Showing posts with label Nymboida River. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nymboida River. Show all posts

Tuesday 25 October 2011

NSW North Coast antimony contamination makes it onto national television



From A Clarence Valley Protest on 22 October 2011:

21-22 October 2011 media coverage of NSW North Coast antimony contamination risks

The ABC TV program 7.30 NSW aired graphic footage of existing antimony contamination and canvassed the risks of reopening an old Wild Cattle Creek antimony mine in the Clarence River catchment.

It can be viewed here:
http://www.abc.net.au

The Sydney Morning Herald also addressed the issue of historic and recent contamination from the Hillgrove antimony mine:





Any concerned North Coast residents who may wish to express their opinions on the matter of mining in the environmentally sensitive Nymboida River section of the wider Clarence River catchment might like to consider emailing the following politicians:

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell MP at office@premier.nsw.gov.au
NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner at  office@deputypremier.nsw.gov.au and oxley@parliament.nsw.gov.au
NSW Minister for Resources and Energy Chris Hartcher at office@hartcher.minister.nsw.gov.au
NSW Minister for the North Coast Don Page at office@page.minister.nsw.gov.au
NSW Minister for the Environment Robyn Parker at Robyn.Parker@parliament.nsw.gov.au
NSW Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Brad Hazzard at office@hazzard.minister.nsw. gov.au
NSW Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing George Souris at office@souris.minister.nsw.gov.au
NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson at office@hodgkinson.minister.nsw.gov.au
NSW Duty MP for Clarence Rick Colless at rick.colless@parliament.nsw.gov.au.

NSW Leader of the Opposition John Robertson at blacktown@parliament.nsw.gov.au   
NSW Shadow Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Shadow Minister for Water, Shadow Minister for Energy Luke Foley at Luke.Foley@parliament.nsw.gov.au
NSW Shadow Minister for Planning, Infrastructure and Heritage Linda Burney at linda.burney@parliament.nsw.gov.au
NSW Shadow Minister for Resources and Primary Industries,  as well as Shadow Minister for Tourism Major Events Hospitality and Racing, Steve Whan at steve.whan@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Federal Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Tony Burke at Tony.Burke.MP@environment.gov.au
Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese at A.Albanese.MP@aph.gov.au

Federal Independent Member for Lyne Rob Oakeshott at robert.oakeshott.mp@aph.gov.au
Federal Independent Member for New England Tony Windsor at http://www.tonywindsor.com.au/contact.html

UPDATE:

The Greens called on the NSW Environment Minister, Robyn Parker, to explain why she told the ABC that testing on fish had been conducted, when the Department of Primary Industries said it had not.

Sunday 9 October 2011

Dorrigo Environment Watch on the subject of mining at Wild Cattle Creek

Stuttering Frog
Dorrigo Environment Watch is on a mission to raise community awareness of risks to human and environmental health. The following can be found on its website at

With 70% of NSW under mining exploration licences it seems no place is protected, regardless of known high conservation values and environmental legislation requirements.

There is considerable potential for endangered frogs to be at risk from renewed mining development on the Dorrigo Plateau. The site of the antimony deposit known as Wild
Cattle Creek is well known habitat of a number of rare and threatened frog species, in particular the Giant barred frog (Mixophyes iteratus) listed as nationally endangered
and the Stuttering Frog (Mixophyes balbus) listed as nationally vulnerable. These frogs and their habitat are supposedly protected by the Australian Government’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) and the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC).

Dorrigo Environment Watch has located both the Giant Barred frog and the Stuttering frog in the streams just below the current drilling activity zone. Frog surveys, conducted by DEW members with scientific and environmental education expertise, have been underway since November 2010, with the data validated by an independent frog expert and sent to the DECCW Wildlife Database Unit.

Under the EPBC there are no third party referral procedures for an individual or community group to report these frogs to and it seems that proponents such as Anchor Resources Ltd are required to ‘self assess’ as to whether they would be required to submit ‘notice of an action’ to the Australian Government. Similarly under the NSW Department of Industry and Investment, Anchor Resources drilling program was considered low impact and deemed not to require a ‘Review of Environmental Factors’. DEW considers that both the Australian and NSW Governments are failing in their legislative responsibilities to protect these nationally listed frogs and their habitat. In particular it is concerning how this exploration licence managed to avoid
any environmental assessment under either State or Australian legislation given that a quick Google search of ‘Wild Cattle Creek NSW and frogs’ leads straight to the Government web sites for threatened frog species.

As required under the EPBC Act, DEW has written to the NSW State Government requesting that they notify the Australian Government of the need to trigger the EPBC for this mining development site and for a Review of Environmental Factors to be undertaken.

As yet, the EPBC has not been triggered on any NSW mining exploration licences. Wild Cattle Creek Dorrigo provides both the NSW and Australian Governments an opportunity to use the legislation they have enacted to protect threatened species and to regain a balance of appropriate land use in rural Australia currently dominated by the mining sector.
Giant Barred Frog