Former NSW governor Marie Bashir says the destruction of fertile Australian farmland for mining is a "crisis" that must stop, adding: "I have never been so emphatic or political in my life".
It is the first time Dame Marie has spoken out against mining after 13 years in the traditionally apolitical role of NSW governor. The beloved dame, who retired late last year, also said her fears about foreign ownership of Australian land bring out her "nasty side".
The conflict between faming and mining, including coal seam gas, has become a defining election issue in regional NSW, and may heavily sway results in seats on the north coast and in western NSW.
Speaking at an International Women's Day event in Sydney on Sunday, Dame Marie said Australia was in the incredible position of being able to "help to feed the world".
Dame Marie said the situation was "a clarion call" to women, adding "I couldn't be more passionate about a cause than this one. We must do something to protect our food-producing land".
Dame Marie, the daughter of Lebanese immigrants who grew up in Narrandera in western NSW, said women could make a difference "by lobbying the men, whether they live under the same roof or are in the same parliament".
"We've all got to take this message to all whom we know. This is, in a sense, a crisis, disguised though it is," she said.
Independent candidates are trying to capitalise on concern over coal and coal seam gas mining in regional Nationals-held seats such as Tamworth and Barwon.
Farmers on the Liverpool Plains were angered in January when planning authorities approved the $1.2 billion Shenhua Watermark open-cut coal mine in the farming region.
Yet the mining companies keep applying, and governments are not capable of saying no.
