Vickery Mine Extension

Dear Sir / Madam,

I wish to lodge my objection to the proposed Vickery coal mine /
extension, primarily on the basis of the emphatic and irrefutable
climate science in evidence now. Contemplate this: According to Dr Wil
Steffan we must lower emissions to zero to rescue human civilisation
and we have just over two decades to do that. But to do that, we must
commit now - this election cycle - to doing just that.
Proceeding to open another massive, unnecessary and highly
controversial coal mine at this time, in full knowledge of what we
know about the all too apparent climate instability, is beyond
negligent in my opinion - its bordering on criminal. Our climate is a
closed system - therefore it can only take so much stress.
Id also like to reinforce some of the other issues so that that are
well documented on the public record:
Whitehaven already has an approval for a mine at the site, but with
this project the company wants to more than double the volume of coal
it mines every year, to 10 million tonnes. The infrastructure the
company is proposing has larger capacity than the proposed mine, and
we know that coal mines keep expanding, despite neighbouring
communities and their well bering.
The company proposes a new rail crossing over the Namoi River and
floodplain and a new large coal handling facility that can process
coal from other mines in the region.
Thanks to the efforts of farmers fighting the mine, Whitehaven was
forced to move its pits a little further away from the Namoi River,
but the pits now come close to the edge of the Namoi's alluvial
aquifer, the productive groundwater that underlies the river, and
feeds it. The pits will induce leakage from the alluvial aquifer and
the Namoi River itself.
People in the small community of Boggabri believe the community cannot
handle a fifth mine in close proximity to the town. They're concerned
that the scale is too large for the town to cope with.
The mine will be located close to the historically significant
property and homestead "Kurumbede" which was the inspiration for
several Dorothea Mackellar poems including the famous "My Country."
One outbuilding at Kurumbede will be destroyed by mining and the
homestead could suffer from the vibration of blasting and the loss of
scenic value and quietude. This entire landscape has national
significance and must be preserved - not offered up to a multinational
like Whitehaven. Australia voters will not stand for this so be
warned.
The area adjacent to the proposed mine is strategic agricultural land
and the impacts of dust and noise will make this land unliveable and
likely impact the quality of crops grown there.
Already, 76 family farms have been purchased by Whitehaven in close
proximity to the town of Boggabri. This has hollowed out the township,
affected local businesses and rent the social fabric of the district.
This proposal will mean more rural properties bought up because of air
and noise pollution, irreversibly changing Boggabri.
We must do everything we can to conserve rural community life - they
are an incredibly valuable asset to this country and to lock in
further commitments to the coal industry instead of shifting to clean
energy is abhorrent.
If you are a decision maker on such a project you are guaranteed a
place in history - I urge you most sincerely to think about the real
consequences of your actions. I encourage you to act in the public's
best interests and be on the right side of history. It may already be
too late but we must now try to turn this train wreck around.
For a safe, clean, liveable future,
Mr B. Shoebridge

It must not be overstated that turning a profit for one company and their
investors is worth the systematic extinction of a unique ecosystem.
The NSW government is currently the body most able to protect these
lands from destructive practices. This extension must not be rushed
and the EIS must be taken into account with the historical
environmental record of Whitehaven coal. Please do not rush this
process - please proceed with caution for the protection of our farm
land, forests and animal life.

Having seen the Maules Creek Coal Mine first hand and its substantial
beneficial effect on the surrounding communities, the real question is
why citizens would allow sketchy theory to impede further dynamic
growth and prosperity in the region.
Expansion of the Vickery Coal Project is surely a no-brainer. It makes
sense on many levels - the creation of jobs not only in mining but
also in the many services and peripheral businesses such a project
creates in the community, and the potential for dynamic growth in the
wider region of North West NSW - not to mention the considerable tax
revenue potential.
Whitehaven has a most impressive track record of extensive
consultation and outreach and hard won community support throughout
the Maules Creek development. It has the right to say it has earned
our trust. The alteration of the Vickery boundaries away from the
Namoi River is an indication of the high value place on community
consultation.
The Vickery Extension Project can become a key component of a dynamic
local and NSW economy and should be given the go-ahead.
Thank you.

Dear Sir / Madam,

Please note my complete and utter objection of the proposed Vickery
Coal mine.
It poses:
* A signification risk of irreversible damage to the Namoi River and
its surrounding surface water and groundwater systems.
* A significant risk to the health and well-being of human populations
in the Boggabri region including several generations of my own family
* A significant impact to habitat of the endangered koala and the
Commonwealth-listed Murray Cod

PLEASE NOTE: This submission is incomplete. The submission period is
far too short for a project of this complexity and size. The Ministers
decision to allow such a short exhibition period is a disgrace that
disadvantages the community in allowing insufficient time to assess
the application, which is obviously a benefit of the proponent who has
been working on the proposal for years.

Water
This EIA does not provide an adequate amount of detail to enable
decision-makers at the State or Commonwealth level to properly assess
the likely impacts of the mine, and the railway, on the Namoi River,
and the surrounding surface-water and groundwater.
This Project is a controlled action under the Environmental Protection
and Biodiversity Conservation Act, and is a "large coal mine" under
the terms of the EPBC Act. I do not have confidence that the Namoi
River is safe from severe damage if this mine proceeds, and fear that
water quality and downstream flows will be damaged to the detriment of
downstream users.


Whitehaven Coal have a history of Non Compliance
Whitehaven's existing Maules Creek mine has had a Level 3 risk rating
was due to a history of noise exceedances and pollution problems. Paul
Flynn, the CEO of Whitehaven, made public claims at the 2017
Whitehaven AGM that this risk rating was only assigned due to a single
landowner who wanted to be paid more money for his land than
Whitehaven were willing to pay him. This is a lie and is indicative of
the treatment of the local community of Maules Creek - half-truth's
and misleading statements are regular occurrences by Whitehaven at the
community consultation meetings. Maules Creek itself has dried up
adjacent to Whitehaven's Maules Creek mine, with the coal company
having the gall to suggest that the drying of the creek and subsequent
drying up of bores of neighbouring farmers as nothing to do with their
mine or their mine pit dewatering processes.

Whitehaven Coal and their CEO Paul Flynn do not pass the "Fit and
Proper Person" test, as outlined in section 83 of the Protection of
the Environment Operations Act

83 Fit and proper persons
...
(g) if the person is a body corporate, whether, in the opinion of the
appropriate regulatory authority, a director or other person concerned
in the management of the body corporate is of good repute, having
regard to character, honesty and integrity,

Roads
There are too many coal trucks on the Kamillaroi Highway already from
Whitehaven's Tarrawonga mine. Additional traffic of plant, equipment
and mine staff on the road will make things even worse. There has been
no proper assessment . The Department of Planning has allowed
increases in the allowed coal movements to increase by 100% already
since 2010. There has been no new road traffic data collected since
2012, which was before the Tarrawonga road coal haulage was approved
on the highway. This assessment relies on this old data, which
requires updating and assessment prior to any approval decision is
made.

Biodiversity
The entire locality where the Vickery mine is intended to be built is
prime koala habitat, including the area where the rail loop is to be
built. It is totally inappropriate for the NSW Government to approve
mining in an area of this nature. Instead, Whitehaven should be made
to create a Koala reserve to make up for laying waste to the prime
Koala habitat within the Leard Forest for their Maules Creek mine.

Railway Flood Risks
The proposed building of a railway line across the floodplain is
madness. There is no detailed assessment of overland water flow
deviations as a result of this rail line. Modelling provided in the
exhibition is based on vague estimates and descriptions of railway
alignment and sizing, and can't be taken seriously. This alone should
be cause for rejection of the proposal.

Noise
Whitehaven's Maules Creek coal mine has intractible noise problems. My
family in Maules Creek suffers on a daily basis as a result this
noise. Constant rumbling of equipment disrupts sleep every night.
Whitehaven have the gall to suggest that noise is no problem. I have
relatives living near the proposed Vickery mine who will be afflicted
by the same type of noise and I worry about their mental health due to
constant mining noise. The Noise Impact Assessment for this project is
lacking an All Years Worst Case Scenario, and fails to include key
noise producing infrastructure in its modelling

Boggabri
Boggabri is becoming a ghost town, and I believe this is entirely due
to the gutting of the farming community by the local coal mines. Empty
farms and houses surrounding the mine have depopulated the district.
Clubs, pubs, and community organisations that have not already closed
are on their last legs. This is despite many suggestions prior to the
approval of the Maules Creek mine that a boom would occur in Boggabri.
An approved Vickery mine would result in further depopulation of the
areas surrounding the mine, accelerating the decline of Boggabri.
Despite strong support in the community for a dust monitor in
Boggabri, which is supported by Boggabri Coal (Idemitsu Resources),
Whitehaven has opposed this plan. Although a Dept of Planning
representative recently blamed this on the NSW EPA, there is written
evidence that Whitehaven refused to support the Boggabri dust monitor
unless it were paid for by the NSW Government.
It is a well-observed fact that even mine staff who have an address in
Boggabri are Drive-in, Drive-out workers. They tend to leave their
families in places such as the Hunter Valley towns, and commute weekly
to their work. This has not been addressed in the SIA. Boggabri has
not received an influx of population, and Whitehaven are understood to
encourage workers to live in Gunnedah instead, adding to road traffic.

Cumulative Impacts
The Gunnedah Basin in the vicinity of Boggabri is already the location
for 22 Million Tonnes per annum of approved coal mining. The 10 MTPA
proposed Vickery mine is surrounded by other Exploration Licences
which will, in the course of time, be sought to be developed,
including a licence which covers the Vickery State Forest itself.

Vickery Coal Mine Extension is another megamine the scale of Maules
Creek, and in close distance from the Leard Forest Coal Mining
precinct. Yet the EIA does not make any attempt to apply the
Precautionary Principle to its assessment of the cumulative impacts.
There are many examples where the EIA has ignored or misstated the
cumulative impacts. For example, locals are already badly affected by
blasting vibrations and dust from Whitehaven's Rocglen and Tarrawonga
mines. This is not alluded to in the EIA. The EIA also is misleading
about the distance between Vickery and Tarrawonga, stating they are
11km apart when in fact there is just 4km distance between Tarrawonga
and the proposed Vickery borefield.

Summary
Regional environmental impacts, human health impacts and social
impacts outlined in this submission should convince NSW Planning that
the Vickery mine has no merits and no place in the Boggabri community.
Please do the right thing and reject this proposed mine.

See attachment

Banksia Group currently contract to Whitehaven Coal. We employee
approximately 60 full-time employees within the Narrabri and Gunnedah
area.

With the help of Whitehaven Coal, we have been able to grow our local
family business in a great community. This in turn has provided stable
employment and training opportunities to locals so they can relish in
a great area.

We believe that if Vickery is given the green light, our business and
the community will grow with Whitehaven Coal. This will ensure the
continuation of stable employment, training and further education
opportunities and provide stability and growth for the local economy.

See attached

Gunnedah is prime agricultural land and should be kept that way. Coal
mining is a huge threat to our environment as it pollutes our
atmosphere, decreases biodiversity, destroys valuable land for food
production, causes wildlife to relocate, exploits nonrenewable energy
sources. The Vickery Extension Project has a planned timespan of 25
years which will emit tonnes of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere
worsening climate change.

Coming from a regional town in NSW I can already see the effects
climate change on our environment and economy such as heat waves,
water resources and biodiversity which is why I'm calling on you to
take a step in the right direction to address climate change by
stopping the Vickery Extension Project in Gunnedah.

I go to school in Sydney at Hurlstone Agricultural High School in
South West Sydney. I find that young people are given so many more
opportunities there than where I grew up. So to follow my passion for
the environment I joined the Australian Youth Climate (AYCC). Earlier
this year I was accepted into the Student Climate Leadership Program
with 20 other students. We have been working across the AYCC's
campaigns but mainly focusing on repowering schools with renewables.
We all created our own Repower Campaign which aims to build momentum
for action on climate change within our school and community. Through
this I have become aware of the urgency to switch to renewables.

In this time of drought, unseasonal weather, fires and flooding,
switching to renewables and moving away from coal and gas, we will
have a safe climate future. Countries such as Iceland, Paraguay and
Albania have already made the switch and its time that Australia did
too! Australia is the windiest and sunniest place on the earth and
there is no reason that we shouldn't use these amazing resources that
are available to all of us!

Renewables allow people to be educated, provides more jobs overall,
it's also a cheaper energy source, available across the country, its
clean, a secure investment and guess what, it never runs out! Climate
change is a big issue of today, not in 20 years time, but today. Young
people, students and future generations are going to face the
worsening effects of climate change on our environment which will
affect our health, economy and livelihoods.

It is important that you address these issues by stopping the Vickery
Extension Project not only for me and the future generations, but you
too. I hope that you can now see that we need to move away from fossil
fuels like coal that are wrecking our climate and future and move
towards renewable energy sources such as solar.

See PDF attached

To whom it may concern,
Daracon are pleased to offer our strong support for the submission for
the approval of the Vickery mine. Daracon have operated in the
Gunnedah basin for the last 13 years.
Daracon have been briefed on the proposal and believe that the Vickery
project will be a great benefit for the Gunnedah Basin .The Gunnedah
basin community is well equipped with infrastructure to support the
construction and operation of then Vickery mine. Daracon can see the
benefits for the Gunnedah Basin community both economically and
socially.
On behalf of Daracon Engineering Pty Ltd we commend Whitehaven Coal
for the Vickery mine proposal and support the approval of the Vickery
Mine project.

See attached

See the attached PDF

I've provided a submission explaining my views on supporting the Vickery
Project.

I can

See attached

I object - please see attached PDF

Gunnedah Shire Council submission to this development exhibition has been
uploaded

Review of biodiversity matters in Vickery Extension EIS

Specialised Civil Services Pty Ltd, Narrabri
(see attached)

Scott McCalman
Jedburgh Farming PL

* I strongly object to the Vickery Coal Mine Expansion, with the
points summarized below.
* The company wants to more than double the volume of coal it mines
every year
* The infrastructure the company is proposing has larger capacity than
the proposed mine, and farmers know from bitter experience that coal
mines tend to metastasize, and not tell the truth.
* The company proposes a new rail crossing over the Namoi River and
floodplain and as a neighboring land holder, I am concerned that there
is no information on the positioning of the culverts, elevation &
depth of cement pylons. The overland water from this area flows east
towards the river, and therefore with a rail line preventing this
flow, water will be backed up onto neighboring landholders, causing
inundation of crops and loss of income. There is already an existing
rail line across the Namoi Flood plain
* This proposed rail line could potentially cause a major flood risk
to the town of Gunnedah, by backing water up the flood plain, by
increasing head height
* The proposed extension site is too close to the Namoi River, the
pits now come close to the edge of the Namoi's alluvial aquifer, the
productive groundwater that underlies the river, and feeds it. The
pits will induce leakage from the alluvial aquifer and the Namoi River
itself.
* Farmers are already struggling with drought in this area. The
proposed extension will put added stress to underground water,
increasing the prices of temporary water, and pollute the Namoi River
& its riverine environment.
* People in the small community of Boggabri believe the community
cannot handle a fifth mine in close proximity to the town. They're
concerned that the scale is too large for the town to cope with. The
mine elevates wages, increasing the risk to the community of increased
use of drugs & crime. The community of Boggabri do not want this.
* The mine will be located close to the historically significant
property and homestead "Kurumbede" which was the inspiration for
several Dorothea Mackellar poems including the famous "My Country."
One outbuilding at Kurumbede will be destroyed by mining and the
homestead could suffer from the vibration of blasting and the loss of
scenic value and quietude.
* The area adjacent to the proposed mine is strategic agricultural
land and the impacts of dust and noise and 24 hour light pollution,
will make this land unlivable and likely impact the quality of crops
grown there.
* Already, 76 family farms have been purchased by Whitehaven in close
proximity to the town of Boggabri. This has hollowed out the township,
affected local businesses and destroyed the social fabric of the
district.
* This proposal will mean more rural properties bought up because of
air and noise pollution, irreversibly changing Boggabri, and impacting
on our way of life
* As local farmers we know that climate change is real, and it has
certainly been effecting us for the past decade. We have been
receiving 50 to 60 days, above 40 degree celsius, when the average for
this area is 8. Government should be reducing coal mine in the 21st
century, not increasing. ie latest IPC report on Climate change
* Leading economist Jeffrey Sachs, has urged Australia to make a plan,
a timeline, tell the world how we are going to decarbonize.
* Whitehaven already has proved that it cannot be trusted. It has
breached dust, noise and environmental parameters.
* Developments need to be balanced and considered. I strongly believe
this expansion tips the balance, which involves too much risk to the
environment, our climate, our standard of living, and impacts our
capacity to produce food.
* New developments in our valley, should be concentrating on renewable
energy,that are going to contribute to Australia's energy needs and
not oversees investment and foreign country. ie concentrated solar
thermal

Briteforce support this project.
Our new move to the East Coast of Australia is depending on this
projects approval which will keep our Australian manufacturing going
and keep our Australian employees in a job.