Tell Barry O'Farrell: Time for a Full Inquiry into the Coal Mining 'Rum Corps'

image of Tell Barry O'Farrell: Time for a Full Inquiry into the Coal Mining 'Rum Corps'

Today, the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has handed down a damning report on corruption in the allocation of coal mining leases by former Minister Ian MacDonald. It exposes the dark underbelly of the whole management of coal mining in NSW - communities are locked out, back room deals are done, and mining companies get their way.

According to ICAC, corrupt behaviour led to three new exploration licences being granted to coal mining companies at Bylong and in the Hunter Valley. But the mining projects proposed in these areas are still going full steam ahead. It's time for Barry O ...

Today, the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has handed down a damning report on corruption in the allocation of coal mining leases by former Minister Ian MacDonald. It exposes the dark underbelly of the whole management of coal mining in NSW - communities are locked out, back room deals are done, and mining companies get their way.

According to ICAC, corrupt behaviour led to three new exploration licences being granted to coal mining companies at Bylong and in the Hunter Valley. But the mining projects proposed in these areas are still going full steam ahead. It's time for Barry O'Farrell to cancel the corrupt coal licences.

This problem is also far more widespread than the few examples that have been investigated by ICAC. What we need now is a broad inquiry into the approval processes for coal mining in NSW and urgent reform to bring transparency and genuine public consultation into this process.

However, this week Barry O'Farrell moved to weaken controls on coal mining even further. He plans to make it almost impossible for any authority to reject a major coal mine application – regardless of impacts on water, health or communities - through changes to the state mining policy to make 'development of significant mineral resources' the primary consideration of decision-makers, trumping all other issues.

Please take a few moments to have your say on these important issues, using our guide below.

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Send a message to Barry O'Farrell and John Robertson - enough is enough!

The NSW Government must fix the corruption-riddled mining approval process, launch a full inquiry and cancel all tainted exploration and mining licences.

Send the email below to the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition and the minor parties that hold the balance of power in the NSW Parliament. It tells them that you have lost faith in the management of the coal industry, and that action is needed to stop any opportunities for this sort of corruption in the future.

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Dear Parliamentarians,

Before winning the last NSW election, Barry O'Farrell promised that a Coalition Government would restore the balance between coal mining and community needs. Coal companies would no longer get everything they wanted . Public health, water resources and food-producing lands would be properly considered.

This week, that promise is in tatters.

Today, ICAC has delivered a damning report into the allocation of coal leases in the Bylong and Hunter Valleys, exposing systemic failures in management of coal mining in NSW.  Not only are the corrupt coal projects still going full steam ahead, but there has still been no broad-ranging inquiry into the flaws in the system and what needs to be done to improve it.

Now we have learnt that things are about to get worse, with the NSW Government moving this week to tip the balance even further in favour of coal mining companies.  Proposed amendments to the state mining policy (SEPP) will make the significance of the coal resource the “principal consideration” of consent authorities, making impacts on communities, health and land-use subordinate to the profit-motives of coal companies. It would also make it virtually impossible for consent authorities to say “no” to coal mines.

The management of coal mining in NSW is under a dark cloud and the community has completely lost faith in its ability to deliver either a fair or balanced outcome.  It is extraordinary for the NSW Parliament to have experienced the worst corruption since the Rum Corps but not to have delivered any broad-ranging reforms to ensure it doesn't happen again.

To restore credibility and public confidence we are calling on the Premier and all parliamentarians to take drastic action to:
1.	Immediately cancel the tainted coal licences - Mt Penny, Glendon Brook and Yarrawa.
2.	Launch an inquiry into exploration and mining approval processes in NSW and enact far-reaching reforms. 
3.	Freeze all new coal licences until the inquiry is complete.
4.	Commission a forensic investigation into all other coal licences issued by either Eddie Obeid or Ian MacDonald
5.	Dump the proposed amendments to the Mining SEPP. 
   
We value our land, our water and our future: please stand up for communities seeking a fair outcome and some basic transparency and integrity in mining law in NSW.

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