Baird should keep promise and stop Wallarah 2 coal mine

MEDIA RELEASE - 26 July 2016

The Greens NSW  mining spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham today called on Premier Mike Baird to intervene to stop the Wallarah 2 coal mine project on the Central Coast, after the Korean mining company KORES lodged an amended development proposal that builds a conveyor belt and alters the route of the rail spur to avoid having to reach an agreement with Aboriginal Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council.

“The Coalition made a solemn promise not to allow the Wallarah 2 coal mine to go ahead.  Former Premier Barry O’Farrell told a crowd that the mine would not go ahead “‘no ifs, no buts, a guarantee’, yet years later the Coalition government has failed to implement this promise,” said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

“This coal mine is a risk not only to the water catchment of the Central Coast, but to the credibility of the Liberal Party when it makes commitments to the electorate.   It should fulfil those commitments and reject the mine.

“The Korean Government has announced a restructure of its state owned resource companies that will see them withdraw from international resource projects, so it is unclear why the government should approve a mine plan for a company likely to leave the market.

“There is no need to build this coal mine.  The community are bitterly opposed.  The company doesn’t want to build it, it just wants an approval to sell.  It’s a dud mine, with no future that Mike Baird should knock on the head.

“The proposed coal conveyor belt and coal loading area are unacceptably close to the existing residential neighbourhood of Blue Haven and may impact on plans by the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council for residential development in the area.”

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