Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on a matter of public interest that has been causing anger, fear and apprehension in my duty electorate of New England. There has been significant community concern that subsidence long-wall coal mining and gas exploration will damage underground aquifers on the Liverpool Plains, New South Wales. That has been a significant environmental and agricultural concern since April 2006. In my view, a resolution to this matter is long overdue.

BHP Billiton and the Shenhua Group have been granted exploration licences by the New South Wales government to investigate the Caroona area in Liverpool Plains for coalmining opportunities. These licences were granted prior to a comprehensive study being undertaken to gauge the impact such activity would have on groundwater and the aquifers that connect to the Murray-Darling Basin. This is where the problem lies, and it is a problem that the people of Caroona are demanding be addressed.

My office has received a considerable number of letters on this matter from the residents of Caroona. These residents are eloquent, articulate and very much aware of the problems and issues arising out of this situation. I congratulate each and every one of them for taking a stand. I oppose any developments by big businesses that ignore the genuine concerns of the community and the environmental implications of the activities, and I applaud the people of Caroona for their critical analysis of the potential consequences of any proposed mining activity.

As I have indicated, I have received numerous pieces of correspondence from concerned citizens on this issue. I would like to place on record some extracts of this correspondence. Margaret Willmott from the property ‘Springfield’ wrote:

As farmers in the Liverpool Plains, we are caretakers of the land for many generations to come. As our political representative you too, share the responsibility as caretaker and guardian of this valuable highly productive land. We also invite you to visit our region at the earliest possible convenience. We look forward to your reply.

Mrs Julie Prowse of the property ‘Gwendalan’ wrote:

We are a community which takes pride in the way we look after our land, so it can be passed down to the next generation, who will continue going on to produce food for the families of Australia. Surely this is important to every individual who has children and grandchildren. They will be the ones affected by food and water shortages if steps are not taken to protect the productive agricultural land.

Mrs Martine Traill of Tuwinga wrote:

I am writing to you about the grave concern I have from Australia’s food security. Less than 6% of Australia’s land is arable. Food security is about protecting this land. You only have to look at the decline in milk production in the Hunter Valley New South Wales to see that mining and agricultural don’t go.

Mrs Coleen Gardner of Carawatha wrote:

Living in this beautiful area is a God-given privilege, I would not like to see any of it destroyed through mining and I have nothing left to pass on to future generations of farmers.

Mr Derek Blomfield of Colorado wrote:

I believe our food production capability is under threat from the increase in minerals exploration and mining activity in some of Austria’s most productive food bowls. As you may be aware, the Liverpool Plains of New South Wales is one of Australia’s real gems in terms of agricultural production with crop yields 40% above the national average.

This area boasts some of Australia’s prime agricultural land. It produces 77 million kilos of chicken, 77 thousand tonnes of pork and 29 million kilos of beef annually. It supplies much of Australia’s wheat, corn, sunflower seed products, canola, barley, chickpeas, legumes and other specialist crops, as well as wool and cotton. I am sure I do not need to go into the science of why the intermingling of water and coal is not ideal on such arable land. Polluted water in shallow aquifers can contain up to 30 or 40 times the salt and mineral levels of seawater. The sulphur and heavy metal content of coal mean that contaminated water is no longer suitable for the purpose of agriculture once it has reached the aquifers deep below the ground. It is unacceptable to put such a vital contributor to Australia’s food supply at risk. During this time of economic instability and in the midst of a climate crisis, we cannot put our food supply in jeopardy, nor can we ignore the important role of agriculture in Australia’s cultural fabric. There must be a proper balance between mineral exploration and agricultural endeavours. The protection of our nation’s water supply also needs to be a priority. The lure of the money involved in mining enterprises simply does not justify the destruction of some of Australia’s most arable land.

There is no detailed understanding of the complex interconnected network of aquifer systems which make this one of Australia’s most productive and precious agricultural areas. To proceed to mine this area before gaining an understanding of the water aquifers would be a massive mistake. An independent, catchment-wide study of the water structure of the region needs to happen, and it needs to happen soon. It is not unreasonable for the landowners of Caroona to want to know how their properties will be impacted by mining activity. This is potentially a 500-million-tonne mining operation. It is going to be a huge mining operation, and there needs to be checks and balances put in place to assess the ramifications of such a large venture.

I understand that the coal reserves in the Gunnedah coalfields are estimated to be 300 billion tonnes and that they range over an area of 8,000 square kilometres extending from Willow Tree to Narrabri. However, this resource must be looked at in a critical and balanced way. I lived in Muswellbrook for 12 years, and this is where my involvement with the coal industry began. It was during this time that I came to realise that the mining industry cannot be labelled as simply black or white, right or wrong. The mining industry is an important source of employment, and coal is a valuable resource that will continue to underpin economic activity in Australia and overseas for some years to come. Nevertheless, the serious challenge of climate change means that we really need to think about our priorities in terms of how we treat our environment, and how we exploit and use our resources. While we are a long way from the end of the coal industry in Australia, we need to utilise it in a way that minimises the impact on other important resources.

This is all about balance. Balancing environmental imperatives with economic goals is the key political, social and environmental challenge for government. We cannot forget that this is a situation where we are dealing with the livelihoods of many dedicated farmers and their families. Farming has been a way of life in the Liverpool Plains area for generations. This is not simply an environmental issue; it is a social issue, and for many of the residents of Caroona it is personal. There is a strong sense of community in Caroona. A number of properties have been passed down through families for several lifetimes. The relevance of this cannot be ignored. To carry out mining activity without the input and support of this strong, committed community would be an injustice. We must protect our food resources and our farming communities. We need to examine very carefully any mining activity that has the potential to undermine important agricultural activities. We need to focus on more than just economic value. The farmers are taking time out of their labour-intensive schedules to form a blockade against BHP coming onto their private properties before an independent water study is commissioned. This says a lot about the seriousness of this situation. There has not been sufficient constructive dialogue between the parties, and this is unacceptable when there is so much at stake.

I would like to make special mention of the Caroona Coal Action Group. On a recent trip to New England, I met with chairman Doug Ranken, spokesperson Tim Duddy and group member Fiona Simson. This group has been doing excellent work in promoting an understanding of the environmental and social dilemmas involved in this issue. They are extremely passionate about educating the public on the impact of mining on groundwater systems and agriculture. I would like to thank them for taking the time to explain their point of view to me on this issue, and I would also like to thank Tim Duddy for his hospitality and for showing me the technological advances used in his farming activities. It was also good to see collectivism playing a major role in the New South Wales farming community. I have never seen a picket line with King’s School uniforms yet, but it could be there! I would also like to thank the member for New England, Mr Tony Windsor, for his help and assistance in organising the meeting. I also thank him for assisting me in appreciating the issues involved. I do not thank him for taking me through those back roads, following his four-wheel drive in a cloud of dust for about 45 minutes. I am still trying to clean the dust out of the car.

This situation that the Caroona residents face is a complex one. The mining industry is still very much alive in Australia, and is still a vital element of industry here. However, the true impact of mining on aquifers cannot be determined until the contribution of groundwater systems to surface water systems is fully understood, and the only way such information can be found out is by conducting an independent study before any mining commences. In response to the concerns of the local residents and the advocacy on their behalf by the member for New England, Mr Tony Windsor, the government has announced a contribution of up to $1.5 million for a joint study to provide scientific information on the surface and groundwater resources specifically in the Namoi catchment, including the Peel and Mooki rivers, the Maules and Plan creeks and the Gins Leap constriction. This study is intended to advance the understanding of the quantity and quality of those water resources, benefiting community awareness and informing decisions made by governments and stakeholders.

BHP and the Shenhua Group need to make a decision to financially support the joint study into surface and groundwater resources. The sooner this study commences the better. It must be comprehensive and it needs to be sufficiently funded. It needs to identify the proximity between coal and water resources, and needs to confirm that there will be no lasting damage to aquifers. I note that the mining activities in the Hunter and the Illawarra regions have had a significant impact on aquifers, dependent environments and water security. It is therefore important that each mining approval be examined and that the cumulative and off-site impacts are rigorously addressed. I strongly believe there will be a continuing role for coalmining, both domestically and internationally, in the medium to long term. Given the government’s initiatives to promote research on carbon capture and storage, the CO2 emissions and carbon footprint of the coal industry may decline. I therefore believe that the process to mine coal must be environmentally rigorous. I would be pleased to assist the Caroona residents and the mining companies to reach a satisfactory conclusion to this problem as soon as is practicable.