ALAN JONES with DREW HUTTON and CORINE FISHER ON THE PLANNING WHITE PAPER

Broadcaster Alan Jones came out with guns blazing against the Planning White Paper this week calling it "a nasty, dishonest strategy" and "a developer's wish list" that  favoured "profits over community wellbeing".

"You don't have to be Einstein to see this is a massive con", Jones said adding that the Planning Minister Brad Hazzard should be ashamed of himself

In what turned out to be a well researched address to his listeners, Jones explained how the O'Farrell Government had been elected on a promise to repeal the controversial Part 3A and return planning powers to communities. But this Planning White Paper had simply replaced Part 3A with Strategic Compatibility Certificates which give developers even more power to build apartment blocks in your neighbourhood or coal seam gas plants in your backyard.

Submissions to the White Paper have now closed but there is still time to tell the Minister that you object to the proposed system and want him to protect your democratic rights to have a say in development in your area.

Call Brad Hazzard on (02) 9228 5258, office@hazzard.nsw.gov.au
Barry O'Farrell, (02) 9228 5239, office@premier.nsw.gov.au

Hear Alan Jones and his guests Drew Hutton from Lock the Gate Alliance and Corinne Fisher from the Better Planning Network here:

alan ones, drew-hutoon and corinne-fisher
http://www.2gb.com/article/alan-jones-drew-hutoon-corinne-fisher

INGLENOOK UPDATE

Landowners in the Ilford/Running Stream area would have recently found a glossy brochure in their letterboxes from Centennial Coal. The Inglenook Exploration Project update featured a photograph of the spectacular view from Mt Vincent on the cover, a landscape that the company propose to dig up given half the chance. This sort of disingenuous promotion is just another example of the sort of propaganda that the company engages in to assuage the fears of locals and lull them into a false sense of security that the coal industry is somehow good for the environment. But we are not so stupid.

The new project manager, Alex Brown, has declined our invitation to speak with the community at a public meeting, as has the new mine manager at Charbon. We can only take heart in the information that they provide in the brochure about the downturn in the mining industry nationally and the mothballing of local mines such as Airly. The results of their exploration to date reveal that "The coal resource varies throughout the project area due to the location of the Project area on the Western fringe of the Sydney Coal Basin." We will ask for further explanation of this statement at the next Inglenook CCC.

In the meantime, you can view their brochure here:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=13f1b986e57f76aa&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui%3D2%26ik%3D8abe821496%26view%3Datt%26th%3D13f1b986e57f76aa%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbT9_q_PSS5nNMV7R80sOM8gXfLoMA

MOOLARBEN EXPANSION

The coal industry is addicted to profits at the expense of our future. And it is our moral duty to resist their efforts to expand.

There is a proposal on the table to extend the already vast Moolarben Mine on the edge of the Goulburn River National Park near Mudgee. The expannded operations over 5 years would extract 30 million more tonnes of coal which, when burned, would contribute unacceptable levels of CO2 into a global atmosphere already overburdened with carbon.

Submissions on this ludicrous proposal are due this Friday so please take a moment to read this guide and add your voice in opposition.

Submission of Objection

Title:      Moolarben Mine Stage 1 Modificiation 9 (Part3AMod)

Email:    sara.wilson@planning.nsw.gov.au

Due date: Friday 21 June 2013 (preferable if you can get a short objection in by this Fri 14 June)

Include your name and contact details (identify if you want these kept private)

Points for submission of objection:

1.     This proposed ‘modification’ is a major extension to the current approved Moolarben Mine.

2.     Proposal to extend existing mine footprint by 25% will disturb an additional 178 ha and create a super pit covering 886 ha

3.     Proposal to extend life of mine by 5 years to 2033 to extract additional 6 million tonnes per year will cause continued unsustainable environmental disruption through increased greenhouse gas emissions

4.     The extension will remove vegetated sandstone ridgeline habitat  100m, 60m and 30m high while increasing dust and noise impacts

5.     Clearing will destroy 171.4 ha of woodland including vegetation communities listed for protection under state and federal law. This is additional to the removal of 416.8 ha native vegetation in the current approval for Moolarben Stage 1.

6.     The extensive surface disturbance, open cut pits and overburden emplacement in close proximity to Moolarben Creek represents a significant threat to downstream water quality from sediment and salinity discharge into the headwaters of the Goulburn River.

7.     The proposed Water Management Plan requires the protection of water quality to be suspended on a regular basis

8.     The increased mine size will intercept additional overland and base flows to the Goulburn River

9.     ‘The Drip’ must be protected within Goulburn River National Park

More detail if you have the time:

Ecological Impacts:

Expanding the footprint of the 3 open cuts will result in the clearing of an additional 178 hectares of land, comprising 171ha of native forest and woodland, including 17.2ha of the White Box Yellow Box Blakely’s Red Gum Woodland, listed as endangered ecological community under the TSC Act (containing 16.5ha of the White Box Yellow Box Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland which is listed as a critically endangered ecological community under the EPBC Act), 154.2ha of other non-threatened native vegetation communities and 6.6ha of cleared land or exotic pasture.

Two threatened species recorded - the Eastern Cave Bat and a Brown treecreeper.

Moolarben history:  The mine has demonstrated inability to manage pollution incidents and has been fined a number of times for breaching existing conditions of approval. 

Increased traffic and trains, loss of more community in region, threat to Ulan School

STOP COBBORA COAL MINE

Another proposal for a coal mine in our broader area is on the table and your voice is needed to help stop it.

Cobbora Coal Mine should not proceed because the burning of coal contributes massively to climate change, the most serious issue of our times.

Please take a moment to inform yourself about the project and sign this petition:


http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/stop-cobbora-coal-mine

Planning White Paper - submissions due June 28

The State Government wants to take away your right to have a say on development in your area.

It's an attack on local democracy that must be stopped.

One simple thing you can do to make sure your voice is heard is to make a submission.

RSWUA is an affiliate member group of the Better Planning Network which has put together a very good submission template.

Please take a moment to read it and add your name to the growing list of concerned citizens of NSW.

http://betterplanningnetwork.good.do/nsw/email-your-state-mp-3/