An informative newsletter was recently circulated and included concerns about the Centennial complaint handling policy, Mandalong haul road, the Cenntenial sale to Banpu and the following outcome of the auger mine issue.
Greg Piper’s Private Member’s Bill to clarify the State Environmental Planning Policy 2007(mining) with regard to the ban on Open Cut Mining in Lake Macquarie has been defeated in Parliament.Labor voted as a block and the Opposition didn’t attend so as not to ‘offend the miner’. There was however a change to the legislation introduced by Kristina Kenneally in late 2009, that leaves the door open for ‘above ground auger mining’.
On this matter BAM has written to all local State MPs to get support for Mr Piper’s Bill and to clarify the Government’s position on Open-cut mining in our area. Not one of them supported Mr Piper and Matthew Morris, Member for Charlestown, was a government;s speaker to oppose the Bill. Paul’s Moors is now the President of BAM and can be contacted on moors@aapt.net.au.
