Greens MP and mining spokesperson Cate Faehrmann has begun the first leg of a tour of mining communities in New South Wales. The ‘The True Cost of Mining' tour begins in the Hunter and will tour areas heavily impacted by mining over the coming weeks.
"In the last few months, I’ve been overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what’s happening here in NSW – an explosion of mining activity, with scores of new projects either proposed or fully operational," said Ms Faehrmann.
"Every time the phone rings, my office knows there's a good chance it'll be another community looking for help. It could be a community struggling to fight off a vast open-cut coal mine or new gas field, a family suffering because of toxic dust, or somebody reporting their local creek is being polluted by mining activity upstream.
"To me NSW seems under siege. Yet I'm also seeing, as a result of this resource rush, more and more communities standing up for their farmlands, for their local environment and for their kids’ futures.
“I’ll be meeting with many of these communities and hearing their stories over the coming weeks.
“The government should always be asking itself: what is the true cost of allowing agricultural land to be mined for coal and gas? What is the true cost of long wall mining under dams and rivers?
“When will the government declare that enough is enough and move to protect what’s left?" said Ms Faehrmann.
Cate will be touring some of the worst-hit parts of the state, as well as those that have the most to lose. She will bring back what she learns into the new Parliament. 'The True Cost of Mining' will also include trips to the Illawarra, Southern Highlands, and the West.
Check back at www.catefaehrmann.org for regular updates as Cate documents the impacts she witnesses on tour.
Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727