Monaro Rock Quarry Project

I would be devastated if this project was approved. I recently moved to the area with my young family. The reasons for moving were to raise a family in a rural setting, respectful of the environment and beautiful surrounds. This project is against the best interests of the community. The increased traffic on the road in growing populations is so short sighted. Will there be substantial investment to improve the roads from up to 200 trucks per day. Increasing travel time to schools, essential local amenities and other basic needs of a growing family? Will the government ensure that pollution levels are maintained in safe thresholds all the time? How can they do this? Everyone in the area is reliant on rainwater and any peak in pollution would be detrimental to the sustainable living needs of the community. This quarry should not be approved. It is unnecessary and against the best interests of my family and the Royalla and surrounding communities.

My husband and I object to the quarry proposal for the following reasons.
We invested heavily in creating a beautiful home in a peaceful and pleasant environment to enjoy our retirement in Royalla. The proposed quarry will destroy a lot of the benefits that enticed us out here, and will also impact many other people in near-by Canberra and N.S.W suburbs.

The adverse impacts will include:
1) Noise and vibration from blasting, mining and heavy vehicle movement. This will not only impact the serenity for Royalla residents and surrounds, but constant blasting reduces home values due to the noise and possible structural damage from the regular vibrations.
2) Dust from the mining processes, the manufacture and recycling of concrete. The prevailing winds in the Royalla area are predominantly NW meaning that on many days, dust from these processes will blow over the Royalla community. On the other days it will blow into the Southern suburbs of Tuggeranong, Burra, Mount Campbell, Fernleigh estate and Googong. Not only is this unpleasant and messy to deal with it could have health implications as it settles on roofs which form an essential part of our water supply to rural residents on tank water. Silica dust is a known carcinogen - it is not something that should be happening in close proximity to people's homes. There are currently 49,000 people living within 10km of the proposed site and this is expected to increase to 69,000 within 10 years. This proposal is a health hazard for all of those residents.
3) The movement of large trucks, up to 500 per day from the site is problematic. We have witnessed a quick decline of the Old Cooma Road between Royalla and Googong as the Googong township evolved. Adding more heavy vehicles onto this road will add to the rapid deterioration of this road and increase potential for accidents. Old Cooma Road has become a major thoroughfare for Googong residents to head into Tuggeranong. This road is not going to cope with a significant increase in heavy traffic without an essential upgrade.
Coming out on to Monaro Highway also poses issues. This is a very busy road most of the time with particular peaks during ski season and Summer holidays. Stopping traffic on a major highway to allow trucks in is going to add to the congestion on this road and driver frustration. To me, it sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
4) Impact to the water table. Water is a precious resource for rural residents. Many blocks in Royalla were sold with a bore (or potential for one) if they didn't have a dam. Mining, concrete production and recycling are water intensive activities impacting the available water for local rural communities.
5) Pollution and impact to the biodiversity of the area. The washing of equipment and trucks will create contamination from concrete, impacting the biodiversity of the area. I understand that this is an area of critically endangered Box-gum grassy woodland and other vegetation that is home to over 300 species of fauna and flora. Polluting our environment is problematic not just for our generation but for those that come behind us. It doesn't just pollute the land but gets into the water table impacting the quality of water for those nearby.
6) Odour - the quarry project includes the production of hot mix asphalt that generates a strong and persistent odour. The impact of this is unacceptable to the many people who are located adjacent in rural communities and the nearby Tuggeranong suburbs.

In summary, we believe that this proposal will have significant negative impact on our quality of life and ruin our peaceful ambience. We have invested our life savings to create this peaceful life in Royalla and feel quite cheated by this quarry proposal in close proximity to our home. We urge the decision makers to take note of our concerns and value the health and wellbeing of the local community over business profits.

From my reading of the documentation available, this quarry will have serious adverse health, environmental and economic impacts for the community and region. The application fails on many considerations, notably the growing community size and poor assessment assumptions. The benefits (30 jobs) are minor compared to the impacts this quarry would have on the region.

I strongly object to the Monaro Rocks Quarry at Royalla.
They make some very interesting claims in their EIS including that there will be shortfall of hard rock supply in the Canberra-Queanbyean district. It is my understanding that the other quarries in the area are not operating at capacity and therefore there will not be a shortfall in demand of hard rock that Monaro Rock is predicting. These quarries have the capacity of last over 100 years, another quarry is not needed or warranted.
The hours of operation are unreasonable an inconsiderate of the residents of Royalla, Googong and southern suburbs of Canberra, the increase in noise and traffic the quarry would create is unfair and selfish of Monaro Rocks. The EIS indicates that Monaro Rocks knows that they will be exceeding acceptable noise levels and is not able to guarantee noise management practices will be successful in ensuring that daytime levels are not exceeded. The word 'should' on page 25 of the EIS means that they cannot guarantee their noise mitigation strategies would work. Will Monaro Rocks be compensating residents for excess noise, paying for insulating, double glazing windows etc. or will this be the responsibility of the NSW government if the proposal is approved. It is unjust to pass this expense onto residents for a development that does not need to occur.
In the same way, will there be compensation for damage to infrastructure from blasting, health effects of silica dust all of which again cannot be guaranteed will not occur. I am sure it is not the families of the Monaro Rocks companies that will be impacted by this and I can guarantee they will not be purchasing nearby homes to move their families into. Perhaps Monaro Rocks will be able to pick up a few bargain properties though as all the surrounding residences will be so significantly devalued?
Using 42Megalitres of groundwater a year is unfair to the rural residents who currently share this precious resources. Will the NSW government of Monaro Rocks be connecting all rural-residential blocks which currently rely on bores/creeks/natural springs for stock and domestic purposes with with town water once they have rendered the domestic bores useless? This is yet another consideration that is important to landholders and should therefore be important to the NSW government.
The critically endangered species which currently call Enchanted Hill home are at risk if the development were to be approved. Is the NSW government serious about the environment or is it simply going to give lip service to the residents of NSW whilst it allows destruction of important biodiversity sites? This an opportunity for the government to show that environmentally fragile sites are important, not to mention indigenous artifacts and culturally significant objects.
Traffic is already a significant issue on the Old Cooma Road and Monaro Highways, there is simply not the infrastructure in place to allow for the significant increase in heavy machinery that the quarry will require. The dead wombats and kangaroos on the Monaro Highway and Old Cooma Road is heartbreaking and moving the animals out of the Enchanted Hill area through noise etc. is a danger to road users.
Please do not allow the Monaro Rocks proposal to go ahead, I believe that there is no need for the quarry and the problems that the quarry will create does not justify its existence. Also, will there be a public hearing prior to further considering the approval application?

The Monaro Rock Quarry Project is going to create dust related health issues carried on the wind, collecting on homes, solar panels and washing into our water tanks to be consumed by young children potentially leading to longer term health issues. The quarry site is very close to rural residential home sites and the blasting noise, vibrations and odour will be damaging to the currently serene lifestyle being experienced by the residents. The increased traffic on either the Old Cooma Road and Monaro Highway which at peak hour are already experiencing a high level of traffic would create safety issues and further delays. The water to be extracted will likely impact considerably on the water table height which my dam and others are dependent upon as a water source for stock and domestic purposes. Putting an industrial site so close to Canberra, noting there are already 3 other gravel quarries in the area would be a very short term decision lacking strategic consideration as the focus should be on providing increased housing to help alleviate the current housing crisis and keep industrial type activities to areas of lower population or further distance from housing, noting that the existing quarries around Canberra can more than adequately supply the need for ages anyway without this proposed development going ahead. Additionally, a number of us have invested heavily in the area to purchase or house/land and put on improvements such as fencing and sheds, if the development goes ahead our properties will not be desirable, will not sell quickly or need to be sold at prices considerably reduced, will Monaro Rocks be paying compensation to local landholders to offset some of this? Also, will there be a public hearing prior to (if it is going this way) the quarry being approved? Thank you for taking the time to consider these points.

I question the requirement for another quarry to be built in this region, particularly given the three other quarries are currently operating below capacity. The widespread environmental and health impacts that are likely to result from such a project would far outweigh the shortsighted economic gains of the few.

For a project with such significant impact to the region, there does not appear to be any clear benefit to the Royalla community. Already heavily trafficked roads will become busier and experience more degradation. Ground water and air quality will undoubtedly be contaminated, risking the health of humans and livestock in the area. Noise pollution from blasting and additional truck traffic will impact property prices and quality of life in this area.

Overall, the only benefit observed is profits for Monaro Rock and Queanbeyan Council. There does not appear to be any tangible benefit for the Royalla residents who will ultimately pay the price in quality of life and health.

I have serious concerns with the project as currently scoped. The anticipated daily truck trips to and from the quarry will place a significant burden on already strained road infrastructure. Although the quarry developers plan to utilise the Monaro Highway as its primary transit route to Canberra, this is subject to separate development approval - and risks resulting in trucks utilising Old Cooma Road. This area is undergoing large-scale residential development, and the addition of these heavy vehicles would not only impact traffic, but also road condition and safety (as there are multiple points that are single-lane with restricted visibility). I also have significant concerns, given the residential developments around this location, as to the potential long-term health impacts on the local population.

My name is Gary Slater. I am a permanent resident of Australia on a Global Talent Visa residing in Royalla at a home I purchased in Jan 2025. I intend to live in Australia with my family of 5 at this residence indefinitely for many years to come. I moved to Australia, to the ACT region, and specifically to Royalla intentionally for the unmatched work-life balance, opportunities, quality of life, sense of community, and rural lifestyle that makes the greater ACT region and Royalla in particular a high quality of life area to work, live, and raise a family.

I object to the proposed Monaro Rock Quarry as an assessment of the EIS clearly indicates it will negatively impact the quality of life of surrounding residents including myself and my family.

I have relocated 10 times in the last 15 years in pursuit of a better life and greater opportunities for myself and my family - and I won't hesitate to move again for those same reasons. We moved to Royalla deliberately, purchasing a home and paying significant stamp duties in the process. Since moving to Australia I have founded two companies, hired workers, and pay both corporate and personal income taxes at some of the highest rates among OECD nations, contributing to the tax base and economic vitality of the region. If the negative externalities and unintended negative impacts of this project reduce property values, degrade quality of life and contribute to environmental degradation, result in extensive roadworks and excess traffic contributing to lost productivity and increased safety hazards I will be forced to consider relocating and taking my substantial contribution to the local economy and tax base with me.

My family and I commute to work, school, church, shopping, and sporting activities along the Monaro Highway and Old Cooma Road multiple times daily, every day of the week. Safe, efficient, and assured access to these major thoroughfares is a critical component of many aspects of our daily lives. The current road construction on the Monaro Highway, whilst important for the future development of the region, has added significant time, cost, and additional safety impacts to local residents including my family already. The proposed road expansions and extensive trafficking in heavy vehicles required in support of the Monaro Rock Quarry will undoubtedly add tremendous strain to the area's infrastructure and transportation capacity. The cumulative negative impact of roadworks,changed traffic patterns, heavy vehicle traffic, wear and tear on existing and new roads and bridges will lead to degraded quality of life for local residents and reputational damage to the area which will contribute to population exodus, reduced land values, and a declining tax base. It will make Royalla and surrounding areas less attractive and rewarding for current and future residents and will undoubtedly have a series of unintended consequences that the local governments of both the ACT and NSW should consider and conclude that the cost-benefit analysis is not in favour of the quarry going forward.

As an Australian permanent resident and aspiring citizen I admire Australia's democratic government and the voice residents and citizens are afforded. I also appreciate the ability of local taxpayers and voters to hold local governments and elected officials accountable for their decisions and how those decisions impact the freedom and quality of life of their electorates. I look forward to living in Royalla, voting in Federal, state, and local elections, and paying even more taxes for many decades to come. I urge the policy making elected officials of all jurisdictions impacted by the proposed Monaro Rock Quarry to vote NO and not approve the quarry for further development. Your local community will thank you.

Respectfully submitted,
Gary Slater

The quarry is unnecessary when there are others in the area. This area is amongst a growing residential community and I object to the additional trucks in our roads as well as having serious concerns on health impacts

I wish to register my strong objection to the proposed quarry development near Googong. While I understand the importance of sourcing materials for construction, this location is highly unsuitable and would cause significant harm to the surrounding community.

Googong is one of the fastest-growing communities in the region, with thousands of residents already living here and many more moving in each year. Families have chosen Googong for its natural setting, schools, and community lifestyle. The addition of another quarry so close to the township is incompatible with this residential environment. The community already lives with the effects of existing quarries in the surrounding district, and the cumulative burden of yet another facility is unreasonable.

One of the most pressing concerns is traffic. Quarry operations will require a large number of truck movements every day. This will increase congestion on roads not designed for such heavy use, raise the risk of accidents involving families and schoolchildren, and contribute to noise, vibration, and dust along transport routes. Residents already experience truck traffic from nearby operations, and this project would make the situation significantly worse.

Health impacts are another serious issue. Dust emissions from quarrying can contain fine particles that travel downwind into residential areas. These particles can worsen asthma and other respiratory conditions, especially for children and the elderly. With Googong located in the path of prevailing winds, it is likely that dust would be carried directly into homes, schools, and recreational areas. Residents should not have to accept increased health risks simply because of where they live.

The cumulative effect of multiple quarries around Googong must be considered. Each quarry adds more dust, more traffic, and more loss of amenity. Taken together, these impacts erode the liveability of the town and diminish the quality of life for families who chose to settle here. Googong was planned and marketed as a vibrant, family-friendly community surrounded by natural beauty. Allowing yet another quarry undermines this vision and damages community trust in the planning system.

For these reasons, I believe the proposal is entirely unsuitable for its intended location. The impacts on traffic, health, and community amenity are too great, especially when added to the existing burden from surrounding quarries. There are other locations in the region where industrial-scale quarrying would be far more appropriate and where impacts on residents would be significantly lower.

I respectfully urge the Department to reject this proposal and protect the health, safety, and liveability of the Googong community.

The suburb I reside is in close enough proximity to the project to be impacted. I echo the concerns already presented to you: The construction of a quarry in an established E2 Environmental conservation area, blasting weakening the foundations of homes within 5km of the site, use of groundwater, and the concern of silica dust.
If we start letting companies operate in conservation areas, what is the point of establishing conservation sites? The legislation is then worth about as much as the paper it's printed on.
I recently bought this place with my Fiancee, and the draw to it was how peaceful the area is. Imagine my dismay when I hear we may hear the blasting from a quarry for the next 30 years. This is going to disrupt all the local wildlife, and the domestic life. Such as my cat, who has only just starting purring since moving out of the Tuggeranong city centre. I am also beset on all sides of my property by dogs, so I am dreading the cacophony that will come with each blast. Further, I saw there would be shockwaves from the blasts up to 5km out from the site. 5km doesn't sound like much, but it catches Theodore ACT in the radius. I'm not going to pretend to know how frequently one blasts in a quarry, but I do have concerns that homes within the vibration radius will be negatively impacted from prolonged exposure.
Regarding the groundwater use, we are in prime bushfire territory. If a majority of our groundwater is going to the quarry, what's left for the bushfire efforts? We can say "If the bushfire comes," but let's be honest with ourselves: "When the bushfire comes." We don't have so much groundwater that we can afford both bushfire resistance efforts and cutting stone.
We in Canberra are in a valley. Anything that blows in on the wind has a habit of settling here and never leaving. It's why we're horrendous for hayfever. I am concerned about the silica dust settling in. We can have in our reports "It's well below acceptable levels" all we want, but instead of acceptable levels I would like ideal levels of silica dust in the air. Which is zero. I don't need to tell you that 30 years is a long time to be exposed to anything. I could hang out in "acceptable levels" of radiation, but I think most would advise I don't do it for 30 years. I also have a fiancee that is immunocompromised and has asthma in the family; She would be something of a canary in the mine and I would rather not have her suffer.
Finally, I would like to make clear: I do not care about property values. I don't. I do care than the place remains standing, the air is clear, and the area is quiet and peaceful after 30 years. I believe in my heart that this quarry would undo that. I implore you to reconsider this project. I'm sure there's perfectly good stone somewhere that will be less disruptive to acquire.

I am immunocompromised and I am deeply concerned about the impact on my health caused by the silica dust from this quarry. As Tuggeranong is a valley, the dust will settle and it will be difficult to remove safely.
I am also concerned that the blasts and shockwaves will reach deep into Tuggeranong. I recently purchased a house with my fiancée in Theodore because it was peaceful and I enjoy watching the wildlife. Our cat is deeply anxious and her anxiety is presented through aggression. We moved from the town centre to a much quieter area to help her settle and address her aggressive behaviour. Since moving to Theodore, Chai (the cat) has been cuddlier and isn’t as violent as she doesn’t have loud sounds echoing around her like she did in the apartment. She can watch the birds in peace and quiet as an inside cat. Shockwaves and blasts caused by the quarry will ruin this for both the two humans living in the house and the cat. Chai has been doing so well, and took the move from the apartment poorly. I worry that she will not cope with another move should the quarry go ahead and with the noises and shockwaves she can not stay here. It would not be fair for her. As the quarry is proposed in or near a nature reserve, the quarry will negatively impact our native wildlife.
I am also concerned for the residents in Royalla, who will be impacted the most with the quarry essentially on their doorstep.
On the topic of blasting, I am concerned that the shockwaves will dislodge boulders in the Rob Roy nature reserve and on Tuggeranong Hill. As the boulders roll downhill they will hit homes and cause huge amounts of damage. I am also concerned about the stability of housing foundations, will the blasts and shockwaves impact the earth enough that it will impact house foundations? No insurance company will cover that, leaving people out of pocket in a worst case scenario.
I have concerns about the use of water to cut the rocks mined in the quarry. Going in to bushfire season, especially with how dry the weather has been, I am worried that should we have another bushfire like the Orroral Valley Fire we will not be able to combat it so efficiently leading to Royalla and the Tuggeranong Valley in danger of being burned. The Canberra Bushfires happened in my formative years and family very almost lost their home in those fires. Subsequently I have a deep, deep fear of bushfires and the lack of water to fight a fire with terrifies me.

I do not think the quarry should be in an area that will impact residents and native flora and fauna so severely. The noise levels, health impacts due to silica dust and shockwaves are troubling to name a few issues.

There has been so much said about the noise, dust, silica, water use, pollution, odour, electricity interruptions and more but from my personal perspective I am really concerned about the traffic with hundreds of loaded and unloaded trucks pounding the roads. The Monaro Highway and Old Cooma Road are in a disgraceful state as it is.
I have been running Learner Driver Courses for over 25 years and have taught dozens of people to drive. I am not a professional Driving Instructor but work closely with a company regarded as the best in the business.
My method of teaching these Learners is as follows :-
I start them off driving around my property of 10 acres, then after a number of lessons we drive around the Royalla Estate. This can take anumber of lessons but when I feel they are competent, we enter Old Cooma Road, turn off into Mt Campbell then back to Old Cooma Road until we reach the Monaro Highway. We will then either head north into Canberra southern suburbs or return to my property at Royalla.
There is no way I could do this if there were hundreds of trucks on these roads as proposed with this industrial quarry. It would be unsafe and it would greatly affect my contribution for Learner Drivers.
I hope this proposal fails once and for all.

I wish to lodge a formal objection to the proposed Monaro quarry development. After reviewing the available information, I believe the project presents unacceptable risks to public health, community safety, and local amenity.

The potential release of respirable silica dust and other fine particles is of particular concern. These contaminants could compromise water supplies and present serious health risks to residents through long-term exposure. The precautionary principle should apply when the potential for irreversible harm is clear.

The anticipated increase in heavy vehicle movements on Old Cooma Road is another significant issue. This road already operates under strain, and additional truck traffic will further increase the likelihood of accidents, accelerate road degradation, and generate noise and vibration impacts for residents.

The proposal also raises unresolved questions around liability and compensation for structural damage to homes resulting from blasting activity. In addition, evidence from similar projects suggests a likely reduction in local property values, affecting the financial security of families who have invested in this community.

Given the scale of the potential impacts, I respectfully request that a public hearing be convened before any determination is made. Such a process would allow residents to raise their concerns in detail and ensure that decision-making occurs transparently and with full regard to community input.

I have concerns about the pollution and silica dust due to my cystic fibrosis. My concern is I am in a close 3km radius and this would impact my respiratory issues. My kids also play outside a lot. This should not go ahead

I strongly object to the Monaro Rock Quarry proposal.

In my original submission I stated:
"- There has been communication with me as a resident about this proposal, either from the State, Local Council or the Developer. "
This was a typographical error on my part. It should read as:
"- There has been zero communication with me as a resident about this proposal, either from the State, Local Council or the Developer. "

The new quarry proposals in the Royalla area have been floated since I became a resident in 2004 (one of the early residents). Every proposal has been rejected by the community en masse.
This proposal does nothing to support the need for such a development and only continues to raise the ire, angst and anger of Royalla residents.
People choose to live in Royalla preciesly because it is a rural/residential environment where we can live and raise children in a clean, quiet natural setting free from noise pollution, dust pollution and industrial pollution.
As a long-term resident or Royalla I am totally opposed to this development for the following reasons:
- It is unnecessary. There are other existing quarries in the region that are not operating at full capacity.
- The predicted benefit of jobs/employment is disingenuous. Skilled employees will most likely be bought in from elsewhere.
- This proposal is rooted in the profiteering of individuals to the detriment of the cherished lifestyle of over 1,000 residents.
- There are no guarantees that residents will not be affected by noise and dust pollution. Mitigation has been shown in the past to be nothing more than lip service.
- The fact that the mitigation strategy for 'Impacts on surface and ground water' is nothing more than 'monitoring' is a farce. This is not a mitigation strategy! This is nothing more than an admission that it is likely the the surface and ground water WILL be affected. It says nothing about what they will do if contamination occurs. On those grounds alone the proposal should be rejected.
- My dwelling is well within the 5km zone of the proposal. That being the case then it is highly likely that my property value will be affected detrimentally and there is nothing in the mitigation strategy that addresses how this affect will be negated. It is simply assumed that I will have to cop it sweet.
- There has been communication with me as a resident about this proposal, either from the State, Local Council or the Developer. I only found out about this by word of mouth. As a Royalla resident, this is entirely unacceptable and I would have expected a letterbox drop at the very least. It would appear that this proposal is trying to sneak in under the radar as have similar proposals in the past affecting Royalla residents.

In conclusion, this proposal has no economic merit for the region, only the Developers. There are other existing quarries in the region that can fulfill current demand. The likelihood of significant environmental damage is high and the proposal in general represents a significant threat to the health and well-being of Royalla residents and the rural/residential lifestyle that we have chosen and enjoy with the added negative impact of reducing land and home values.

I object to the proposed Monaro quarry project because of the significant risks it poses to my family, our property, and the wider community. My primary concern is the release of silica dust and other fine particles, which can contaminate our drinking water and be inhaled by my family, creating serious long-term health risks.

I am also deeply concerned about the additional heavy vehicle traffic on Old Cooma Road, which is already struggling to cope with current demand. Increased truck movements would heighten the risk of accidents, create noise and vibration, and further damage the road network.

Further, there are unanswered questions about compensation for future damage to dwellings caused by quarry blasting, and the likely decline in local house prices if this quarry proceeds. These potential impacts threaten both the value and liveability of our home.

Before any approval is considered, I ask whether a public hearing will be held so that local residents can properly raise these concerns and have them addressed on the record.

As a nearby resident I am significantly concerned about the increase in large vehicle traffic and the spread of silica dust and the potential negative effects on the health of the nearby residents.