A Black Fog

Remember the days of  "the big Australian - BHP" - well they are certainly trying to shake that one off ! 

Now we have "BHP - the Great Deceiver" (quote unknown)

This is directly from bhpbilliton's site - "Sustainable Development at BHP Billiton encompasses our commitment and policy towards health, safety, the environment and the community (HSEC)"

Wouldn't it be great if they actually meant a word of it ! (a bit meaningless especially if you happen to be a New Guinea native making a living from a river near a particular mine).

The miners are now going for valuable farmland here now - it makes you wonder what happens when we have mountains of coal but no actual food ???

It is interesting that we now appear to have land owners objections or protests with regard to their rights on their own land constrained by court orders.  Where does this sort of unconscionable legal action stop ??

The following is a letter written by a resident of the area that is under attack..

Begins..

Dear All,

Thank you for your interest and support in CCAG's campaign against BHP (or anyone) attempting to poison, pollute and generally devastate some of Australia's most productive farming land and underground aquifer here on the Liverpool Plains near Quirindi and Gunnedah.

The community has been forced into a blockade by BHP's legal machinations and the State governments political steamroller.  In the beginning, we drew up an access agreement on behalf of the farmers which held BHP to their own environmental aspirations ("zero harm") when they wanted to come onto a farm.  BHP  promptly refused to entertain the document in any form.  This year they have started on their technique of 'splashing the cash' around and dividing the community by buying certain properties for well over the market value but with limited success as our impromptu blockades this week have attested.  

People have had enough.  We are grateful to those who have forewarned us about the mining companies 'modus operandi'.  We are seeing it played out, loud and clear.   Our Community Consultative Committee is an absolute sham and we are truly fed up of being lied to - to our face and in particular in the media.  The Minister for Mines' (let's face it, he does not represent anything else) comments today were yet another example of the government's disregard and disrespect for the people it purports to serve.

We are insisting on an independent, catchment wide study of the water resources in our region NOW because even exploration (which is actually 'mine development' for BHP, all the exploration was done in the 80s) will mix the fresh and saline aquifers under our fertile plains and this important water source is very poorly understood.  This damage is on top of the general environmental chaos, salinity, heavy metal toxicity and other pollution that comes with mining, something that many of you, sad to say, know all too well.

We are pleased to report that the vast majority of the community is behind us even if the Liverpool Plains Shire Council, with dollar signs in their eyes (which all coal communities know are a fiction), are currently supporting the 'development'.  That too may change with council elections in September and the exercising of more People Power.

We have had two days of 150+ people at our blockade and now have the ability to 'marshal the troops' at very short notice if BHP try any more of their tactics on this family.  We are also fighting in the courts for our property rights, due process, a fair hearing at the Mining Warden's (kangaroo) court etc., all the things you too have experienced.  We know we can not allow this project to get to a mining licence and the miners and state government know they have to get coal mines approved ASAP before this sunset industry is completely 'on the nose' (and the royalties and bungs dry up for this morally bankrupt government).  

It is wonderful to know that we are supported in our fight for a fair hearing by ex-mining engineers and ex-coal miners and others 'in the know'. People are coming forward from unusual places, fed up with the lies and being taken for fools.  

Another thing I would like to report is how frightened the National MPs seem to be of the Green movement.  Instead of outlining policies in support of their electorate - food and fibre producers, they spent a lot of time telling me today (on their visit to Caroona) how The Greens like to ambush them and how The Greens hate miners more than farmers but only just.  The latter is in direct conflict to my and many others' experience.  We have always been treated with courtesy by The Greens, and had our concerns taken seriously and been assured of their support. We have seen that support in action in calling for health reviews, prevention of further catchment damage, the asking of questions in Parliament and the call for a cessation of new mines in favour of sustainable energy technologies which will bring jobs and sustainable development. Whilst the CCAG here is apolitical, no other party, bar independents has pledged such support and we are grateful for it.

I quizzed the National MPs today (as I have and would ANY political party that visits) on mining donations to their party and why they voted against the health review of coal communities, for Part 3A and the Sartor steamroller and about their support for mining in general.  The answers were policyless and woefully inadequate - no wonder many in the farming community consider them a 'spent force'.   The Nationals nearly didn't come at all fearing that we'd set them up in a media stunt for the Greens because of our blockade.  No disrespect, but they're not that important - we have aquifers to protect, we're fighting for the right to produce food here, to keep our water clean and our air lead-free, for property and democracy, not their political careers !!

We are pleased to be getting national media and attention at last and understand that one of the reasons our campaign is currently successful is because it builds on the groundswell of support and damned hard work that has been created and done by RiversSOS, The Greens, Coal Communities, TEC, Coolong Foundation,  Greenpeace etc., and the many other community and environment groups and individuals that are fighting the NSW Government's complete failure of planning process, policies of promotion of pollution and development-on-steroids in this State.

We thank you, one and all.  We'll keep you posted from the front line. 

The CCAG website is www.ccag.org.au  .

Kind regards

Pauline Roberts

..ends