McPhillamys Gold Project

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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 potentially toxic sludge, on top of the headwaters of one of the few rivers in the country still in reasonable condition.


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 just cannot be justified to produce a metal that will likely end up as jewellery, or be locked away as bullion. No doubt the financiers and engineers who are promoting and designing this project are highly skilled, but the risks posed by this project are way out of proportion with the benefit to be gained for the country as a whole.

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 though 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 live stock and dometic animals on neighbouring properties and could damange 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, with support a more diversified and resilient economy including tourism, renewables and sustainable agriculture offer far more employment.

As a local childcare centre owner I am incredibly concerned for the future for our children and the contamination of our drinking water.

Please see attached

Please see attached

I live in close proximity to a gold mine. It is one of the biggest in the southern Hemisphere. In the last 12 months there has been a slumping in the dam wall for this mine's tailings dam. People living close to this tailings dam are living with the effects of tailings dust over their houses and in their drinking water supply. Noone is yet to know the effects on their health. At my place there was much noise pollution (and probable air pollution) from the aeroplanes flying overhead dozens of times a day for months trying to mitigate the problem. This dam wall would have been designed and constructed with all the best engineering knowledge available to them - and still it failed. I am still unsure of how this mine will manage the tailings dam into the future. At the moment they are still needing to spray a dust suppressant over the tailings dam regularly when there has been no rainfall.
I believe that any amount of design and knowledge is not enough to trust the amount of toxicity to be stored for hundreds of years over such an important water supply. The springs feeding the Belubula river, the aquifers and the river itself are not worth risking for any amount of gold.
Water is precious to all life - Gold is only precious to humans.

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 potentially toxic sludge, on top of the headwaters of one of the few rivers in the country still in reasonable condition.

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 just cannot be justified to produce a metal that will likely end up as jewellery, or be locked away as bullion. No doubt the financiers and engineers who are promoting and designing this project are highly skilled, but the risks posed by this project are way out of proportion with the benefit to be gained for the country as a whole.


Some towns in NSW are about to run out of water. It is morally problematic to say the least that water has been turned into a commodity in this country rather than an essential resource to which everybody has a right and human and animal interests are considered higher than the profits of organisations.


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, with support a more diversified and resilient economy including tourism, renewables and sustainable agriculture offer far more employment.

Please see attached

I object to this project because of environmental, cultural and health risks. The project will directly impact on the Bulubula River catchment which is an important river system for the area as well as the wider Murray Darling Basin. There is significant cultural aboriginal heritage within the proposed project site which will be lost if it goes ahead. The proposed site also contains a significant deposit of asbestos which poses a direct health risk to the wider community.

• 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 potentially toxic sludge, on top of the headwaters of one of the few rivers in the country still in reasonable condition.

• 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 just cannot be justified to produce a metal that will likely end up as jewellery, or be locked away as bullion. No doubt the financiers and engineers who are promoting and designing this project are highly skilled, but the risks posed by this project are way out of proportion with the benefit to be gained for the country as a whole.


• Some towns in NSW are about to run out of water. It is morally problematic, to say the least, that water has been turned into a commodity in this country rather than an essential resource to which everybody has a right and human and animal interests are considered higher than the profits of organisations.
• 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.

I believe this project will have a detrimental impact to water and wildlife in all the local government areas involved.

The proposed mine project will have a negative impact to the environment especially to local farmers in the area and will be harmful to their livelihood.

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 potentially toxic sludge, on top of the headwaters of one of the few rivers in the country still in reasonable condition.
• Some towns in NSW are about to run out of water. It is morally problematic, to say the least, that water has been turned into a commodity in this country rather than an essential resource to which everybody has a right and human and animal interests are considered higher than the profits of organisations.
• 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
• 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 just cannot be justified to produce a metal that will likely end up as jewellery, or be locked away as bullion. No doubt the financiers and engineers who are promoting and designing this project are highly skilled, but the risks posed by this project are way out of proportion with the benefit to be gained for the country as a whole.
• 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
• 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, with support a more diversified and resilient economy including tourism, renewables and sustainable agriculture offer far more employment.

I object to the project for the following reasons. 1. A toxic waste storage facility being erected on the head waters of the Belubula River and blocking the springs that's feeding the river. I believe that there is an unacceptable risk of contamination of the river and critical reductions of the flow down the Belubula feeding into the Murray/Darling Basin.
2. I object to the destruction and reduction of old growth endangered tree species e.g. White Box, Yellow Box and Blakely's Red Gum and in turn the destruction 77.5 HA of Koala foraging area and habitat in a Known Koala area. I also object to the destruction and removal of habitat of the Squirrel Gliders that have been identified as living in the Project area. I also don't believe that there should be any further reduction of the biodiversity in this area as it has been fragmented enough.
3. I object to the importation of salty water from Lithgow Mining area that is not suitable for the Cox's River catchment and being piped into the project area building up a toxic environment in a closely settled area and close to the Belubula River, with a high likelihood of contamination and leaching of contaminates into the local ground water and river system.
4. I object to the destruction of good agricultural land and the reduction of the productiveness of this land for generations to come when there is a growing need for agriculture for a growing population.
5. I object to the unfair and unnecessary impact on the residents surrounding the project area that will be negatively impacted both Physically, emotionally, mentally and financially, Due to this proposed mine.

Air quality in the central tablelands is nearly always good and even in times of drought has the least health impacts on people with severe lung conditions like myself. I am rarely forced to stay indoors due to high indices of particles less than 10 microns. I can travel just about any time I want to visit my friends in Blayney, Millthorpe and Carcoar and other places in the region. As well as other environmental impacts I’m very concerned about the impact the gold mine would have in producing dust, meaning a much larger number of days when I, and people like me with heart and lung conditions, are forced to stay indoors to avoid exacerbating chronic problems. I would have to avoid travelling anywhere near the mine area especially on windy days.

My objection revolves around contamination of the headwaters of the Belubla River and associated underground water tables in the district by the building of a tailings dam that will have dangerous chemicals stored for hundreds of years that could leach into this river system. It is just too high an environmental risk to take for the short term monetary gains of gold production in this case.

As a member of the local Blayney and surrounds community I strongly object to this mine going ahead. The Belubula River is an important waterway for a large proportion of this area and beyond. Concerns around plugging springs in the headwaters have already ben raised by others - I too reiterate these concerns. I am also concerned about the contamination of underground water - much of the district relies heavily on the underground waters connected to the Belubula system. Areas along the river well downstream from the feeder springs also rely heavily on an uncontaminated flow for irrigation and for human consumption. I am also concerned about the loss of productive farming land, especially at a time when food security in a growing concern. jobs for locals that are supposed to come with the opening of the mine are a very short term compensation for the loss of water, air quality and farming land. The proposed mine if a very short term economic exercise, benefitting a small number of people, mostly non-local, when quality farmland with relatively reliable water is becoming a scarcity in Australia. Please do not let this mine go ahead.

Please see attached

Crown land, waterway and roads will be directly and indirectly impacted by the proposed project and ancillary pipeline. The Applicant has sufficiently described in the Environmental Impact Statement the impacts and the required consultation and negotiation with the Department regarding Crown land.

As mentioned in Section 3.3.10 an application for an easement across Crown land for the pipeline will be required to be submitted to the Department for assessment with some potential native title considerations.

A number of Crown roads will require closing and purchasing. Part of the Crown waterway tributary for the Belubula River will also be impacted by the infrastructure and will also be required to be purchased by the Applicant.

It is noted that there are Crown land parcels adjacent to the Project and have the potential to be impacted thus reducing there viability for tenure in the future. The Applicant is currently in discussion with the Department regarding the relevant Crown land.

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