McPhillamys Gold Project

I strongly object to to this proposal. The risks far outweigh the gain and I see the negatives as
*prime agricultural land being destroyed
*polluting the soil and river system with heavy metals and a salty brine
*contamination of our waterways
*noise, dust and light pollution
*major impact on the flora and fauna in the area
*increased heavy vehicles on our roads
Water is precious, our farmers are precious and this country of ours is precious. How privileged and lucky we are to have running water - look after it!
PROTECT OUR WATERWAYS

I opposed the McPhillamys Mine for the reasons contained in my attached document

I am writing to express my concern about the proposed McPhillamys Gold Mine Project. Mines are first and foremost profit generating enterprises. Despite assertions about benefits to the community, creating an income for owners and shareholders must be their primary aim. In line with this, there is discussion about the possibility of some increase in local employment opportunities, although there are no firm assurances. However the long term impact on the environment is analysed in even less certain terms.
In addition to issues surrounding water usage, I have strong concerns about the impact on local flora and fauna. A working mine must cause disruption to the surrounding landscape, impacting on soils, air quality, noise levels, natural light cycles and much more. This must have a lasting effect on the local biosphere, including bees and insect life. The mine’s impact on the environment will definitely be significant in the short term and there are no guarantees that destruction will be reversible. Permanent destruction of the balance within the local environment seems highly probable.
What will the long term cost of this environmental ruin be? I believe it will be significant and far reaching. It will most certainly not be offset by limited, short term employment opportunities. Therefore I do not support the mine. Thank you.

I Glyn Sargent a very close neighbour to the proposed McPhillamy's Gold Mine STRONGLY OBJECT to the approval of this mine.
As I write this objection looking out my loungeroom window towards the beautiful countryside which is proposed to be destroyed, I can't help but be utterly devastated that this prime agricultural land with it's hundreds of year old native box trees potentially could be taken away from us and our children forever.
We are situated 600m from the edge of the proposed project and a mere 1.2km from the proposed centre of the pit.
My concerns are:
Health - Air quality, contamination of water (both bore water and tank water which is our primary source) we are not connected to town water, 24 hour noise pollution
Contamination of the Belubula River ( Tailings Dam proposed to be built over the headwaters and catchment of this pristine river)
Destruction of the native animals habitats in the area (We have many Koalas, Kookaburras, Sugar Gliders, Possums, Frogs, Bees, Quolls, reptiles etc in our local ecosystem)
The proposed site is some of the best and safest grazing country in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales.
At a time where the majority of New South Wales is in severe drought we are lucky enough to be in a much better position than other parts of the State. We can't afford to have this agricultural land destroyed for the sake of a short term gain.
We are lucky enough through the warmer parts of the year to be able to open our windows of a night time as we have a lovely easterly breeze that blows of an evening. We do not have to use air conditioning. If this mine were to go ahead we would have to keep our windows closed constantly and run our air conditioning constantly. Not to mention having to keep the house locked all the time due to dust and noise issues.
Being in such close proximity to the proposed site would see us lose our beautiful night skies. It would be constantly light all night.
With all the heavy metals drifting into the atmosphere we would not be able to safely grow our vegetables, hang our clothes on the line, drink our tank water, let alone, potentially not be able to wash ourselves or our clothes in our tank water due to contamination.
We are very concerned about the loss of our bore water which we rely heavily on to water our animals and keep our garden established. We sit quite high and overlook the proposed site and we hold genuine concern that our aquifer could be lost due to draining into the very deep (we believe the pit to be over 300m deep), which is hundreds of metres below our groundwater source.
Being 600m to the edge of the project we hold grave concerns for the structural integrity of our home with daily blasting taking place. It is far too close to our family home.
This is our own peace of paradise and we believe that this mine should not be approved on the grounds of destruction to prime agricultural land, native vegetation and fauna for future generations to come.
We need you to help us protect this beautiful part of Australia.
In conclusion, I invite the person or persons who are responsible for the consideration of this proposed mine to visit our home and see why this land is worth fighting for.
Kindest regards

Glyn Sargent - 0427 018 177

I object to this proposed mine for the following reasons:

• The vast majority of Australia is in the grip of drought, claimed by some to be the most severe and widespread in recorded history. Most expert opinion is that, due to the now unavoidable climate change caused by global warming, such droughts are going to become the new normal. This will result in reduced rainfall, increased evaporation, and consequent scarcity of water for all purposes, including farming, on which we all depend for food production. Yet this project is seriously proposing to construct a tailings dam, full of polluted water/ toxic sludge, on top of the headwaters of a very valuable water way which in turn flows into a significant Australian river, the Lachlan.

• Tailings dams have been known to fail, with catastrophic consequences. Destroying this agricultural area for a 15 year project to extract gold at a concentration of perhaps 1.05gm/tonne, producing 60m+ tonnes of waste, and leaving a destroyed landscape and toxic legacy that will last forever. The risks posed by this project are way out of proportion with the benefit to be gained for the country as a whole and poses a significant environmental disaster in the making.

• Currently a significant number of towns in NSW have or are about to run out of water. Water is an essential resource for a dry country such as Australia and which the communities of rural Australia, in particular, require for survival. As the water not only sustains life; human, livestock, wildlife, it also provides for necessary crop production. To potentially have less water or contaminated water flowing into communities along the Belubula such as Blayney, Carcoar and Canowindra then into the Lachlan river which serves communities such as Forbes, Condobolin and Lake Cargelligo, will be catastrophic. These communities will lose their livelihoods, jobs will be lost, towns will suffer without access to fresh water and the lack of crop production will have a negative impact on Australia's exports. There is also the probability of significant fish losses, a major impact on Australian fishers.

• The use of cyanide to process the gold from ore and then pumped into the tailings dam. Cyanide has been banned in nine countries, Korea, Ecuador, Argentina, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Greece, Turkey, Germany and Hungary and some US states and poses a dangerous and toxic threat to the water and land in the region.

• Inevitable contamination of the Belubula and Lachlan Rivers, due to seepage through groundwater flows from the tailings dam
• Traffic problems and caused by the continuous stream of heavy vehicles, and light vehicles at shift changes
• The blot on the landscape caused by the “amenity bunds” and dust
• Loss of natural land and environment for wildlife, and the impact of toxicity on surrounding wildlife
• Noise, dust, vibrations, particulate pollution from diesel fumes, light pollution 7 days a week and 24 hours a day
• The noise, vibrations and risks posed by regular explosions permitted for 12 hours a day. This will impact livestock and domestic animals on neighbouring properties and could damage heritage buildings
• Permanent degradation of prime agricultural land and scenery
• Loss of trees including high altitude yellow box that may be 200 years old
• Impact on bee population due to loss of ground flora and contaminated water
• Loss of the forest where the mine is proposed that is considered an ecologically endangered community as defined by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage
• The high probability that the developer will not be willing or able to rehabilitate the site when the mine eventually becomes unviable, as has happened so many times in the history of mining
• The whole project proposes less than 1000 short terms jobs. Other industries in this area, such as the bee / honey industry, support a more diversified and resilient economy including tourism, renewables and sustainable agriculture offer far more employment. The Central Tablelands are becoming known for its wine and tourism industries, let alone the valuable farm land . If this is lost, the communities of Bathurst, Blayney, Carcoar and Orange will suffer, with more job losses across the board. MchPhillamys can only guarantee a certain number of jobs for only a very short time before the workers will move on, leaving these communities. Those who's jobs have disappeared because of mine displacing their industries may also have to leave their communities in search of work, while leaving local business who have long term visions for their communities are left high and dry.

* In the event of a major rainfall / flooding event could mean significant seepage into the Belabula River and into surrounding agricultural land creating a major environmental disaster.

* An area of concern, which has been experienced at Cadia near Orange, has been a series of earthquakes. If these earthquakes or significant tremors occur near the McPhillamys tailings dam there could be extensive and catastrophic wall breaches with contaminated water escaping.

* I'm also concerned about the local communities that live across from the mine and how they will be affected by the dust, noise and explosions. Their health and wellbeing is at stake and the value of their properties will drop significantly because of the close proximity of the mine.

I have attached my submission.

David Robert Price

I object to the proposed "McPhillamys Gold Project" mine for many reasons which I will try to outline as briefly as possible.
A Tailings Dam, full of toxic sludge, situated at the headwaters of a healthy river which supplies water for farming, towns, communities and environmental necessities is surely a disaster waiting to happen.
"Plugging" natural springs with concrete and building a massive toxic dam on top of them when it is unknown how these springs even work is completely irresponsible.
The destruction of productive farmland, vulnerable and threatened ecological communities, diverse habitat for many native species as well as a thriving honey bee industry is itself too high a cost.
Piping in highly salty waste water from reverse osmosis plants of coal mines in faraway catchments to be then used to process gold (a highly toxic process itself) or for dust suppression (spreading this brine all over the landscape) is totally unacceptable.
The shorterm employment this project will bring is not worth sacrificing the employment and livelihoods that will be permanently lost or severely affected by the construction of this mine and destruction of the site and surrounding landscape.
The pit will be left as a permanent, giant open void and will drain the surrounding landscape for many centuries until it becomes another permanent toxic lake.
The impact on local residents of having a mine operating constantly with all the noise, dust, light pollution, daily blasting, increase in traffic, loss of property value and horrendous changes to their local environment, scenery and lifestyle is completely unfair and unacceptable.
The 24/7 noise, light pollution, daily blasting, machinery, increased traffic etc. will drive away native species far beyond the mines boundaries.
The loss of habitat and complete destruction of the site and the direct death this will result in of native species; birds, fish, frogs, reptiles, marsupials etc. seems like a criminal act in the 21st century, all for gold? to be used in jewellery or sit in a vault somewhere?
The loss of flow to the Belubula River, the toxic tailings dam seeping into it or potentially failing and flooding and permanently damaging an entire river is far too high a cost.
These are just some concerns I have about this mine. We already have a massive goldmine operation in the region with it's own set of dangerous problems and overuse of local resources eg water.
I oppose this project and think it brings far more harm and risk to our local region than good.
Thankyou.

I grew up on the Belubula River near Carcoar dam. I crossed the river each day on my way to school. I have seen the river in flood and I have seen it at low level but I have never seen it dry. I now travel daily to work through the fertile farming lands of Kings Plains. To consider the development of a mine on such fertile land and to contemplate the pollution of such a vital watercourse is indeed a travesty.

Many paragraphs could be devoted to the environmental impact of this project but in the interests of brevity I will condense it to one, simple idea. As we move deeper and deeper into the era of climate change, water will become more precious, more valuable, more irreplaceable than gold. My children do not need gold but they will always need water.

Please preserve this land and water for future generations by not building this mine.

Yours sincerely,
Carol Neary
on behalf of the Neary and Hoadley Families

I Lisa Sargent STRONGLY OBJECT to the proposed McPhillamy's Gold Project at Kings Plains, NSW.
I am a resident of the village of Kings Plains and live 600m from the boundary of the proposed project and 1.2km from the centre of the proposed pit.
I live in our dream home with my husband of 21 years and our three children.
After surviving 3 lots of cancer my husband and I chose to move to our little weekender to live a life of simplicity and to provide our children with a wholesome Australian country lifestyle, growing veggies, fresh country air, beautiful dark night skies and fresh rain water to drink.
After moving to Kings Plains my husband was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. We have purpose built our dream home to accommodate his every need as far as wider door ways, open plan living and extra support in walls for aids. We have landscaped our house yard so that he can easily move about when his having bad days.
This is where we plan to spend the rest of our lives.
This proposed mine has added an enormous amount of stress to our lives which we did not need.
I am opposed to this project for many reasons and these include the destruction of prime agricultural land, destruction to native flora and fauna, the potential threat of contamination to the Belubula River and beyond (which Regis can't guarantee 100% won't happen) and the invasion of our peaceful existence.
I am very concerned about the dust that will be generated from this mine site. We live in a high wind area and the suppressing of dust would be a mammoth task for the mine to undertake. The heavy metals which would land on our roof and contaminate our tank water would have harmful affects on our family. We are dependant on rain water as our primary source to wash our clothes, dishes and ourselves.
We have a bore which helps us water our animals and keep our garden established. We fear that this bore will be compromised given that we are positioned above the proposed pit which is said to be over 300m deep (100's of metres below our water bearing ground). We understand that the lack of water has been a big issue for Regis and we believe that they will be harvesting 100% of the water which lands on their land, when farmers are only allowed to harvest 10%. We are also of the understanding that Regis have verbally told our neighbours that they will be putting down 10 bores to help kick start their project, while they run a pipeline for water to be pumped to site. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
Growing our veggies would be impossible, we all know the contaminates that would be drifting onto them and we would lose the ability to eat our freshly grown food.
We are very lucky to live in a beautiful elevated position where we experience lovely views over the valley and beyond towards Mount Canobolas in Orange. We also benefit through the hotter months of the year from a beautiful easterly breeze that blows most nights and allows us to sleep with our windows open.
My husbands condition sees him suffer from severe over heating and this cool breeze helps him of a night to keep his body temperature at a reasonable level. We would not be able to have our windows open of a night if the mine were to be approved. We save a lot of money on electricity due to this beautiful natural breeze.
Throughout the processes involved in the proposal of this mine I have seen many residents suffer terribly from the stress of the whole process we have been confronted with. Who is responsible for the mental health of the wonderful people of Kings Plains? Who is out there to protect us from potentially losing everything we have worked so hard for? Who is responsible for the potential destruction of hundreds of year old box trees that currently sit directly above the proposed pit site? Who will sign off on the potential hazard that awaits our pristine Belubula River?
Once the mine is long gone, we have been told that the massive wall that is to be built along the highway which leads to our beautiful villages will be left as an eye sore. The pit will be left as an open hole to fill with water and the rolling hills we now admire as part of our view will be added too with overburden from the pit and left as unnatural structures for all to see for future generations to come.
This is prime agricultural land that we are talking about. We are in the midst of severe drought in New South Wales and the Kings Plains area is proving to be one of the better off areas in the State.
Daily blastings are another major concern of mine. I fear for the structural integrity of our home and the stress of these blasts on our animals.
Who will sign off on this mine and be responsible for all the major hazards that await us?
Please......I urge you to come and see our lovely village and the beautiful countryside we call home and help us to save our Prime Agricultural Land for our future generations to farm.
Kindest regards

Lisa Sargent - 0407 709 991

I believe that this project (McPhillamys Gold Project) is merely for driving personal gain/profit for this company and that they have no concern for how it will impact not only the environment long term but the livelihood of the surrounding residents.
If this project goes ahead there will be irreversible damage inflicted to the surrounding environment, wildlife and residents way of life.. potential pollution from the mine into the Belubula River; potential pollution of local rainwater supplies (used for domestic use on many rural properties) from dust and fumes coming from the site; an increase in the risk of bush and grass fires in the area due to untamed and unkempt bushland; dust, air and land pollution; noise and night lighting 24/7 for 365 days a year; massive impacts on native flora and fauna - disruption and environmental damage to endangered woodland and to the habitat of endangered koalas, sugar gliders and multiple species of birds.
The list goes on and on..
Many residents live in this area because of the beautiful and peaceful way of life. This Gold Project will massively disrupt that way of life, forcing the people to try and adjust. But many may not, bringing in mental health issues; possible change in social habits and sleeping habits; further affecting those with chronic illness. It is unfair to say the least. Not only that, property values have already decreased with the possibility of the mine going ahead and will only continue to decrease if it does actually go ahead. This will cause residents an immense amount of stress, not only within themselves, but also financially.

I feel that the McPhillamys Gold Project will bring no positive impacts for the environment and surrounding residents. Therefore it should not go ahead.
We need to do what is best for the Australian environment and those that live peacefully here.
I just ask that you take into consideration the livelihood of others and that of the environment.
I hope that the right decision is made.

My concerns for the McPhillamys Gold Project going ahead and the running of the mine 24/7 are the impact on the nearby residents/animals of the change in noise level that the mine will create from the current peaceful environment. The impact on nearby residents and the impact on their sleeping/rest periods due to the lighting that will be 24/7. I feel this will change the nearby residents way of life from their current enjoyable peaceful country life that they have made their home in this area for that reason. The residents property value will be significantly reduced and already has been affected due to the mine possibly going ahead in this area, and the failure in the sale of nearby homes in recent times only adds to the ill affects on the residents that reside in this area and the mine is a deterrent to new prospective buyers leaving the current home owners in a position of disadvantage. The disruption and environmental damage to critically endangered woodland and to the habitat of vulnerable koalas and sugar gliders and several bird species and possums and other animal life. What is not considered is the disturbance to native flora and fauna of noise, 24/7 lighting, dust etc on land beyond the mine site boundary where the natural environment will also be greatly changed. The pumping of 13 000 000 litres of water a day from Lithgow to the mine site, the water being mostly of coal mine dewatering, waste water from coal preparation (washing) facility, and salt water (brine) derived from the Mt Piper Power Station and associated desalination plant. The ultimate source of most of the water is the western Blue Mountains. The importation of large amounts of salt into the already salt-laden Murray-Darling Basin. Much of the water arriving from Lithgow will be lost by evaporation but the salt it contained will remain, contaminating the mine site. There is potential for pollution of local rainwater supplies by dust and fumes. Kings Plains and many rural properties do not have reticulated water but rely on rain for most domestic uses.
I feel the residents and their domestic animals, their farming live stock, the farming land, the environment and the wild life will be greatly affected in a negative way if the mine goes ahead, all for monetary gain and for a significant amount of years (Regis Resources is applying for a licence for 20 years).
Please consider this, would you like to be in this situation?

I object to the development for the following reasons

The project is not in the public interest because it is contrary to the principles of ecologically sustainable development - namely intergenerational and intergeographical equity because the predicted economic benefits would accrue to the present generation including Regis shareholders and all NSW residents but the long-term environmental, heritage and agricultural costs will be borne by the future generations of residents who live and work close to the mine site.

The mine development is in the upper reaches of the Belubula River Catchment (the Belubula River is within the greater Lachlan River catchment, which itself forms part of the Murray Darling Basin) with the river's headwaters IMMEDIATELY north-east of the mine project area. The proposal includes a 600 acre surface area tailings dam full of heavy metals built right on top of the river's headwaters. Furthermore, the water used by the mine (discarded from coal mines at Lithgow) to wet down roads, amenity bunds etc will be laden with heavy metals and a salty brine and thus cause further pollution to the soil and river system. It is particularly concerning that a coal mine has no further use for the water, however a project located 90km away wants to use the water.

The EIS contains modelling and projections from supposedly independent consultants that estimate the impact of the development on the Belubula River to be minimal, however other mining projects continue to have severe negative impacts that were not projected as part of the project's EIS.

One needs to only look 25 kilometres away to the Cadia mine. Despite generating nearly $1,000,000,000 of free cash flow last financial year and operated by Newcrest, an ASX top-20 company, a tailings dam collapsed in 2018 and in 2019, the mine and its tailing dams has caused significant clouds of white dust to spread to neighbouring properties.

This example and the many others within Australia just like it make the modelling and projections within the EIS completely worthless.

Australia is commonly accepted as being the driest continent on earth, and 99.4% of New South Wales is currently experiencing severe drought conditions. Furthermore, mismanagement of water within the wider Murray Darling Basin is a very topical issue at the moment. It is unfathomable that the NSW Government would approve a project that has the potential to irreversibly degrade a significant part of the Murray Darling basin.

See attachment

My parents-in-law, who have lived near the proposed mine site for 30 years, have been socially isolated as their neighbours properties have been bought out, and they are now left with the financial burden of the decline in value of their property. If they decide to stay, they will be effected by the 24-hour-a-day operation of this mine, and all of the noise, air, light, ground and water pollution that will unavoidably accompany it. The land, animals and people will all be adversely effected from this disruption, including the poor Koalas who are already struggling for survival.
The jobs that will be created will be overshadowed by those lost when long-term farmers are being moved off their land and their stock affected by the pollution of the land and waterways. As well as this, the bee keepers at the Beekeeper’s Inn will be put out of business, losing a further 40 jobs.
The flow-on effect for us personally will be the loss of a beautifully cared for cattle property, which my partner had always hoped he could share with our children, and the emotional and physical hardship faced by our families when his parents are forced to move off the land they have built up over 30 years.
Please don’t let this mine go ahead!

My name is Tom Hoadley
Im from the Blayney comunity.
I am a electrical tradesmen.
my family runns a total of 5 sole tradding businesses from the property which is going to muchly disturbed and even distroyed.
I live within a 1km radius from the open cut hole regis is preposing.
We live on a big farm, which is our familys pride and joy.
i have bben playing in the durt from the day i could cry till this current moment.
I run cattle on the farm with the family and have a pation of ridding horses.
the best thing that i love about my life is the veiw and quiet peice healthy air that i ride in every day with my competting horses.
I declare we have the best hill , that looks directly over the hole mine that is proposed.
Regis have been absolutely horrible at keeping us informed, they have visited us once since the start of the hole project.
The threat the mine is going to put on our life style is hunormes, disgracfull.
it is distroying relationships and pulling families apart for some time and has out weighed the good its going to bring with bad ( broken families and uncurtaint)

it is discracefull how regis is treatting and future effect the guyong road comunity and surrounding ares.

Regis is going to distroy this beautifull farming land known as gods country with Toxic chemicals, poluted water, high noose levels, and a massive eye sore.

with regaurd i strongly disagree with Regises proposal

imagine your neibour being regis
reguards Tom Hoadley

Reasons for Objections;
EFFECTS ON BELUBULA RIVER AND WATER RESOURCES
* The danger to the whole river system associated with any toxic spills into the Belubula River Headwaters that runs through the mine and will be buried for several klms by the mine tailings. Downstream from the mine the river flows through the town of Blayney, rich alluvial flats grazing land and into Carcoar Dam. Tablelands Water supply might be polluted via the planned pipeline connecting Lake Rowlands and Carcoar Dam. Below Carcoar Dam the Belubula passes through several rural communities, much grazing and cropping country and ultimately feeds into the Lachlan River west of Cowra.
* Possible disruption to adjacent groundwater supply by bores sunk on the mine site to provide water for construction and operation before the pipeline from Lithgow is operational, Regis until recently denied this was planned. In addition the rain that falls on the minesite will be harvested far beyond the 10% allowed to farmers and will further reduce the presently available water in the Upper Belubula catchment.
* The plan to bring 13 million litres of dirty saline water from Lithgow to the mine every day. This is water that Sydney does not want in Warragamba Dam, that has its origins in the degrading wetlands of the western Blue Mountain, that is polluted by being filtered through coal seams and by being used in a coal washery, and has its salt content multipled by addition of brine, the waste product of a desalination plant at Mount Piper Power Station. The net result the introduction of a large volume of poor quality water and the supply of thousands of tonnes of salt to the already overburdened Murray-Darling Basin.
EFFECTS ON THE 'NEAR NEIGHBOURS' of the mine;
* The proposed mine would have a dramatic affect on the near neighbours of the mine especially, but no limited to, the settlement of Kings Plains that live on the south side of the valley facing the mine that occupies almost the entire opposite northern side. Here the open cut pit will be excavated and a large waste rock disposal area including a high embankment to be constructed over a period of four years. This will be a continous source of noise, dust and at night, light pollution during the life of the mine - after the first 6 months of construction on the site it is proposed that mining activity will proceed for ten years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 52 weeks a year, blasting permitted for 12 hours a day. For most what attracted the residents to settle in the area around what may now become an industrial void and dump mine, with rural views that will be changed forever, the healthly environment that will be degraded and the brilliant dark-sky to be gone for more than a decade. Many neighbours will move away and face property values decline.
We don't want succeeding generations to inherit a toxic tailing dam designed to leak into the headwaters of the Belubula River and a pit that will leak water contaminated to a degree that it is unsuitable for cattle to drink into groundwater reserviour and possibly to the Belubula River for hundreds of years.

As a farming family in this area for 24 years on two properties fronting the beautiful Belubula River, the risks are just too great to construct a tailing dam and mine on a precious water source such as ours.
Regards
Jenny & Marcus McMahon

I object to the project for the following reasons.
1. A tailings dam filled with toxic water will be erected on the beautiful hills and valleys between Kings Plains and Vittoria, this area contains the headwaters of the Belubula River. Regis plan to block the springs that's feed the river. These springs let go with no explanation and continue to flow through the township of Blayney, onto Carcoar Dam, the Lachlan River and eventually into the Murray/Darling Basin. This happens regardless of rain or drought. I believe that there is an unacceptable risk of contamination of the river and critical reductions of the flow down the Belubula all the way to the Murray/Darling Basin. We live in the driest continent in the world and we are currently experiencing a drought of epic proportions, it is complete lunacy for Regis to think it’s OK to desecrate this source of water that is vital for so many people and animals. You can’t eat gold and you can’t drink toxic water so please stop Regis and this crazy plan.
2. The mine is a real risk to the environment and community, not only while operational but also once the mine closes. What Regis plan to leave behind will leak toxic liquid into the environment that will leave it with no productive use for many generations.
3. Regis Resources have my family nameless and faceless by calling us Sensitive Receptors. They don’t care about me, my family or my home of 23 years. They have never visited my home, nor have they ever spoken to me. To start with, they didn’t even know we existed. My husband paid them a visit to ask questions and he had to point our home out on a map. They claim to consult with their neighbours, they claim to care, but it is quite obvious to my family that they don’t care about us at all. They have purchased land from our neighbours with no consultation with other neighbours and now they have options on the land immediately surrounding me on 3 sides. My beautiful 1.5acre lifestyle block that was valued at $550,000 in June 2018 will likely be unsellable at that price if this mine goes ahead.
4. Why are Regis buying hundreds of acres on the North side of the Tailings Dam and pit when they refuse to buy out the people who are going to be inconvenienced the most, the people who live directly across the Mid-Western Highway to the site, the families and businesses that have been told that they won’t be able to live in their homes while the infrastructure and buns will be built. People who will cop the brunt of noise and pollution? This doesn’t make sense. I don’t want this to happen to me, but I don’t want it to happen to any other family or business that surround this proposal either.
5. We have been experiencing high winds of late, most of the time the wind will blow dust and toxins towards Blayney, not good for the young, the elderly or anyone really. During winter, the winds usually blow in my direction. I fear contamination of our rainwater which is our main source of water for drinking, cooking and washing. I also fear the flow from our bore will be severely diminished because Regis plan to sink bores and pump water into their tailings dam. Also, a Regis representative agreed to get our bore tested when my husband spoke to them about his concerns about potential contamination and flow loss to our water bore. Over twelve months has passed and still no one has come to test it.
6. The koala population of Kings Plains won’t know what’ll hit them if this proposal goes ahead. The koala’s natural habitat which includes 77.5 hectares of foraging trees will be destroyed. The offset area is nowhere near the koala’s current colony area and I fail to see how they will make their way to the offset area. There is the appearance that Regis are simply ticking boxes with no real thought to the consequences of the koalas. The offset won’t enhance the koala population of the Kings Plains/Fitzgerald Mount area but will further fragment and reduce viable habitat.
7. Regis tout about jobs for Blayney, they win the towns folk over by making themselves look good with the promise of jobs. The figures keep changing, when questions are asked about how many full time mine jobs will be created for Blayney people, they skirt the question. The reality is they will create just enough jobs to be visible. The reality for those surrounding this proposal is that there are far more people being disadvantaged than will be advantaged. I fail to see how or why some people getting work is more important than the people who currently work and live in this area and have done for decades and own land that have been in families for generations. This is again an example of people who have an affinity to their land and area being dispossessed.
8. I have a friend in Kings Plains, it currently takes me 13.9km to get to her place. If the Dungeon Road is closed because of the mine, I will have to travel 20.2km via Guyong Road, that’s an extra 12km for a round trip. My son has a friend in Fitzgeralds Mount, it currently takes him 16.5km, If Dungeon Road is closed it will be a 22.8km trip via Guyong Road, that’s over 12km extra for a round trip. Recently, there was a fatality on Vittoria Road between Dungeon Road and Koomerang Road. Vittoria Road was closed for several hours from the Mitchell Highway to Guyong Road, the only access we had to our home was via the Mid-Western Highway and our side entrance on Dungeon Road. If Dungeon Road is closed in the future, we risk losing access to our home. Quite often the Mitchell Highway is closed at The Rocks due to accidents or snow, we use Dungeon Road to get to Bathurst. Closing Dungeon Road would be a major inconvenience to my family.
9. I object to this plan because the people and businesses of Kings Plains and Vittoria who surround this proposed mine site have been very badly treated. People have stated that they felt they have been bullied and threatened off their land especially by Regis representative going to individual landowners with a number of people in their party giving an impression of imbalance of power ( This sounds very familiar to what came out of the Banking Royal Commission, from unfair and immoral practices.). Or in my case, totally ignored if their land isn’t paramount to the mine. A handshake deal means a lot out here, a person’s word means a lot too, but it doesn’t to Regis, they should be ashamed of themselves and how they are treating their neighbours.
10. I believe that Regis has a moral obligation to compensate all residents surrounding the project area that will be impacted. They should be required to compensate for any loss of income, land values or medical expenses that are incurred by people due to the stress or sickness caused by this project.
11. This mine is a case of, Wrong Place, Wrong fit, for where it is intended to go. This is a closely settled area and it is like putting a mine in the centre of a town. What I ask you to think about is, would you like this to happen to you? Would you be prepared to live amongst this?

To whom it may concern,
I do not support this mine going ahead.
I live in the Blue Mountains but work in Bathurst and am familiar with the area in which the gold mine is proposed.
The Regis Mining Company plans to build a gold mine directly on top of natural springs which feed the Belubula river. The gold mine will require vast amounts of water and toxic pollutants such as cyanide in order to operate. To “solve” the problem of having the toxic pollutants entering the river system, Regis proposes to plug the springs with concrete, then build the tailings dam to store the toxic water directly on top of the concreted up springs.
This is ecologically irresponsible and could be catastrophic for farmers, and the local environment. It is a short sighted proposal which doesn't recognise that in the era that we live in, water is an extremely precious resource and to so adversely affect a river system should not even be considered as an option.
I urge you to reject the proposal for McPhilllamy's gold project,
regards
Clare

I am concerned about the destruction of old growth forests for our remaining koala colony.
I am worried about our water supply being poisoned with arsenic from gold extraction.
I am concened about the huge void that will be left it will be a major safety issue for people and animals

Totally unsupported - impact on farming land, the farming community, farming property values, the environment - damage, noise, dust, light, 24 hour operation = all totally unacceptable.