'I will form part of the human chain around the anti mining protest at Cooranbong park'

Pledge “nomoremines”

"I will form part of the human chain around the anti mining protest at Cooranbong park but only if 10 people will do the same."

— Samantha Aungle, Local to area (contact)

Deadline to sign up by: la 29-a de Januaro 2006
0 people signed up, 10 more were needed

Country: Australia
Place: Newcastle (view map)

More details
Issue - Lake Macquarie:

Dec, 2005

Open cut coal mine proposal for Awaba to Cooranbong

Download a petition here

The Centennial Coal Company has announced plans for long-wall underground mining followed by open cut mining of a swathe of bushland from the Billangrove sanctuary to within 250m of housing at Awaba and within 800m of the school.

Jeff Hunter (Member for Lake Macquarie) has advised that the company plans to use the sanctuary as an environmental offset for the damage caused by open cut mining, yet it is certainly inadequate for this purpose.

The obvious concerns over the project are:

the health impacts of noise and dust,

the loss of bushland habitat for threatened species and biodiversity in general,

the diversion of Lords Creek with the loss of water flows and riparian habitat,

reduction in water quality entering Dora Creek and the lake and

the severing of wildlife and vegetation corridors in western Lake Macquarie.

The company's website describes the mine as a new project, yet the information being provided to residents of Awaba is that it will be an extension of the Newstan Awaba Mines. The State Government appears to be facilitating the project by the "full speed ahead" sale of Billangrove and the establishment of a Community Consultative Committee.

The CCC is to be headed by former MP Milton Morris and its community representatives hand-picked by him. Mr Morris is also chairman of two other Centennial CCCs, including one for the highly controversial Anvil Hill in the Upper Hunter. (This latter project is being opposed by Greenpeace and Hunter environmentalists.)

There is already a strong community response against the proposal with the formation of two new groups. No Open Cut Mine For Awaba (NOCMFA - "Knock 'em Far") and Southlakes Communities Against Mine (SCAM).

SCAM will be holding a community rally against the proposed mine on 29 January 2006 at 3:00pm at Cooranbong Park. Please come along and bring a friend. An open cut proposed for this site in 1980 was defeated by a strong public opposition. It will take a greater effort this time to achieve the same result. There is also a petition against the mine attached. Please fill as many sheets as you can and return to the address on the bottom of the sheet. You don't need to be a resident of the electorate of Lake Macquarie.