Clarence Catchment Alliance thanks its supporters in the fight to stop mineral mining on land within the Clarence River catchment area

 

Some of those supporting the Clarence Catchment Alliance on 17 March 2023. IMAGE: supplied

The Clarence Catchment Alliance was thrilled with the support received during their ‘ban on mining in the Clarence Catchment pledge signing’ event in Yamba last Friday. At the same time, they and the community were disappointed by the absence of two key candidates’ signatures.

The event provided a public platform for candidates from all over the Clarence catchment, state and federal MPs, Elders, and community leaders, to sign the pledge presented by the CCA, committing them to the common goal of banning mineral mining in the Clarence catchment.

The event was a wonderfully positive morning of solidarity, with the public witnessing those individuals and parties that are fully dedicated to saving our rivers, protecting our water, and caring for our catchment. Neighbouring candidates from Coffs, Lismore, and the Northern Tablelands, as well as Traditional Owners from Yaegl and Sue Higginson, Greens member in the Legislative Council, joined 6 Clarence candidates and signed the pledge.

The following individuals publicly signed the commitment:

• Sue Higginson - NSW Greens Member of Legislative Council

• Greg Clancy - Greens Party

• Brett Duroux - Indigenous Australia Party

• Nicki Levi - Independent

• Debra Novak - Independent

• Mark Rayner - Legalize Cannabis Party

• William Walker - CEO Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation

• Dianne Chapman - Manager Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation

• Tihema Elliston - Coffs Harbour - Legalise Cannabis Party

• Tim Nott - Coffs Harbour - Greens Party

• Vanessa Rosayro – Lismore - Animal Justice Party

• Alison Waters - Lismore - Animal Justice Party

Leon Ankersmit, Labor candidate for Clarence was in attendance but did not sign the pledge. He is on record verbally, as supportive of the CCA’s call to ban mining here, but party politics stopped him from committing in writing which was disappointing.

Richie Williamson, Nationals, did not attend the event and did not take up the CCA’s offer to sign the pledge digitally. Although on record verbally as ‘anti-mining in the Clarence,’ Richie’s decision to not sign may be due to his party's support of, and promotion of investment in, mineral mining in regional NSW.

In written correspondence received by the CCA on 16.3.23, the NSW Government, on behalf of the

Hon. Anthony Roberts Nationals MP and Minister for Planning, and the Hon. James Griffin Liberal

MP and Minister for Environment and Heritage stated:

“The NSW Government is aligned with the NSW Minerals Strategy and is therefore not proposing a prohibition of mining activities in the Clarence Valley at this time.”

Individuals that were unable to attend, but signed the pledge digitally are as follows:

• David Shoebridge - Senator for NSW Greens

• Kevin Hogan - Federal Member for Page Nationals

• Cate Faehrmann - NSW Greens member

• Janelle Saffin - Member for Lismore Labor

• Tamara Smith - Member for Ballina Greens

• Troy Cassar Daley - Country Music legend

• Aunty Lenore Parker - Yaegl Matriarch

• Uncle Ron Herron - Yaegl Elder

• Frances Belle Parker - Artist

• Surfers for Climate

• Surfrider Australia

• Revive the Northern Rivers

• Clarence Valley - Koala Working Group

• Elizabeth O'Hara - Northern Tablelands Candidate Greens

• Susie Herder - Tweed Candidate Animal Justice Party

The CCA wishes to thank each of the signatories, and those members of the public that attended last Friday and hope that constituents of this beautiful region use their vote to protect local water and the rivers the community so heavily relies on.

The alliance will be following up again with the NSW government once the election is over and ministerial roles are settled and launching their second petition in the coming months.

If you would like to volunteer with the Clarence Catchment Alliance please email

stopcangaimine@gmail.com.

Signing the CCA Pledge on 17 March 2023
IMAGE: supplied

On Saturday 25 March 2023 are you voting for the Clarence River system and the towns, villages and businesses which depend on its waters? Here are some of the community groups & candidates who think you should

 

Nymboida River, one of the twenty-four tributaries of the Clarence River and the principal source of drinking water for most residents in Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour City local government areas. IMAGE: Arden E, YouTube 2015

The Clarence Valley’s rich biodiverse landscapes have nurtured and supported generations beyond count and down the years communities — as well as the grass roots organisations they support — across the Clarence River Catchment have worked hard to protect that which gives them life and livelihoods.

Because in places such as the Clarence Valley with its variable river systems; the aesthetic, environmental, social, cultural and economic values of its communities are intertwined. Healthy rivers, clear running creeks, intact temperate & subtropical close & open forests along with ancient remnants of the Gondwanaland forests, arable soils found in smaller valleys and the larger floodplain, as well as a long coastal zone providing tourism opportunities, all combine to provide a population of est. 54,180 men, women and children living in the catchment area with a solid local economy which keeps the local government area vibrant and its over 4,000 businesses productive. Businesses whose products and services make up est. 17 per cent of the wider Northern Rivers regional economy. [Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021, idcommunity 2021]

Make no mistake. The Clarence Valley relies on the fact that its air is fresh, free-flowing waters clean, main primary industries sustainable and its landscapes pleasing to the eye of tourists. For without those four things the Clarence Valley regional economy would not be worth anything like the over $2 billion it is consistently valued at despite the ongoing pressures of war in Ukraine and global pandemic [National Institute of Economic and Industry Research 2021].

It is also not just Clarence Valley residents that rely on good stewardship being applied to land and waters within the Clarence catchment area. An est. 78,738 people and 6,174 businesses in Coffs Harbour City local government area rely on the urban water infrastructure within Clarence Valley local government area to supply them with town water.

However, constantly growing population pressure and the commercial interests of often large-scale and/or state-sponsored industries (particularly construction, mining & forestry) has seen Clarence catchment landscapes being altered in ways that are becoming destructive.

Forestry now covers 20 per cent of Clarence River Catchment land and by 2022 there were a total of 18 existing mineral and gold mining leases, along with more than 41 mining exploration leases, in the catchment area. [NSW Government, Industry NSW, 2022] It should be noted that mining leases are on the traditional lands of three First Nations peoples.

Under threat are the streams, creeks and rivers which feed the longest coastal river on the Australian east coast, the Clarence River. Also under threat are the remaining tracts of native forest, as well as the tree cover on the Clarence Catchment’s steep hills which help anchor rock and soil to the hillsides and prevent it sliding down and choking the waterways that weave their way among them.

Since the 1990s there have been a number of government contracted reports concerning the Clarence Basin and its waterways. All have highlighted concerns still held today and largely unaddressed – the risks that mining activity, large scale forestry, soil erosion and water turbidity pose to the environment and waterways of the Clarence Basin.

Right now in March 2023 Clarence electorate residents have the opportunity to make their voices heard when they cast their votes this coming Saturday at the NSW State Election.

On Friday morning 17 March 2023 the Clarence Catchment Alliance (CCA) — a non-partisan, not-for-profit, community volunteer group established in 2018 as a response to increased mining exploration activity — held a press conference close to Whiting Beach, Yamba.

Clarence Catchment Alliance had invited members of the media, sitting MPs, candidates standing at next week’s state election, representatives from other community & business groups, as well as members of the public as observers, to this event.

The purpose of the press conference was to draw attention to the growing alarm about mineral extraction projects within the Clarence River catchment and any expansion of this activity across its 24 sub-catchments.

The event began with a Welcome to Country by Yaegl emerging elder Diane Randall, the press conference taking place on traditional Yaegl lands.

It was followed by an introduction from Shae Fleming one of the CCA organisers and then went onto comments by various speakers from other groups including the Clarence Environment Centre and the Yamba District Chamber of Commerce. Brief presentations were made by candidates standing in the Clarence electorate as well as candidates standing in Coffs Harbour and Lismore electorates. There was a general consensus that the waters of the Clarence River catchment area needed to be protected.

Unfortunately the Nationals candidate for Clarence, Richie Williamson, did not attend. However, given the strong pro-mining, pro-barely regulated land clearing, pro-native timber harvesting and pro-state and private forestry policies and practices of the Nationals as partner in successive NSW Coalition governments, that is hardly surprising.

What was surprising was the rider added by the Labor candidate for Clarence to his general support of protecting the Clarence catchment area. Leon Ankersmit stated that the Labor Party would not allow him to sign the CCA pledge of support as the party was in favour of mining in Northern New South Wales.

The following is a brief summary of concerns articulated by some of those that spoke at the press conference, in no particular order.

JOHN EDWARDS (Clarence Environment Centre): It’s not coal or iron that worries me – it’s heavy metal mining. Ore get trucked from mine sites but processing minerals begins at the mine. The evaporation ponds produce a toxic sludge which permanently contaminates the soil and remediation is merely covering that soil with more soil. Leaving a time bomb behind when the mining company leaves. (Signed the CCA pledge)

SUE HIGGINSON (Greens MLA): The community here worked hard to shut down the Timbarra Gold Mine after it leaked cyanide into the Clarence River. However mining leases are still being granted in river catchments. Local seafood, dairy, sugar cane, livestock, crops, and tourism, and the industries that serve them, need clean water. (Signed the CCA pledge)

SHAE FLEMING (Clarence Coastal Alliance): We already have healthy water based industries here. They need protecting. (Signed the CCA pledge)

JAMES ALLAN (current President, Yamba Chamber of Commerce): Degradation of our waterways leads to degradation of our businesses. I support No Mines in the Clarence catchment. There are few jobs in mining. Re-opening the Drake mine would only create fifty jobs. (Signed the CCA pledge)

BRETT DUROUX (Indigenous Australia Party candidate for Clarence): I grew up in Cangai, raised in the old ways. The bush is a place of beauty and healing for so many people. Miners needs are not as important as our needs. My response to proposals to mine in the Clarence Valley is “NEVER!” (Signed the CCA pledge)

NICKI LEVI (Independent candidate for Clarence): Water is sacred, water is precious, water is life. Our priorities should be to protect the air in the Richmond Valley and water in the Clarence Valley. (Signed the CCA pledge)

DEBRA NOVAK (Independent candidate for Clarence & current Clarence Valley councillor): If elected I pledge to lobby hard for a moratorium on mineral mining just as we successfully did with coal seam gas mining. Nothing is more important than protecting the water. (Signed the CCA pledge)

GREG CLANCY (Greens candidate for Clarence & current Clarence Valley Council Deputy-Mayor): I have been protesting against threats to the rivers for a long time. Mining in this wonderful environment is “not on”. Parts of the Mann River are already dead zones because of previous mining ventures. (Signed the CCA pledge)

LEON ANKERSMIT (Labor candidate for Clarence): I’m proud of the sustainable industries that rely on a healthy river like prawning and fishing. Our land is precious and its such an important job to protect our river. (Refused to sign CCA pledge)

MARK RAYNOR (Legalise Cannabis Party candidate for Clarence): We need to find new industries and new crops not start new mines. (Signed the CCA pledge)

TIM NOTT (Greens candidate for Coffs Harbour): Mining is being done the wrong way - mining near waterways produces industrial level pollution. (Signed the CCA pledge)

ALISON WATERS (Animal Justice Party candidate for NSW Upper House representing Northern NSW): They are our waterways and our catchments. We need to protect them. (Signed the CCA pledge)

VANESSA ROSAYRO (Animal Justice Party candidate for Lismore): Mining just doesn’t affect our lives. It affects marine and plant life and the lives of local animals. (Signed the CCA pledge)

Background

MINERAL MINING IN THE CLARENCE CATCHMENT: Clarence Catchment Alliance is holding a media conference at Whiting Beach Carpark, 9am Friday 17 March 2023

 

Click on image to enlarge

NSW Nationals MLA for Clarence Chris Gulaptis intends to fight against community and Clarence Valley Council opposition to mining in the Clarence River catchment

 

Original Image: The Daily Telegraph

The employment history of NSW Nationals MLA for Clarence & Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry Chris Gulaptis (left) shows that from 2006-2007 he was involved with Land Partners Limited (formerly Aspect North & KFM Partnership) – a company which participated in the planning, design and construction phases of the Eastern Gas Pipeline in 1999-2000.

It also shows commencing around 2009 and presumably finishing when he won NSW Nationals pre-selection for the Clarence by-election in 2011, he was a senior operations manager for Brazier Motti Pty Ltd engineering and mining surveyors in Mackay, Queensland – a position he used to enthusiastically support the mining industry.

In 2007, 2012 and 2013 Gulaptis supported coal seam gas exploration on the NSW North Coast - including in the Clarence Valley.

The Berejiklian Government of which Gulaptis is a member is subsidisng mining exploration. Currently it has granted Perth-based Corazon Mining Limited a reimbursement of 50 per cent of per-metre drilling costs, up to a maximum of $200,000 with regard to its cobalt-copper-gold exploration lease near Mt. Gilmore (approximately 25km northwest of Grafton) in the Clarence River catchment area as part of the state's New Frontiers Cooperative Drilling program. 

So this comes as no surprise......

Clarence Valley Independent, 18 August 2021:

VOICES FOR THE EARTH

Political Inconsistency

The Clarence Catchment Alliance (CCA) has campaigned strongly for the past three years, educating the community on the potential threats posed by mining to our Clarence Valley environment, particularly water quality.

During that campaign, CCA volunteers diligently collected over 10,000 signatures on a petition calling for a ban on mining in the Clarence River catchment. That petition has been tabled in State Parliament and is scheduled for debate.

The Clarence Valley Council’s motion calling on the State Government to impose a moratorium on mining within the LGA, would have been partially prompted by that campaign, and the community support it generated.

The CCA took their concerns, via Zoom, to local State Member, Mr Gulaptis, on 23rd April, where he vigorously argued that mining should be allowed, with any risks effectively managed by the stringent conditions that would be imposed. He also indicated he would be speaking to the Parliamentary debate, arguing against a ban on mining in his electorate.

So, when reading the ‘Northern Star’ the following day, specifically its article on the Dunoon Dam debate, the CCA team could be excused for being more than a little perplexed. The reason being, that on the very same day that Mr Gulaptis belittled the CCA’s campaign, and dismissed its 10,000-signature petition as NIMBYism, he is quoted as stating:

“… it is vital our communities have a clean and reliable water source.”, and then finished with: “It is often said that local government is the government closest to the people. Clearly that is not the case of the five elected councillors (that voted against the Dunoon Dam proposal) in this instance, who are ignoring the will of more than 10,000 constituents”.

Mr Gulaptis had previously been strongly critical of Clarence Valley Council, when it took notice of the more than 10,000 people who signed the CCA’s petition, and called on the State Government to impose a moratorium on mining.

It seems that some politicians only feel a need to consider the will of their constituents if it happens to agree with their own philosophy.

- John Edwards

Clarence Valley community firm in its resistance to mining in the Clarence River catchment area - over 10,000 strong petition on its way to NSW Parliament today

Upper Clarence River catchment in flood, March 2021

It is in steep country such as this that Deputy Premier John Barilaro and the NSW Nationals want to establish mining ventures & associated unstable mining waste hillside tailing dams.

IMAGE: The Daily Telegraph

Clarence Catchment Alliance, media release, 5 May 2021:

The Clarence community and the Clarence Catchment Alliance's fight to stop mining in the water catchment gets a big leap forward on Friday the 7th May.

Standing beside the Clarence River, at the Lawrence Hall, at 3 PM this Friday, NSW Legislative Council Member the Hon Catherine Cusack will receive the Alliance's petition of well over 10,000 signatures against mining. She will subsequently present the petition to the NSW Legislative Council for debate in Parliament.

The petition calls for a to stop exploration and new mineral mining in the Clarence water catchment. Australian and international evidence proves that mineral mining besides waterways has a horrific track record. The chemicals used in the process as well as acidic tailings in high rainfall areas pollute waterways.

The Clarence Catchment provides drinking water for the Valley and neighbouring shires, as well as water for the agricultural, pastoral, fishing industries, and tourism. Our rivers and waterways are home to endangered species, unique ecology and are of high spiritual and cultural significance to local Traditional Owners.

Getting the 10,000 plus signatures has been a two year undertaking by volunteers of the Clarence Catchment Alliance, which is a non-political community organization, and their supporters.

In recent months, the Clarence Valley Council has passed two motions against mining, which gives parliament a precedent for action.

Last year, Ms Cusack crossed the floor in parliament in favour of the protection of koalas and their habitat.

The Clarence Catchment Alliance will present Ms Cusack with the petition on Friday with the Mayor and respected community leaders in attendance.

For more information please follow this link: https://linktr.ee/Nominesclarencevalley

Shae Fleming and Elizabeth Parker

Campaign Coordinators

Clarence Catchment Alliance

CLARENCE CATCHMENT ALLIANCE

PO Box 4089, Lawrence, NSW 2460

stopcangaimine@gmail.com

For more information on our campaign please visit

Web: https://linktr.ee/Nominesclarencevalley

Instagram: @nominesclarencevalley

Facebook: Clarence Catchment Alliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6sKa2GGFGjrXLigbUNJW1A

Soundcloud: CCA Clarence Valley

I acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians of the lands on which we live the Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr, and Yaegl nations.

~~~~~~~~~~ENDS~~~~~~~~~~