Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 22 August the Australian Gas Alliance, a group representing residents of the valleys of Yarramalong and Dooralong in my electorate of Dobell, held a meeting which 400 people attended. The meeting was designed to stop Korea Coal from performing longwall mining under the valleys. In so doing, they would destroy the watertable and have a serious impact on Central Coast water supplies. At the meeting we called on the New South Wales Premier, Morris Iemma, to make a very firm statement that he will not allow such mining to be carried out. I also asked the New South Wales Minister for the Central Coast, Grant McBride, to come out and make a positive statement that he will not support coalmining and will pressure his state government to make sure that such mining is not allowed.

Yesterday, we had a family day at Wyong Creek, which about 200 residents attended, also in support of the Australian Gas Alliance. I am having meetings with the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Ian Campbell, so that we make sure that our valleys are not destroyed by this coalmining. Coalmining would benefit the state government, of course, by about $1 billion in royalties but, if allowed to occur, would absolutely ruin 50 per cent of the Central Coast water supply.