Maules Creek Continuation Project

Good for the town and an employment

It is good for the local economy and great for jobs for local people.

I support the continuation of MCC

I support the project as it supports the community

Growth & jobs for the community

I support Maules Creek continuation project.

This project provides much needed jobs for the area and revenue for the community and state

attached

Please secure the jobs of more than 900 local workers

Support

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I support this project

Please support our community

I’m writing to express my strong support for the Maules Creek Mine Continuation Project, which is currently being assessed by the NSW Government.

This important project would allow Maules Creek to continue operating through to 2044, delivering significant and lasting benefits to our region, including but not limited to:
- Supporting the livelihoods of over 900 local workers
- Sustaining economic growth for businesses, families, and services throughout North West NSW
- Continuing vital investment in regional development, training, and community initiatives

Maules Creek Mine plays a vital role in our community, contributing to a stronger, more resilient regional economy. Approving this projects continuation ensures those and many more regional and state benefits can continue for years to come.

I like my job and it is a good place to work. Providing work for thousands of people.

Considering the poor history of non compliance and climate-damaging actions proposed by Whitehaven Coal I object to the proposal going ahead. Whitehaven Coal has shown itself to be an unworthy recipient of the proposed continuation of the Maules Creek project owned by Whitehaven Coal.
Mine expansion to commence in 2034 is too far in advance to be seeking approval now. By that time in 2034 environmental constraints put on projects such as Maules Creek will have changed.

Even now, 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 yet been done in the current EIS.

This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 Swift Parrots remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and should not be put at risk. The Swift Parrot is a migratory bird that annually travels from Tasmania to the east coast of mainland Australia. At Wollongong Botanic Garden I have witnessed the Swift Parrots in the trees there as they make their way further along the coast and to the Maules Creek area.
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 meines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
Whitehaven's behaviour has repeatedly shown that it is incapable of abiding by the conditions which are set by the government. Whitehaven has an appalling compliance history. In the last 10 years Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions many of which includes multiple offences. Whitehaven has been prosecuted numerous times.

Whitehaven does not have a social licence to operate the coal mine. A social survey of neighbours and other landholders in the local area revealed that 95% of respondents to the survey disagreed that Whitehaven is a good neighbour. 90% of respondents disagreed Whitehaven listens and responds to community concerns. 82% disagreed Whitehaven contributes and cares about the region.

Non compliance by Whitehaven extends to illegal extraction of water. In particular, Whitehaven was found guilty of illegally taking surface water during a drought from the nearby Maules Creek. Whitehaven Coal mine was found guilty of unlawful exploration activities near the current Narrabri Underground mine. This expansion project 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. 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.

If the continuation project proceeds it will turbocharge 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, or over 3 million tonnes of greenhours gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.
The mine also plans to re-inject toxic brine waste back into the goaf (the space left behind after longwall mining, which poses a major risk of contamination in the future.
The mine proposes to vent methane from the mine directly to the atmosphere, which would make it one of the worst-emitting thermal coalmines in the country and would make it number 50 on th list of Australia's top 100 emitters of Scope One greenhouse gases.

At a time when the world needs to drastically reduce emissions to prevent runaway global warming, this is no time to be approving a coal mine that proposes to begin in and 2034 continue to produce climate-damaging pollution long after that.

Great for local communities

I work at Maules Creek Mine and live in the Narrabri Shire. I am in favour of the continuation of the Maules Creek Project.
Most of my income is spent locally and helps to support local businesses and core services.

Having mines in the community provides alternate and generally superior incomes to the agricultural-based or government employment that is otherwise available.

Whitehaven is a good employer, not only in terms of pay, but also training, career opportunities and a safe place to work.

I think there are more benefits that the local and regional governments could leverage off the mining businesses in the Gunnedah and Narrabri Shires - ie help with health, education, daily living costs, shortage of trade services and (really) expensive real estate. There are further tangible opportunities such as vocational training in technology and non-agricultural careers that only exists in local mines.

The extension of the Maules Creek Project will give the local area an opportunity to set itself up for a stronger future and should be supported.

Maules creek provides employment for my partner, brother-in-law & sister-in-law along with many friends keeping us local

I object to the project for the following reasons:

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.

Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision recently 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 project will 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.

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 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 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.

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