The Hon. Dr. Peter 'Waste of Space' Phelps MLC

Excerpt from Queensland Government pest plant fact sheet for Eragrostis curvula:

A native of southern Africa, this grass was probably first introduced to Australia by accident as a contaminant of pasture seed. Different cultivars of this grass have also been used as a soil stabiliser in erosion-control situations.

African lovegrass has been planted in different locations throughout south-east Queensland and has naturalised in all Australian states in acidic, red and especially sandy soils.

African lovegrass produces vast quantities of seeds, which quickly develop into a large viable seed bank, making the plant very difficult to eradicate. It is extremely competitive with other pasture species and is an aggressive invader, quickly overtaking sparse, overgrazed or poor quality pastures, particularly in sandy soils.

African lovegrass can form dense monocultures up to 1.2 m high. This can create large fuel loads in the dry months, posing a fire hazard and creating competition with native species regeneration.

The NSW Industry and Investments website states that overall carrying capacity is reduced when there is dense African Love Grass infestation.

So what does NSW Legislative Council Government Whip Peter Phelps MLC have to say in the 1 May debate on the Noxious Weeds Amendment Bill 2012 when lovegrass gets a mention? Why he asks; Can you smoke it?

Keerrong & The Channon Says No To CSG: becomes first NSW North Coast community to lock its land and roads

http://youtu.be/o7C4ousqB4E

Hundreds of committed citizens of Keerrong and The Channon form a human map of our roads and creeks. The legal system and governments have failed us. Now we're taking a stand. We won't let gas miners contaminate our water, air and land with toxic chemicals. Through grass-roots public meetings and surveys, we reached a 99% majority decision to close our roads and valleys to Coal Seam Gas mining. We're saying to the miners: 'You're not coming here'. As we present the CSG-free road declarations to our mayor, we celebrate the strength of community. This video launches the CSG-free Community Strategy in the Northern Rivers, NSW Australia. We're taking back our communities from the gas miners.

To find out how to make your community CSG Free, go to http://www.csgfreenorthernrivers.org

Second National Rural Regional Law and Justice Conference, 18-20 May 2012 at Coffs Harbour, NSW

The Second National Rural Regional Law and Justice Conference is to be hosted by University of New England in collaboration with Deakin University School of Law.

This national conference has a triple focus:

• On sharing knowledge amongst attendees with different professional backgrounds and concerns, but a shared interest in the future of rural and regional Australia
• On critical analysis of issues and problems
• On practical strategies for delivering greater social justice for rural and regional communities

Dates: 18 - 20 May 2012
Venue: Aanuka Beach Resort, Coffs Harbour, NSW

Registrations:
Early Bird: $300 close 23 March 2012
Standard: $395 close 20 April 2012
Register for the conference today.

Keynote speakers listed here.

More information:
Visit the National Rural/Regional Law and Justice Conference website.

The mining boom is an unmitigated good in the eyes of many and further proof that Australia is indeed the lucky country. But it is not luck shared by all. Farming, mining and Indigenous communities are amongst those many Australians suffering its downside. Its economic benefits frequently fly over these communities, leaving them only with its adverse social and environmental impacts.

Several speakers at the 2nd National Rural and Regional Law and Justice Conference will take up these issues. National leader writer for The Australian and research scholar at ANU, Paul Cleary has subjected the impacts of the mining boom to the sternest scrutiny in his best selling 'Too Much Luck: The Mining Boom and Australia's Future' and the forthcoming 'Mine-Field: The Dark Side of Australia's Resources Frenzy'. His keynote address will look at the implications of the boom for rural and regional communities.

There will also be a ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to listen (and speak) to the leading US commentator on rural democracy and justice, Jim Hightower.  Author of 5 popular books, 2 times Texas Agriculture Commissioner, and one of the most informative and entertaining commentators on rural affairs in the USA, Jim brings a hard-hitting viewpoint that will make everyone think. Jim Hightower speaks for the interests of rural communities across the USA, and broadcasts daily radio commentaries that are carried in more than 150 commercial and public stations, on the web, and on Radio for Peace International.  Jim will be talking about challenges faced by rural communities in Australia and the USA, ‘fracking’ and farming, and the power games that impact on farming communities.

The program features a range of speakers who will explore issues concerning mining development in rural and regional communities, and the role of the law in managing such conflict. The justice and equity issues of mining developments, and the impact these have on communities, will be debated in several thought-provoking and engaging sessions, including:
·         Professor Kerry Carrington, Queensland University of Technology: The social and criminological impact of mining development on rural communities
·         Adam Edwards, University of New England: Grass v Gas: The role of private nuisance in agriculture / mining land use conflict
·         Tony Meacham, University of Southern Queensland: 20 Years after Mabo – Is there any more certainty for pastoralists, miners, and Indigenous people?
·         Dr Jacqueline Williams, University of New England, and Sue Higginson, Environmental Defender’s Office: Mining: Coming to a farm near you

[Email from Jacqueline Williams, BAppSc MAppSc PhD, Senior Researcher AgLaw Centre University of New England]

So who wants to mine our backyard?

http://www.minerals.nsw.gov.au/mv2web/mv2?cmd=MainMap&topic=ttl

On 9 March 2012 the NSW Aboriginal Land Council announced it had applied for three Petroleum Special Prospecting Authority licences - about 49km ESE  White Cliffs (approx.. 368,340 sq km area), six kilometres SSE  Murwillumbah (approx.1,330 sq km area) and about 45km SSW Grafton (approx.47,040 sq km area). Murwillumbah and Grafton are on the NSW Far North Coast.

The  Murwillumbah  application PSPAPP 55 runs from the Dorroughby, Rosebank, Federal region right up through the ranges to the NSW-QLD border. The much larger Grafton application PSPAPP 56 roughly covers an inland area which goes from the Stanthorpe-Tenterfield region in the north to past Armidale in the south – extending across to the coastal zone from Mount Tucabia and Yamba in the north, Coffs Harbour midway, down to just above Crowdy Head.

So it was of more than passing interest to find that on the same day The Sydney Morning Herald reported a spokesperson stating that NSWALC already had a joint venture partner who apparently did not wish to be identified:

''Our initial geology studies are showing their potential is enormous. This is a paradigm shift.''

The council had a joint venture partner that would provide most of the cash and expertise required to follow any petroleum exploration and extraction through, he said. He would not identify the partner. Profits would be split equally. None of the titles fell on land owned by Aboriginal people, he said.

By 13 March 2012 The Daily Examiner was revealing a lack of consultation with local land councils:

NORTH Coast Aboriginal community leaders have sought to distance themselves from a plan by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council to apply for licenses to explore for petroleum and coal seam gas in the region……

But Ngaraakwal/Ngarangwal elder Harry Boyd has called for a public inquiry into the decision, describing it as a "back room deal" which was made without consultation.

"The matter of the NSW Land Council signing-off on petrol exploration licenses means for us, all of us, the entire community, a rubber stamp on coal seam gas," Mr Boyd said.

"But my people and I speak for most of the 'blackfellas' in the Northern Rivers here, (and) we were not present at the signing of any agreements.

"We were not consulted by the Land Council ... and we have not been represented by the Land Councils for many years."

He said those who signed the "back room documents" needed to explain themselves to the people of the North Coast.

"This matter needs to be opened up for public inspection as it affects us all," he said.

"We want those people ... to explain to us what ground they are standing on.

"All of this leads to confusion for everyone and it upsets my people who still consider the ground sacred.

"The land councils are meant to protect the culture, not just do deals."

Mr Boyd said he made it clear to Federal Government representatives in April that Aboriginal people of the North Coast did not want coal seam gas.

"Our unborn spirits are in the underground water, and we consider this industry as a great offence," he said.

Mr Boyd's comments were supported by Arakwal community representative Gilbert King.

Mr King said the proposal potentially affected the traditional land of his people, but that they were not consulted in the decision.

Bundjalung elder and Gugin Guddaba Local Aboriginal Land Council deputy chairwoman Patsy Nagas also said her group were strongly opposed to the development of coal seam gas in the region.

Also on 13 March 2012 ABC North Coast NSW confirmed another LALC which had not been consulted:

The Tweed-Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council says it's surprised by its state counterpart's application for petroleum exploration licences on the north coast

The chairman of a local Aboriginal land council on the state's far north coast says he wasn't consulted about plans to mine in the area.

ABC Indigenous  indicated that the unease was felt further afield:

A far west Aboriginal elder says local indigenous communities still haven't been consulted about the NSW Aboriginal Lands Council's plan to invest in the mining industry….

Doctor Beryl Carmichael, an elder of Ngiyaempaa country, said local Aboriginal people weren't told about the plan.

"There's been no consultation, with the grass root people, nor the custodians of this country," she said.

"And I think they should have had the decency to let us know, indicate something to us, that this was going on."

"They are, will be operating in Ngiyaempaa country, and I think they should start sitting down and coming out and sitting down with the grass root people, and talking about their plans."

Doctor Carmichael said mining the land goes against traditional Aboriginal beliefs.

"The land's our mother, and if these people want to go and exploit the land, well where are they coming from, you know?" she said.

"Where's their connectedness to the land and the environment? They don't even know their culture, what culture really means."

"No, I'll certainly argue with this one, I think, I've got to for the sake of my ancestors."

UPDATE:

MinView mapping indicates that all three NSWALC prospecting applications may also include areas under current native title claims. Click on images to enlarge.

The three applications marked in purple

Native title claim areas in red

A rare frog the NSW Minister for Resources and Energy & Anchor Resources intends to ignore?

Giant Barred Frog found on the Wild Cattle Creek property

Scientific name: Mixophyes iteratus
Conservation status in NSW: Endangered
National conservation status: Endangered

Image found at

Protect & Preserve the Dorrigo Plateau

It is no secret that NSW Minister for Resources and Energy, Chris Hartcher, is enthusiastic at the prospect of mining on the Mid and Far North Coast – particularly when it comes to gold and antimony mining on the Dorrigo Plateau.

A plateau which takes in the Clarence River catchment high country which supplies fresh water to an estimated 125,419 residents (based on 2010 ERP figures) in Coffs Harbour City and Clarence Valley Shire local government areas.

Local government areas falling within a region which has a population expected to grow more than 28% to around 424,400 by 2031.

Given the ongoing exploration within Anchor Resources Limited’s Wild Cattle Creek EL 6388 lease and the corporation’s recent history of environmental degradation, one has to wonder why Minister Hartcher and his department head have not yet thought fit to insist on a formal environmental assessment of the lease area.

NSW Department of Environment and Conservation:

Description

Giant Barred Frogs are large frogs, up to 115 mm in length. They are olive to dark brown above with paler or darker blotches, and cream to pale yellow below. The skin is finely granular. The pupil of the eye is vertical and the iris is pale golden in the upper half and brown in the lower half. The call is a deep ‘ork’ breaking into a series of ‘orks’ and grunts. The Giant Barred Frog can be most easily distinguished from other barred frog species by the black thighs with smaller yellow spots, distinct barring on the limbs, dark blotches on the sides, absence of a creamy stripe on the upper lip and the distinctive eye colour.

Location and habitat

Distribution

Coast and ranges from south-eastern Queensland to the Hawkesbury River in NSW. North-eastern NSW, particularly the Coffs Harbour-Dorrigo area, is now a stronghold. Considered to have disappeared south of the Hawkesbury and there are no recent records from the Blue Mountains. [my bolding]

Habitat and ecology

• Giant Barred Frogs forage and live amongst deep, damp leaf litter in rainforests, moist eucalypt forest and nearby dry eucalypt forest, at elevations below 1000 m.
• They breed around shallow, flowing rocky streams from late spring to summer.
• Females lay eggs onto moist creek banks or rocks above water level, from where tadpoles drop into the water when hatched.
• Tadpoles grow to a length of 80 mm and take up to 14 months before changing into frogs. When not breeding the frogs disperse hundreds of metres away from streams. They feed primarily on large insects and spiders.

Threats

• Reduction in water quality, from sedimentation or pollution.
• Changes in water flow patterns, either increased or decreased flows.
• Reduction of leaf-litter and fallen log cover through burning.
• Timber harvesting and other forestry practices.
• Vegetation clearance.
• Predation on eggs and tadpoles by introduced fish.
• Weed spraying close to streams.
• Chytrid fungal disease.

Community agreement to fight mining in the Dorrigo Plateau and Clarence River catchments

A Clarence Valley Protest 16 February 2012:

Farmers, fishermen and conservation groups agree to fight mining in the Dorrigo Plateau and Clarence River catchments

The Daily Examiner 16 February 2012:

AN UNLIKELY coalition has formed to fight proposals to mine areas on the Dorrigo plateau.

At a meeting in Dundurrabin at the weekend, farmers, fishermen and conservation groups agreed to fight attempts to mine in the high-rainfall Dorrigo catchment.

Coffs Harbour councillor Mark Graham said there was a concerted push for the Dorrigo plateau to be declared off limits to mining.

He said there was a series of proposals for open-cut mining in the Orara, Little Nymboida, Wild Cattle Creek and Bobo areas, which was the most advanced.

"That all feeds into the Clarence, which is the regional water supply, and is the lifeblood of the Clarence Valley," he said.

"The reasons for campaigning for the Dorrigo plateau to be off-limits is for the health of the whole river and all the communities below it.

"The mining industry has said nowhere in the state is off-limits, but if anywhere should be it is the Dorrigo plateau because of its incredibly high rainfall."

Clarence Valley councillor Karen Toms said there should be no-go areas for mining and the Dorrigo plateau was one of those.

"We need to protect our water," she said.

It's Armageddon! cries Nats Senator Fiona Nash

Poor Fi Nash – 2012 is overwhelming her early and she’s so fearful for her job all of us living in regional New South Wales.

Regional Australians are fed up
THE year 2012 has just started and already the Labor Government's agenda will impact on regional communities.
The government again flagged its intention to try to means-test the private health insurance rebate, putting more pressure on the already stretched public health system in regional areas.
Volunteers will be subject to unreasonable work, health and safety laws.
Small business is drowning in red tape, and a leaked report proposes regional airlines at Sydney Airport be moved out to Bankstown.
The agriculture sector faces proposed water cuts in the Murray Darling Basin, increasing foreign ownership of prime land and assets, cuts to live animal export permits to Indonesia, and a worrying shortage of graduates and skilled workforce.
The manufacturing and retail sectors are struggling and jobs are going in regional areas.
All of this is made worse by a carbon tax that starts in July and mounting government debt.
Regional Australians are fed up with being treated like second-class citizens.
The Nationals will fight on their behalf for a fair go.
Senator Fiona Nash
The Nationals Senator for NSW

The year is also addling her brain, as in this letter to The Daily Examiner published on 3^rd February shows she doesn’t realize that:

·         in-patients with private health cover are already being treated in regional public hospitals

·         proposed national harmonized health and safety laws which will codify existing common and compilate state law only apply to volunteer organizations which actually employ people and all volunteers have a right to be safe

·         dog whistles about small business red tape and Sydney Airport have been blown so frequently that the sound is barely noticed these days

·         few people have any sympathy for a live cattle industry which took its eye off the ball and allowed animal cruelty to become matter of course

·         regional manufacturing and retail sectors were in decline on the Lib-Nats watch as well as under Labor - ditto for skills shortages and increased foreign ownership of agricultural land

·         in crude terms Australia’s national ‘bank balance’ is still much larger than its debts, some of that debt is state government borrowings on which the federal government acts as guarantor, most of the foreign debt on the books is borrowings by the private sector, and the whole pile was at times much higher under the Howard Government than it is now

·         most of us want to see something done about slowing climate change and protecting the Murray-Darling Basin

How long will Nationals Chris Gulaptis hold his seat if the O'Farrell Government allows toxic mining in the upper reaches of the Clarence River Catchment?

The Nymboida River system is part of the larger Clarence River catchment. It is predominately from the Nymboida River that Coffs Harbour and Clarence Valley local government areas draw their drinking water.

Based on his public statements so far, it seems that Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis is refusing to back a ban on mining in the headwaters of the major northern rivers in New South Wales.

However, the call for action from local communities continues.

ABC Mid North Coast News January 23, 2012 :

Coffs-Clarence conservationists are calling for a ban on mining and exploration in the headwaters of the region's major rivers.

One company exploring for antimony on the Dorrigo Plateau, Anchor Mining, has already been fined over the impact of its activity on the Orara and Nymboida river catchments.

It is in relation to activity at the old Wild Cattle Creek mine near Bielsdown.

Coffs Harbour councillor and mining opponent Mark Graham says exploration exposed ore bodies containing toxic minerals like antimony, lead and mercury.

"There's been major damage to rainforest and contamination of the catchment," he said.

"Mining must be prohibited in sensitive catchment areas, particularly drinking water supply areas.

"We've already seen poor practice, we've seen the law being breached and fines being issued.

"The only way to protect the catchment is to prohibit mining and further exploration activities."

Cr Graham says the New South Wales Government will be lobbied to place a ban mining and exploration in the region's river catchments.

"There is huge community support for banning mining in the Orara and Nymboida catchments because of the drinking water supply," he said.

"That community support will translate into political will and pressure will be brought to bear upon the State Government to set no-go zones such as the Dorrigo Plateau."

It's official, Mr. Gulaptis, CSG mining chemicals can enter groundwater bodies. When are you going to act on mining in the Northern Rivers?

In response to complaints by domestic well owners regarding objectionable taste and odor problems in well water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiated a ground water investigation near the town of Pavillion, Wyoming under authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. The Wind River Formation is the principal source of domestic, municipal, and stock (ranch, agricultural) water in the area of Pavillion and meets the Agency's definition of an Underground Source of Drinking Water. [Investigation of groundwater contamination near Pavillion, Wyoming, December 2011]

On 8 December 2011 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued this media release:

(Denver, Colo. –December 8, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a draft analysis of data from its Pavillion, Wyoming ground water investigation. At the request of Pavillion residents, EPA began investigating water quality concerns in private drinking water wells three years ago. Since that time, in conjunction with the state of Wyoming, the local community, and the owner of the gas field, Encana, EPA has been working to assess ground water quality and identify potential sources of contamination.

EPA constructed two deep monitoring wells to sample water in the aquifer. The draft report indicates that ground water in the aquifer contains compounds likely associated with gas production practices, including hydraulic fracturing. EPA also re-tested private and public drinking water wells in the community. The samples were consistent with chemicals identified in earlier EPA results released in 2010 and are generally below established health and safety standards. To ensure a transparent and rigorous analysis, EPA is releasing these findings for public comment and will submit them to an independent scientific review panel. The draft findings announced today are specific to Pavillion, where the fracturing is taking place in and below the drinking water aquifer and in close proximity to drinking water wells – production conditions different from those in many other areas of the country.

Natural gas plays a key role in our nation’s clean energy future and the Obama Administration is committed to ensuring that the development of this vital resource occurs safely and responsibly. At the direction of Congress, and separate from this ground water investigation, EPA has begun a national study on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.

“EPA’s highest priority remains ensuring that Pavillion residents have access to safe drinking water,” said Jim Martin, EPA’s regional administrator in Denver. “We will continue to work cooperatively with the State, Tribes, Encana and the community to secure long-term drinking water solutions. We look forward to having these findings in the draft report informed by a transparent and public review process. In consultation with the Tribes, EPA will also work with the State on additional investigation of the Pavillion field.”

Findings in the Two Deep Water Monitoring Wells:
EPA’s analysis of samples taken from the Agency’s deep monitoring wells in the aquifer indicates detection of synthetic chemicals, like glycols and alcohols consistent with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids, benzene concentrations well above Safe Drinking Water Act standards and high methane levels. Given the area’s complex geology and the proximity of drinking water wells to ground water contamination, EPA is concerned about the movement of contaminants within the aquifer and the safety of drinking water wells over time.

Findings in the Private and Public Drinking Water Wells:
EPA also updated its sampling of Pavillion area drinking water wells. Chemicals detected in the most recent samples are consistent with those identified in earlier EPA samples and include methane, other petroleum hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds. The presence of these compounds is consistent with migration from areas of gas production. Detections in drinking water wells are generally below established health and safety standards. In the fall of 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reviewed EPA’s data and recommended that affected well owners take several precautionary steps, including using alternate sources of water for drinking and cooking, and ventilation when showering. Those recommendations remain in place and Encana has been funding the provision of alternate water supplies.

Before issuing the draft report, EPA shared preliminary data with, and obtained feedback from, Wyoming state officials, Encana, Tribes and Pavillion residents. The draft report is available for a 45 day public comment period and a 30 day peer-review process led by a panel of independent scientists.

For more information on EPA's Pavillion groundwater investigation, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region8/superfund/wy/pavillion/index.html

A pilot coal-seam gas well run by Metgasco on a private property outside of Casino [Northern Rivers]. A pump is pictured fenced in the foreground while burning gas is pictured in a flare in the background. (Samantha Turnbull)

"The NSW Nationals went to the last election with a strategic land use policy that ensured the primacy of aquifers, surface water and agricultural lands. It was the policy then and it is the policy now"  [Nationals Chris Gulaptis MP speaking during the Clarence by-election campaign,November 2011] 

The welfare status of live cattle exported to Indonesia

After the May 2011 revelations that all was not well in relation to the export of Australian live cattle to Indonesia and the discovery that instances of animal cruelty were occurring at certain abattoirs, the Federal Government sought to develop a new supply chain assurance framework.

This involved the requirement for ESCAS independent Audits of Indonesian feedlots and abattoirs which held/fattened/ processed Australian cattle.

One has to commend the Gillard Government for this action and note that it was more than the former Howard Government.

However, the usefulness of the framework may be limited due to the lack of transparency within these independent audits (which includes extensive black pen censorship) and, the fact that one of the more common sentences contained in these audits to date is a comfortably fuzzy observation which tells Australian citizens and their parliamentary representatives absolutely nothing about the current welfare status of these live cattle:

Click on image to enlarge

SAI Global Limited and its wholly-owned Indonesian subsidiary PT SAI Global Indonesia which conduct these audits may have to be re-educated as to the dictionary meaning of the words transparent, open and honest.

Perhaps this is something for Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Joe Ludwig and his department head can look into before the situation deteriorates.

Christmas brings out those water raiding crazies

Crazy can be the only way to describe those misguided individuals who, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, still maintain that damming and diverting the Clarence River will save the Murray Darling Basin from continued unsustainable water extraction, environmental degradation and, subsequent commercial agricultural decline.

Here is the latest person to raise the subject, the former West Australia Water Minister and self-proclaimed founder of the Watering Australia Foundation (WAF), Ernie Bridge who apparently wants to take all the major East Coast rivers and turn them inland.

Here is Ernie in 2004 speaking on the subject with George Negus.

Here is Ernie in December 2011 speaking with Farm Weekly:

"The Clarence River in northern NSW has more than enough water to spare for the job (to flush the Murray).

Water from the Clarence could be diverted into the Darling River and then it would flow into the Murray”

Another perspective on Anchor Resources' antimony mining proposal

The 101 year-old Don Dorrigo Gazette ran this letter to the editor by Jacqueline Williams on its front page in December 2011:

Mining in Dorrigo: another perspective

The article appearing in the Don Dorrigo Gazette 16/11/2011 under the heading ‘Mining in Dorrigo’ presents information that appears to be directly from an Anchor Resources brochure on the Bielsdown Project.  It would seem appropriate to question and challenge this article and highlight perhaps what we the community haven’t been told.

Anchor Resources is one of three companies holding mineral exploration licences on the Plateau and is currently the most active. Anchor Resources activities include drilling for gold at Dundurrabin, proposed drilling for antimony/gold at Wongwibinda (Fishington Mine) and further drilling at Bielsdown. This flurry of activity in our region reflects the rising price of antimony, gold and other metals and I question whether this is due to resource scarcity or market manipulation? China produces 90% of the world’s antimony, and we have seen the price of antimony skyrocket from $4K per tonne to $16K per tonne in the last two years.  This price increase has largely been associated with the closure of a number of large producing antimony mines in China due to human health/safety and environmental concerns. It is pertinent to add here that Anchor Resources is now at least 96% owned by the Chinese company Shandong Jinshunda Group as of mid 2011.

I note that Anchor Resources refer to the exploration licence process, however it is difficult to find the latest approval for their Bielsdown project with the Government gazette showing an application to renew the licence in February 2011, however this licence doesn’t appear to be granted as yet. Also of concern is that a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has not been undertaken for any of the exploration licence applications submitted by Anchor for the Bielsdown project since 2007.  My understanding is that a REF is a requirement of all exploration licence applicants to undertake an environmental impact assessment of the proposed activities so that NSW DPI can make an assessment under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 prior to granting the licence. Given that the Bielsdown project location has state and national significance as habitat for threatened species I question the currency of the exploration licence and how the NSW government has overlooked an important part of the approval process. This is not to mention the requirements under the Commonwealth legislation that the location triggers. It is unclear whether Anchor Resources have notified the Commonwealth government to determine if their exploration activities are considered a ‘controlled action’ under the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 requiring further environmental impact assessment and approval. Many farmers have shared with me their frustration about their efforts and sacrifices in conserving native vegetation and habitat for the public good only to see mining companies given open slather.

I don’t wish to dwell solely on the environmental issues surrounding the potential of mining on the Plateau, as there are other issues that need to be considered. It seems that Dorrigo is not immune to the unprecedented mining expansion in regional Australia where the potential social and economic impacts need to be considered by the communities faced with these challenges. As the current legislation has been identified as inadequate to accommodate the risks, new policies are being developed and proposals to change legislation under debate. In the meantime, mining activities continue to expand.  In considering the full impacts of mining, the concerns of landholders and rural communities should not be dismissed as simply ‘alarmist’.....

Read the full letter here.

Dorrigo Environment Watch contradicts Anchor Resources claims concerning community consultation

Community consultation contradictions

In early November 2011 Dorrigo Environment Watch Inc undertook a survey of local residents near the Wild Cattle Creek Mine to substantiate Anchor Resource’s claims of wide community consultation. The results of the survey contradict these claims.

In an interview with Katya Quigley Coffs Coast ABC Radio on October 6^th  2011 Anchor Resources General Manager Ian Price quoted ‘Anchor since it started exploration drilling, in about 2009 has consulted widely with the local residents particularly in the area affected by the project. We continue to do that as there are changes and we planned to do activities that’s included letter drops and face to face meetings with people. We are continuing that consultation into the local community, distributing an updated brochure to people in the community and will continue to do that work.’

A follow on interview on the 18^th November 2011 reiterated Anchor’s claims about widely consulting with the local community and their community engagement project. 

Results from the survey found that 52% of landholders had received no communication from Anchor Resources, whilst 26% were contacted in 2009 with no further communication since. 17% of landholders had communications in 2009 and 2010 and 13% of landholders have been communicated with between 2009 to 2011. One of these landholders received over 96 emails from Anchor Resources in a 2 year period, mostly in relation to access agreements. The landholder survey conducted included 88% of known residents along Lower Bielsdown Road.

DEW is alarmed by the comments made by Mr Price in relation to community consultation. It is very misleading to state publicly that Anchor Resources has been consulting widely with the community and specifically with those living near the area most affected by the project when the survey findings clearly showed that a very small proportion of residents have actually been consulted. We feel false and misleading information about our community is being presented by Anchor Resources. Given this and Anchor Resources' refusal to attend or accept invitations to community public forums it follows a pattern occurring in communities throughout NSW affected by mining, where mining companies use tactics that have been described in parliament as ‘divide and conquer’.  We invite Anchor Resources to adopt best practice community engagement including organising and hosting an open public forum in Dorrigo where all community members are welcome.

Dorrigo Environment Watch Media Release 7 December 2011

Senate Coal Seam Gas Report Calls For Approvals Moratorium Until Scientific Studies Completed and Reviewed

Media Release

SENATOR THE HON. BILL HEFFERNAN

Liberal Senator for New South Wales

For further information please contact Office of Senator the Hon. Bill Heffernan (02) 62773610

Senate Report into Coal Seam Gas

Senator Bill Heffernan, the Chairman of the Senate Standing References Committee on Rural Affairs & Transport today released the Committee's report on the Impact of Coal Seam Gas Extraction on the Murray-Darling Basin. The report considers the potential impact of the industry on Basin groundwater resources, agricultural land and regional communities.

The Committee, as part of that general inquiry has been examining the economic, social and environmental impacts of mining coal seam gas on:

·         the sustainability of water aquifers and future water licensing arrangements;

·         the property rights and values of landholders;

·         the sustainability of prime agricultural land and Australia’s food task;

·         the social and economic benefits or otherwise for regional towns and the effective management of relationships between mining and other interests; and other related matters including health impacts.

This report concentrates on CSG developments within the Murray-Darling Basin which are the focus of the industry and of public concern, in particular, the security of the gas wells. The main regions of concern to this Committee, where the industry is expanding very rapidly, are in south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales.

Some of the recommendations include Commonwealth and State governments conducting a thorough review of the appropriateness of 'adaptive management in the context of regulating the industry. A consistent, national regulatory framework for all aspects of the coal seam gas industry should be promoted.

Groundwater is a vital resource for agricultural, domestic and urban use across much of the Murray-Darling Basin and nor can it be considered in isolation from surface water. The major risks associated with the coal seam gas industry are whether it has the potential to significantly deplete the groundwater on which agriculture and regional communities depend, to contaminate higher quality water, to alter the hydrology of the affected regions, or to do irreparable damage to the aquifers containing that water.

The Committee recommends that further approvals of CSG production should not be considered until studies of the Basin water resources being conducted by the CSIRO & Geoscience Australia, the Queensland Government and the Namoi Catchment Study are completed and their findings reviewed. The Committee also recommends that the Water Act be amended to include the Great Artesian Basin in the definition of the Murray-Darling Basin water resources. Similarly it recommends that the sustainable use of the Great Artesian Basin be recognised as a matter of national environmental significance under the Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

The Committee recommends that it be a requirement of all exploration or production approvals that the fluids extracted from wells after fraccing are kept isolated in secure separate storages and prior to disposal are treated to the highest standards.

The Committee is deeply concerned with brine and salt residues – more than 700,000 tonnes of salt will be produced every year . It recommends that salt and brine be removed from agricultural regions and water catchments. If salt and brine residues cannot be disposed within the short term, then it should be removed from agricultural areas and water catchments and no controlled landfills for the disposal of salt should be permitted in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The Commonwealth and the States should establish an independently managed trust funded by the gas companies to make financial provision for long-term rectification of problems such as leaks in sealed wells or subsidence and erosion caused by collapsing pipelines.

The gas industry has the potential to have a severe impact on agricultural productivity in the Basin. The Committee recommends that gas production be excluded from highly productive agricultural land and, where the industry and agriculture do coexist, that the maintenance of agricultural productivity take priority over the needs of the gas industry in any dispute between landholders and the industry.

"The challenge for the global food task is to produce more food with less water, less fertiliser and less agricultural land against the background of the science which says by 2050, the world's population will be 9 billion, 50% of the world's population will be poor for water, one billion people will be unable to feed themselves, 30% of the productive land of Asia will have gone out of production due to urbanisation and climate change, two-thirds of the world's population will live in Asia, the food task would have doubled and more importantly 1.6 billion people could be displaced on this planet." said Senator Heffernan.

The Committee recommends that draft access agreements between landholders and gas companies include a requirement that company employees must have a landholder's approval whenever they wish to enter a property and that companies must maintain logs of staff entering private property.

The Committee, recognising that many of the issues relating to this industry are the constitutional responsibility of the States recommends that the Commonwealth, in forums such as the Council of Australian Governments (COAG)and the Standing Council for Energy and Resources take the initiative in working towards a coordinated national approach to the regulation of this industry.

The Committee will continue to monitor developments in the CSG industry in 2012. For more information about the report, please visit the following website:

www.aph.gov.au/senate/Committee/rat_ctte/mdb/index.htm

30 November 2011