topic Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government in Community Spirit

Stupid, stupid, stupid government

the*scarlet*pimpernel — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 07:44:45 GMT

The PAC commission has approved the Chinese owned Shenhua Coal company to mine on the Liverpool Plains.

This area is a unique area of land. There is not another area as rich and fertile as the Liverpool Plains. It's the largest food producing area in NSW. It's water catchment and aquifers feed the Murray-Darling system.

There are endangered species of flora and fauna that will be bulldozed. There is a particularly rare and significant aboriginal site that will be 'moved'. Moving it will actually destroy the huge grinding groove rock as they will have to cut it in to pieces to relocate it.

The PAC has made no concessions to my village. The bore water table will be depleted. Our bores will run dry. We will need to sink deeper bores at our own expense. The dust and chemical fallout from blasting will settle on our roofs, contaminating our drinking water. We will have to install filtering systems at our own expense. We (and I mean all residents of Breeza) will need to have airconditioners for those times when the wind is from the west and blowing contaminated air at us. Breeza is 3km from the 3rd mine pit. People living within 2km's will be provided with aircons, water filtrations, insulation, double glazing etc. They will be offered to be bought out. The residents of Breeza won't.

It is likely that the chinese will be able to import their own people to work the mines. There are MAC villages popping up that house the FIFO workers. The MAC village in NArrabri buys bread from Narrabri. That's it. No other money is spent in the town. Gunnedah businesses think their will be a business boom, Poor gullible fools.

In 30 years time when this mine has run it's course, the work will dry up. The farming sector will already be rooted. The stupid government is looking only at short term gains and not the long term impact.

If we let the government do this it will set a precedent. Our waterways, the life blood of rural australia will be at risk. Primary production will drop off. Farmers, some 3rd and 4th generation will lose their livelihoods. Less food production will mean more imports putting Australia further in debt. Our native animals are at risk. We are destroying our very unique Aboriginal history. The government is supposed to respresent the people. It's not. It's money grabbing and suckholing at it's worst.

Please, say NO to Mining on The Liverpool Plains.

Allan Jones is running a Liverpool Plains feature tomorrow morning on 2GB from 7.00am to 9.00am.

There was also a short pice this morning. http://www.2gb.com/article/alan-jones-tim-duddy

I believe we will have a demonstration march on Feb 19th in Tamworth.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

***super_nova*** — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 07:53:51 GMT

That is just awful Pimpy. 😞

But i would not expect anything else; the whole world is slowly moving towards renewables, and we will be poisoning ourselves and our environment with old dirty mines. I wonder if Jones still considers wind turbines quite as ugly as he has in the past.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

wilk1149 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 07:55:02 GMT

Nothings as precious as a hole in the ground

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

cherry*135 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 07:55:47 GMT

Bad news

It is likely that the chinese will be able to import their own people to work the mines.

Yes, the Abbott Govt free trade agreement with China (and other countries) and an amendent to 457 Visas allows them to employ people direct from their own country, without employer seeking local people first.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

2106greencat — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 07:58:56 GMT

Maybe NSW can show their displeasure in March, same as Qld have just done.

Vote wisely guys, before you know it, there won't be any land left to live on or to fight over.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

gleee58 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 08:22:57 GMT

That's terrible, Pimpy.

The people making or undoing the rules don't give a damn about the agricultural areas. Barnaby Joyce says he does but his actions don't follow through. Won't cross the masters for fear of getting dumped from the abbott team.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

lind9650 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 08:24:19 GMT

Start a petition at GetUp, getup.com.au

Get hold of a sympathetic MP in your area and let him present the petition to Governement.

You'll be surprised what impact those kind of petitions have. Just spread the word among family and friends and ask everyone to sign the petition.

People from all over the world can sign. It is not limited to just one area. The more numbers you get, the more impact.

I'll sign as well, although I don't live in NSW.

Erica

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

vicr3000 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 08:25:51 GMT

Voting in NSW is unlikely to make a difference, its going ahead.

I thought it was the forrest that everyone was up in arms about ?

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

the*scarlet*pimpernel — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 08:30:36 GMT

Barnaby Joyce promised us there would be no mining on the black soils of the liverpool plains. After he was elected him he changed his stance and when we questioned him he said "it's all about jobs"

I don't know if he meant jobs for australians (which this mine won't have much of an impact on) or his own job.

We are now looking to Senetaor Dio Wong to save our plains and our water resources .oh the irony of looking to a chinese bloke to save us from the chinese. Actually that's not fair. Senator Wong is an australian citizen and its the australian gov at fault not the chinese.

There are 28 other explorations leases in this area. It's beyond belief.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

2106greencat — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 08:37:54 GMT

oh pimpy.........

promises, promises, the band call of the poly BEFORE they are elected.

I just don't expect anything from anyone anymore, that way, I am never disappointed

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

the*scarlet*pimpernel — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 08:38:29 GMT

@vicr3000 wrote:

Voting in NSW is unlikely to make a difference, its going ahead.

I thought it was the forrest that everyone was up in arms about ?

Yes, that too. Leard State Forest. It's about 100 km's that away *points northwest*

I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago. Ugly as bleep. A blot on the landscape. Stands out like dingoes nuts.

While the protesters and the media have been focused on Leard the Shengua Watermark project has been quietly progressing through the 'due processes' which is another term for Pulling The Wool over eyes. The whole 'due process' 'gateway' and Planning Commissions are geared to wards the mines. They can keep doing fancy footwork, slight of hand, change a word here and there to satisy the conditions while the public has no comeback, no recourse. It sucks.

We weren't allowed to video tape the PAC public submissions days which is a damn shame. Anyone that was there (besides the shenhua reps who slept through most of it) would be convonced that this is The Wrong Mine In The Wrong Place.

*sigh*

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

the*scarlet*pimpernel — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 08:41:56 GMT

I hate reading scrollers, so I don't blame you if you don't read this one. But it is worth reading. If the murri's can't protect their heritage what hope have us gubbas got of protecting this area

Immediate media release Tuesday 27 January 2015

Preserving Gomeroi grinding grooves lost in translation

The Gomeroi Traditional Custodians can’t help but respond to Mr Paul Jackson Manager of the Chinese government owned company Shenhua who are wanting approval for three big pits of open cut coal mining in the Liverpool Plains.

Respected Elder Uncle Cyril Sampson said “Shenhua is wanting to rip the gut out of our Country. They are wanting to destroy our grinding groove sites which have been there for thousands of years and repeatedly used by generations of our ancestors”

Mr Jackson’s public statement made on the 30 December 2014 to the ABC said "We don't want to destroy these Grinding Grooves."

The Gomeroi Traditional Custodians say “Well keep your word and leave our sacred grinding grooves alone”.

Our community were shocked at Project Manager Paul Jackson’s statement to the ABC that said “Shenhua proposes to move the rocks the Grooves are on, and put them back in the same location when the mining pit is rehabilitated, in 17 years.”

Mr Jackson’s statements suggest some kind of technical feat will be performed in ”gently moving the sacred grinding grooves out of the way while they undertake mining only to return them unharmed back in their place in several years to come”. Anyone that sees the Hunter and Whitehaven and Boggabri open cut mining activities knows how ridiculous this statement is.

Shenhua failed to tell the public that they intend to cut the grinding grooves up into pieces because the grinding groove sites are so large they can’t be moved as one whole piece.

The truth is that Shenhua wants to carve them up -like a jigsaw puzzle - forever destroying them. The aquifer providing the water which keeps the grinding grooves in their state will also be destroyed and the landscape Shenhua want to return the grooves pieces to will be forever changed and the meaning and purpose of the area lost. How can you declare smashed grinding grooves is not destruction?

How is this valuing our culture and heritage? How is this respecting our sites especially sites of such significance. Have a look at what mines have done to grinding groove sites in the Hunter. Have a look at the grinding grooves moved and placed at the Boggabri Park - it’s a sham and it’s shameful and it’s destructive. Please provide an example of successful removal….. look at the size of the grooves at Shenhua.

Would the Chinese people want to have the Great Wall of China cut up into pieces and then put back into a different landscape because Australia wanted to mine for coal? Or would they send us packing and want to save them? Would they not be outraged? The Chinese Government have laws to protect their relics and cultural property of importance they recognise that the Great Wall of China is not portable- we say to the Chinese Peoples Republic our grinding grooves are decidedly not portable. Just like their cultural assets Gomeroi people have artefacts and places of significance and these need to be saved and protected

We also refer to Shenhua’ s own assessment document AECOM 2012 Appendix F2 which clearly states that “the friable nature of the sandstone makes it susceptible to erosion spalls etc” How can Shenhua tell the public that the grooves will be gently moved and put back into place without being broken?

“Mr Jackson also inferred in his ABC article that he did us a favour in finding them (the grooves) which is not the truth. Our Elders worked these farms all their lives and just because we did not talk about the sacred places and objects does not mean that they are not known to us. Also being denied access to our sites does not diminish their value” said respected elder Uncle Dick Talbott.

We haven’t worked out if Shenhua are showing a huge dose of ignorance or arrogance with Mr Jackson’s public statements such as "We can use it as an education tool for the wider community so we all have a better understanding of the Aboriginal culture. "It would really destroy me if we've got the opportunity to do that, if we chose to hide it away and not do anything with it."

We say “yes Mr Jackson you do have the opportunity to learn about our culture and heritage but to do so, learn about our culture and heritage by listening to our Elders and community and learn the importance of the grinding grooves by leaving them where they are” said Dolly Talbott

Aunty Helen Humble believe “Mr Jackson and the board of Shenhua your thinking is wrong, Your way of respecting our culture and heritage is considered disrespectful and reflects poor judgement and complete lack of understanding.” We do not believe the average Australian will think it reasonable nor right for you to have approval to destroy such amazing grinding grooves. A company owned by the Peoples Republic of China simply should not get approval from the NSW Government to destroy another countries valuable culture and heritage - Aboriginal culture and heritage.

To infer that somehow Shenhua have done us a favour and will do us a favour in the process of you gauging huge holes in the Liverpool Plains is very upsetting The location of these grinding grooves are for a purpose, they are not for you to destroy and they should be saved for both Gomeroi and all other Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community appreciation of our culture- the oldest living culture on this planet.

We say “Sorry Mr Jackson and Shenhua a company of the Chinese government that something got lost in the translation”. GTC Elders and community

Contact

Dolly Talbott on behalf of the Gomeroi Traditional Custodians

gomeroitraditionalcustodians@hotmail.com phone 0413 131 983

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

vicr3000 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 08:44:55 GMT

Senator Wong is a resource guy, ex CEO of a huge resource company. Big business resource background,

He is an open cut guy LOL

Clive Palmer owns it LOL

Is this a case of the fox in charge of the henhouse ?

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

the*scarlet*pimpernel — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 09:03:42 GMT

yeah I know, seems odd huh. He's an engineer I believe. Maybe he's just chasing votes but we are running out of options. Our only real hope of stopping the mine now is to press home the importance of the murray-darling catchment system.

They (shenhua) are going to literally move mountains and dig dirty great pits. The water that should run down the hills and in to the various creeks and waterways will run into a big toxic hole in the ground then get pumped into a holding pit.. It won't go back in to the system. It doesn't just affect us, it will affect all the river towns from here down to SA.

The Mooki is a instrumental in feeding the Namoi Catchment and in turn the MurrayDarling. Shenhua passed it off as 'an insignificant mudpuddle'

There are so many reasons why this particular mine shouldn't be allowed. Shenhua should never have been given even an exploration license. They paid a ridiculous huge amount of money for it, back when those corrupt dudes were running the show. Well, the more corrupt than usual dudes.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

debra9275 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 09:11:26 GMT

so sorry to hear that Pimpy. it's a hard thing for you all to fight. I have a couple of stories here saying that Mike Baird doesn't support it, for what it's worth. They all sound pretty contradictory to me

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-03/farmers-call-on-premier-to-protect-prime-farming-land/6065084

The New South Wales Premier says he doesn't support mining on the black soils of the Liverpool Plains, and has spoken to his Planning Minister about making sure the area is off-limits.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

vicr3000 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 09:13:54 GMT

They are ' mud puddles, except when it rains hard and that is when it flows and floods.

Our river systems are not like most other countries.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

icyfroth — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 09:18:45 GMT

Pimpy I'm totally with you on this issue. I was listening to Alan Jones this morning about it. He is so right when he says Mike Baird wants to watch himself with his selling off NSW to the highest bidder.

Campbell Newman and his goverment came undone because he wouldn't listen to the voice of the people. He just couldn't say no to the mining conglomerates. Mike Baird and the Liberals will go the same way.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

the_great_she_elephant — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 09:35:32 GMT

@vicr3000 wrote:

Voting in NSW is unlikely to make a difference, its going ahead.

I thought it was the forrest that everyone was up in arms about ?

I'm confused. None of the articles about this that I have read makes any mention of a forest. Is there a forest in the area under proposal? Maybe Pimpy can tell us.

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

vicr3000 — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 09:40:04 GMT

I might be confusing the two mines. The Leard forest ?

I have been to both areas

Re: Stupid, stupid, stupid government

the*scarlet*pimpernel — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 10:55:39 GMT

There are a number of mines already operational in this area.Some owned by Whitehaven including Maules Creek/Leard State forest mine. In most cases, whilst they are ugly as poop, they are not a huge threat to the environment. No more than any other. But the one in the Leard State forest has done damage. They are clearing a very old forest. You can't replace those trees. They are hundreds of years old. It takes decades even centuries for a tree to get to the stage where it has holes and hollow limbs that provide habitats and nesting sites for birds and possums and critters.

The open cut mine proposed for the Liverpool Plains is owned by Shenhua.

BHP is has also proposed an underground coalmine almost on Shenhuas boundary. With Shenhua getting approval it will be all but impossible to stop the BHP mine.

We all lnow that burning fossil fuels is bad. We know trees are natures aircleaners and yet here is Australia promoting deforestation and the mining of fossil fuels. How stupid are we