Several hundred placard wielding members from many communities across NSW, including Gloucester, staged a peaceful protest outside the NSW Department of Planning’s Coal and Gas Forum in Singleton last week.
The protest was intended to highlight communities concerns about the cumulative impacts of mining and the compatibility of mining with other land uses
The Singleton Forum was the latest in the round of community and stakeholder forums being held in regional centres within the coal and gas “belt” to provide an opportunity for people to have an input into the development of a strategy to address land use, health and environmental issues associated with coal and coal seam gas development in NSW.
BGSP Alliance Chairperson, Graeme Healy, was at the forum.
He said the Coal and Gas Strategy is a belated attempt by the NSW Government to address widespread community anger about the massive expansion of the coal mining and coal seam gas industries across the state.
Approximately 500 people attended the Singleton Forum including a group of about 20 from Gloucester.
“It is easy to be cynical about this strategy and the fact that the first major coal seam gas project in NSW has been approved at the same time as this process is being undertaken encourages such cynicism. However it is an important opportunity, in the lead up to the state election, for communities to show the incoming government that these issues are not going away and that community input into the strategy should be maintained.”
It was announced at the Singleton forum that additional forums will be held in April in Gloucester and Mudgee in recognition of the impacts of mining expansion being experienced in those regions. Dates will be advised once the incoming Planning Minister has been consulted.
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