In a statement to the Gloucester Advocate following the meeting the Minister said that the NSW Government welcomes community feedback on mining issues.

“That’s why the Gloucester Exploration Project Community Consultative Committee has been meeting regularly in Gloucester, since February 2007 and provides a forum to address community concerns and to facilitate communication between the community and the company during this exploration project,” Minister Macdonald said.

The statement said that the Minister’s office will be contacting the community group in order to arrange a meeting on the issue and listen to their concerns.

GRIP president Gary Ferris said he welcomed the Minister’s promise of a meeting.

“We absolutely welcome any open discussion with the state government and with Gloucester Resources Ltd,” he said.

Mr Ferris said open discussion was needed so that the community could understand all the issues associated with the exploration licences and make informed decisions about the matter.

The Minister reiterated his earlier comments that at this stage the licences held by Gloucester Resources ltd were exploration licences, and not an approval to develop a mine.

“Any proposed mining in NSW is subject to a rigorous environmental assessment and transparent approval process by the Government.

“Mining and agriculture must co-exist. Mining is the lifeblood of many regional towns,” Minister Macdonald said.

Meanwhile, last week’s public meeting has prompted a flood of letters to the editor. See page 4 for details.