come.

Ø Silver medal winner: Minister for Mines Ian McDonald

This serial porkie pier could only make second this time for: “The awarding of this exploration licence [Watermark] will benefit the local area and the state…It will generate funding for infrastructure and services such as hospitals, schools and roads.”

Nonsense Mr MacDonald and you know it. Even the pro-mining mayor of Gunnedah complained that mining hasn’t done much for local areas. The awarding of this licence only fuels the broke NSW governments addiction to easy money. The only infrastructure that benefits will be for the new rail link to carry more coal. The hospitals will definitely need more money spent to counter the effects of toxic coal dust and mining on the surrounding population. How much money does mining COST our health services? That is the question the community and GPs in Singleton want answered so dismayed are they at the soaring levels of ill-health.

Ø Bronze medal winner: Andrew Stoner, MP, Leader of NSW Nationals

Normally much more used to coming last, Stoner has managed to slink into 3^rd place this month for his totally unsubstantiatable nonsense in the Northern Daily Leader (29/07/08)

“We believe it is possible for mining to avoid the aquifers in the Liverpool Plains.” We have asked Mr Stoner on what he bases this understanding…a deafening silence has been the result. We are deeply underwhelmed at the Nationals grasp of this important country issue. No wonder people believe them to be “missing in-inaction”.