Maules Creek Continuation Project

Please accept this as my submission in opposition to the Maules Creek coal mine near Narrabri NSW.


In 2015 when this mine first started there was widespread opposition from people across NSW, also many objections from the local farming community and Gomeroi custodians. I stand in solidarity with these communities that are also against this mine.

The mine has been approved to continue until December 2034, but is now seeking approval to expand and extend the approval for a further 10 years until 2044. This expansion will mine another 117 million tonnes of coal for export. This will be disastrous for our climate and will destroy the Leard State Forest, further endangering the dwindling Swift Parrots, and of course a wide range of other flora and fauna, draining precious water resources and putting the health, wellbeing and future of the local community in jeopardy.

I don’t believe that the approval of this project is in the best interests of the local community, Australia or the planet, just for Whitehaven profits. We must accelerate the move to renewable resources, not profits for multi nationals. I also question why the state government has approved this coal mine expansion nine years before the expansion will begin. This project will clear more than 428 hectares of the Leard State Forest, a total of 46% of the forest cleared plus 500 hectares of habitat for the Swift Parrot which is critically endangered. This public land belongs to all Australians and must not be cleared for coal mines. Whitehaven has shown that it cannot be trusted as they have been investigated and found guilty of breaching laws repeatedly.

I would also like to highlight the destruction and waste this mine poses to local water resources. As the driest inhabited continent on the planet, protecting our water resources must be top priority for all governments and councils, state and federal. Farmers and residents rely on this water for their existence and we need more productive land, not less. This may force much of the local community to consider relocating and that would be very detrimental to the remaining community. Surely we must support local communities and protect them from the massive negative impacts of 19th century industry. Mining is notorious for creating dust pollution, noise and many other problems for local residents. My partner worked in White Bay in the 1970s and the amount of coal dust ingress into buildings was alarming and this was just from the coal loader, not even the actual mining processes.

In closing I urge you to think about the communities in this area and also those throughout this great land who are suffering the impacts of a warming climate. We do not need the projected 238 million tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution that will arise from this expansion. This will completely wipe out any chance of NSW achieving climate targets and this cannot be allowed to happen, we must think of the local communities and future Australians and the impact this will have on them.

Give Australians a future, not tax dodging multi nationals even more profit and our taxes.

Thank you for this opportunity to submit my objection to this expansion.

MAULES CREEK CONTINUATION SUBMISSION
I object to this project for the following reasons:
The NSW government should not be considering coal mining projects that, if approved, will not begin for nearly a decade. We are in a climate emergency and coal mining is one of its key drivers. Global warming is bringing extreme weather events that are destroying communities and the economy. In response we are seeing positive legal reforms and increased community demands for fossil fuels to remain in the ground.
The NSW parliament has legislated emissions reductions targets for 2035 and 2050, and they are not on track to be met. The three million tonnes of C02e really matters for NSW targets. In addition the total emissions of 238 million tonnes from burning the coal overseas will have a much greater impact on global temperatures, including our temperatures here is Australia.
The mine may be called a "continuation" but maps of the mine reveal that the Whitehaven plan is to devastate another enormous swathe of the forest and in doing so destroy all the benefits the forest offers to the climate and biodiversity. In these circumstances the moral and ethical thing for the government to do is to reject this application. This would send coal corporations and the community a strong message that the government is serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Maules Creek open cut mine has already caused harm to agriculture and water resources. There are no alternatives to food and water but there are other options for a fast transition from coal mining.
I was horrified to see the map of the destruction of the forest and to learn that Whitehaven has bought up many of the properties surrounding the mine. This means that the community population is falling, health and education facilities are being lost and clean and essential industries are being lost to the region, while coal mining causes major air and noise pollution and damage to water resources. This has got to stop.
This proposal would drive the critically endangered Swift Parrot further towards extinction because the woodlands of the area are their habitat for much of the year. Protection of biodiversity and stopping extinctions needs to be an urgent and top priority for the government.
Please reject this proposal in the public interest.
Yours sincerely,
Marie Flood

Fiona Lee
Elands, NSW 2429

28 July 2025


To whom it may concern,

RE: Submission on Maules Creek Continuation Project EIS

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the consultation on the Maules Creek Continuation Project EIS.

I write this submission as someone whose life has been irreversibly changed by climate change and who strongly opposes any further expansions or extensions of coal mines in NSW including at Maules Creek.

My family’s home burned to the ground in the Black Summer bushfires. It’s taken a long time to get back on our feet, having shouldered the financial burden of rebuilding our lives from nothing. And emotionally, the toll has been devastating.

All the while, massive coal companies like Whitehaven continue to post record profits. They are fuelling the climate crisis that is costing us everything, yet paying none of the price. It is ordinary families like mine who are left to carry the emotional, physical and financial burden of the impacts of climate change they are responsible for creating.

This must change. There can be no further expansions or extensions of coal mines in NSW, including at Maules Creek. Communities, including mine on the MidCoast of NSW, are already experiencing compounding and escalating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution making the problem worse.

The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will also completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034. It is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we clearly can’t afford.

Companies like Whitehaven know that climate laws are strengthening further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
That is why they are attempting to ‘bank’ this approval now.

The continued approval of coal mine expansions like Maules Creek, is fundamentally incompatible with meeting our targets, keeping our communities safe from escalating unnatural disasters and a net zero future.

And to make the problem worse, we also know there are big issues with potent methane leaking from coal mines. There have been a number of reports recently, including the Common Capital report which found these emissions are likely underestimated by at least half and are predicted to increase by 75% by 2035 in NSW. This is the opposite trajectory of what is required; the International Energy Agency says they must fall by 75% by 2030 to avoid climate catastrophe.

Finally, there are a number of other issues that alone should prevent this project from proceeding including the proposal to clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild. The Maules Creek Continuation Project will push the species closer to extinction.

We also know that this expansion poses a major risk to local water resources. It will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock.

None of this is fair or just. The Maules Creek Continuation Project needs to be rejected.

Sincerely,
Fiona Lee

The reasons I am objecting to the Maules Creek are put in the attached document. Along with those listed below -

Banking an approval that won’t start until 2034 ... !?
The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.

Swift Parrots and Leard State Forest
This project will clear a further 500+ hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swift Parrots and must not be put at risk.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the Leard State Forest, a significant native vegetation vestige, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands and the habitat they preserve, should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.

Whitehaven is a serial offender
Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
They are not a corporation that has integrity and have proved they cannot be trusted!

Water and communities at risk
This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock - absolutely essential day-to-day and with predicted climate extremes - droughts included! It is impossible to forget the extremes of the 2017-2019 drought locally! Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought. Whitehaven are not community friendly - they do not consider the local community.

The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Creek and cause negative social impacts.
It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land and create dust pollution impacts on agricultural enterprises and human health along with escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.

Turbocharging climate change
NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming, but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

The future belongs to our children, their children and theirs - considering the above and my reflection [attached] on the Maules Creek Continuation Project, I ask you to reject this application.

I strongly object to this project on numerous grounds! Once again our beautiful country is being threatened for greed!
Please see the attached for a very personal rebuke to the Whitehaven corporation to decimate the remainder of the Leard State Forest.
The following sets out other reasons why this extension should never be approved.
Banking an approval that won’t start until 2034
• The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
• This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
Swift Parrots and Leard State Forest
• This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
• The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
Whitehaven is a serial offender
• Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
Water and communities at risk
• This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
• The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
• It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.
Turbocharging climate change
• NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
• The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

For the sake of our children's children's children, do not approve the extension of Whitehavens licence to extinguish the remainder of the Leard State Forest....a gem which once belonged to the people of NSW!!

Living in Gunnedah for the past two years, I've seen the benefit Maules Creek mine has brought to the mine. Some of the notable and direct impact the mine had includes:
1. Direct or indirect employment of locals around the Tamworth, Gunnedah, Boggabri and Narrabri areas.
2. Maules creek also employs expatriate skilled workers that contributed immensely to government tax - also contributes to the local economy by residing in Gunnedah and Narrabri and work in the mine.
3. The mine also supports local businesses and sporting teams

With these positive impacts and contributions, I strongly believe and support the continuation of the mine so that we all can benefit from it.

Maules Creek Mine is major project which greatly contribute to the economy of Gunnedah, Bogabri and Narabri. Not only by contributing with taxes, it grants direct jobs and indirect income generation to the communities by supporting local economies.
Further, Whitehaven Coal operations are aligned with world class standards, these being responsible and committed to ESG - progressive rehabilitation allowing restoration of landscape as earl as possible. Overall, will be beneficial to various stakeholders while maintaining responsible mining (respect to the environment and the communities).

This is an ongoing disaster. The Maules Creek mine should be closed, not expanded. Ther are no benefits for Australians in expanding this mine..just the opposite. Whitehaven is basically un-Australian and we all suffer from their exported wealth. The environment is also being destroyed by these people for private profit, and the future of local wildlife, including the extremely endangered Swift Parrot, is being trashed..all to benefit non-Australians, and leaving a total mess for US to clean up.
Stop it now.

Banking an approval that won’t start until 2034

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
Swifties and Leard State Forest

This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
Whitehaven is a serial offender

Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
Water and communities at risk

This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.
Turbocharging climate change

NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

To whom it may concern,
I’m writing as a NSW resident who works in the conservation field and cares deeply about protecting Australia’s remaining biodiversity, especially our critically endangered species like the Swift Parrot. I strongly oppose the proposed Maules Creek Coal Mine Continuation Project.
This project locks in climate destruction until 2044. There’s absolutely no justification for approving a coal mine expansion now that won’t even begin until 2034. This is a calculated move by Whitehaven to secure approval before climate laws get stronger, and it would lock in catastrophic emissions until 2044, when we should be phasing coal out entirely.
The expansion would result in around 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse pollution, mostly from the burning of exported coal. NSW communities are already living through the impacts of climate change - fires, floods, heatwaves, and this project would make it worse.
The plan to clear over 500 hectares of critical Swift Parrot foraging habitat is shocking and unacceptable. These birds are clinging on by a thread. There are fewer than 500 left in the wild, so every patch of habitat matters. Leard State Forest is one of the few places left where they can feed, and mining it out of existence would push them closer to extinction.
This project would also destroy another 428 hectares of native forest meaning over 46% of Leard State Forest will have been cleared for coal mining. That’s public land being trashed for private profit.
Whitehaven has repeatedly shown that it can’t be trusted. In the past decade alone, it’s been investigated or found guilty at least 35 times for breaches of environmental and planning laws. This includes being prosecuted for stealing over 1 billion litres of water during the height of the last drought, and for polluting local creeks. Why would we give more power and more land to a company with this kind of record?
The mine already puts huge pressure on local groundwater and surface water, and this expansion would make it worse. Dust, noise, and land alienation are all already harming the health and wellbeing of people in the region, especially Aboriginal communities and small farming communities. We should be supporting them to stay on the land, not driving them out with more industrial disruption.
The direct emissions from mining operations alone (over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gases) will undermine the NSW Government’s own climate targets. And that’s not even including the downstream emissions from burning the coal. The recent NSW Court of Appeal decision on the Mt Pleasant mine shows that downstream impacts must be properly assessed, but that hasn’t happened here. It’s completely out of step with climate science and public expectations.
I urge you to reject this proposal. We need to be protecting what little habitat we have left, not mining it. We need to be winding down fossil fuels, not approving them decades in advance.
Sincerely,
Amelia Murray

My objection is for the following reasons –
1. There should be an end to approval of new coal mines or expansion of existing coal mines in favour of achieving Net Zero by 2050 in NSW. The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.
2. This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
3. The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
4. This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock.
5. The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
6. It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.

Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.

I strongly object to the proposed expansion of the Maules Creek coal mine near Narrabri. This project represents an unacceptable risk to the environment, the climate, local communities, and threatened species such as the critically endangered Swift Parrot.

Approving a project now that won’t begin until 2034 is reckless and shortsighted. The world is already facing the devastating consequences of climate change. Locking in 117 million additional tonnes of coal extraction—leading to an estimated 238 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions—is incompatible with the climate responsibilities of New South Wales, Australia, and the global community. We cannot afford to “bank” fossil fuel approvals that will blow our climate targets and burden future generations.

**Swift Parrots on the brink**
This expansion would destroy over 500 hectares of critical foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot—a species with fewer than 500 individuals remaining in the wild. Allowing this to proceed puts them closer to extinction. The Leard State Forest is one of the few remaining habitats of this kind. This forest should be preserved and restored, not sacrificed for the profits of a mining company.

**Destruction of public land**
The expansion would clear an additional 428 hectares of Leard State Forest, bringing the total forest destroyed to nearly half. Our public forests should be protected as a legacy for future generations, not levelled for coal extraction. This is an unacceptable loss of biodiversity, cultural value, and natural heritage.

Whitehaven Coal’s track record
The proponent, Whitehaven Coal, has repeatedly breached environmental and legal obligations. Over the past decade, they have been found guilty or under investigation on 35 separate occasions. Their record of water theft and non-compliance should disqualify them from further approvals. Communities cannot trust this company to act in the public interest.

Threat to water and farming communities
This project threatens local water resources, including groundwater vital to farmers and ecosystems. During the last drought, Whitehaven was prosecuted for stealing water. Local residents already suffer from dust, noise, and social division caused by the mine’s presence. Expansion will worsen these issues and contribute to the hollowing out of rural communities through loss of farmland and rising housing pressures.

Climate change is now
NSW is already facing increased bushfires, floods, and extreme weather. Approving a project of this scale, without fully assessing downstream emissions and their local impacts, undermines the very climate targets our government claims to support. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) fails to meet the standard of proper attribution science and is therefore incomplete.

In summary:
I call on the NSW Government to reject this proposal and instead invest in protecting endangered species, preserving our native forests, supporting sustainable regional development, and acting responsibly on climate change.

Please protect our Swifties. Protect our forests. Protect our future.

Sincerely,
Ingrid Anderson

Without being too emotional (how can we not be emotional about the destruction of our environment?), NSW is being raped by fossil-fuel companies.

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.

This proposal is designed to lock-in an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.


This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.

The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.


Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.

This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Creek coal mine at the height of the last drought.

The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Creek and cause negative social impacts.
It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.


NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.

Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.

The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW's chances of achieving climate targets.

The Government should not be approving this project now or ever. It's not proposed to start until 2024, however is getting an approval in before laws are strengthened.
500 hectares of swift parrot habitat are to be cleared which will put the parrots at risk of entinction.they will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines.
Whitehaven has a terrible record for compliance, . And the risk to water sources is appalling.
Greenhouse gases cause by this proposal have to be taen into account.

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
Swifties and Leard State Forest

This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
Whitehaven is a serial offender

Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
Water and communities at risk

This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.
Turbocharging climate change

NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.
Having personally visited this area many times when I was a teacher at Walgett and my wife was a teacher near Boggabr, it is a disgrace that the NSW state government would let this important ecological area be decimated by mine expansion.

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.
NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

Banking an approval that won’t start until 2034

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
Swifties and Leard State Forest

This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
Whitehaven is a serial offender

Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
Water and communities at risk

This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.
Turbocharging climate change

NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

I support the Maules Creek mine continuation project as this has been a major financial benefit to local business in Gunnedah, Narrabri, Boggabri and wider communities. Maules Creek has played a major role in the tax and royalties paid benefitting all of Australia. Maules Creek has also been a responsible business meeting and exceeding all requirements as set out by the EPA. This has seen the mine receiving a award in this field. The continuation of this project will ensure the continuation of many local businesses and provide further major contribution to the national financial chest.

I am a local long term Gunnedah resident. Whitehaven Maules creek mine has supported the local community on many levels sporting, charity and local council infrastructure to name a few.
But this project and the continuation had and will also provided local confidence in our community and by providing employment.
Whitehaven is committed to employing locals and to providing training to green-skins to industry this has provide opportunities to young locals regardless of there backgrounds.
Including my children.
If Whitehaven continues to support local communities and industry like they have already.
I think the continuation should be approved

I have outlined the key reasons ffor my objection below:
1. It is insanity to continue to approve coal mines in the face of a worsening climate crisis.
2. the Swift Parrot, which relies heavily on this and similar areas, is one of our most endangered species. Considering Australia's appalling record of species extinctions, we must do everything in our power to ensure we do not add any more species to that list.
3. Whitehaven Coal has an appalling record and cannot be trusted to comply with regulations
4. the operation will pose a serious risk to local water supplies
5.the project will result in more forest clearing, and we have just heard the latest data on the disgraceful amount of deforestation that is happening in NSW.