I am writing to register my formal objection to the proposed Monaro Rock Quarry in Royalla. As a resident of Banks with family in Calwell, Theodore and Michelago, and as someone with existing heart and lung health problems, I am gravely concerned about the documented risks this project poses to community health and road safety.
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​My most significant concern is the health impact of airborne dust, specifically Respirable Crystalline Silica, which will be generated by the quarry.

​The project's own Environmental Impact Statement acknowledges that "respirable crystalline silica may be generated during those activities." While it claims the impacts will be "negligible," this provides little comfort. Community groups have highlighted that silica dust can travel up to 16 km and remain in the air for up to 12 days, especially in windy conditions. This places Tuggeranong suburbs, including the school my children attend in Calwell, well within the potential fallout zone.

​A factsheet from Monaro Rock itself confirms that exposure to RCS can cause silicosis, a permanent and debilitating lung disease, as well as being linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. For my family, with my pre-existing conditions and my elderly in-laws' vulnerability, this is not a theoretical risk. It is a direct threat to our health and quality of life. The opposition group notes there are 18 schools within 17km of the proposed site, putting thousands of children at risk.

​I am also deeply concerned about the traffic impact on the Monaro Highway. This road, particularly the stretch from Johnson Drive, is already inadequate and frequently congested. If the trucks will not be using the highway, this generates more issues, as local roads around Royalla are not designed for such heavy traffic.

​The proposal documents state the project will generate up to 500 heavy vehicle movements per day. This volume of truck traffic on a highway that is already unfit for purpose is unacceptable. The community group "No New Quarry" has rightly pointed out that this will require a major new intersection to be built, but the safety and flow of the highway will be irrevocably compromised.

​Adding this level of heavy vehicle traffic will lead to:

​- Increased accident risk for commuters, school buses, and local residents.
- ​Severe congestion, extending travel times and impacting daily life for thousands of Canberrans and their neighbors in NSW. ​
- Accelerated deterioration of the road surface, leading to higher maintenance costs and more hazardous driving conditions.

​The existing infrastructure cannot safely absorb this dramatic increase in heavy vehicle movements. To approve this quarry without a prior, comprehensive upgrade of the Monaro Highway would be a negligent disregard for public safety.

​The evidence presented in the project's own documentation and by community advocates clearly shows that the Monaro Rock Quarry poses an unacceptable risk to the health of my family and the safety of our community. The potential for irreversible lung damage from silica dust and the certainty of dangerous traffic conditions on the Monaro Highway far outweigh any purported benefits of this quarry.

​I strongly urge you to prioritize the health and safety of your constituents and reject this proposal.

As discussed with Carl Dumpleton on 15 Sept 25 I would like this submission to replace submission number SSD-27223807. I mistakenly wrote my address, Gmail and phone number in the original submission. I do not want this information provided to the applicant or public forum. I'm happy to have my name and suburb released. I have attached my submission as a pdf to ensure formatting is maintained.
Additionally some more information is provided in this attachment so please disregard the original submission. Sorry for the additional work this has created.

Please see attached objection. Happy for you to publish my name but please remove my Street house number and phone number from the PDF before publishing.

I wish to Object to the proposed Monaro Rock Quarry Project application number SSD-27223807.
The objection is based on the following:
1. Although the build up to maximum extraction and haulage is graduated, with-in a short time 150 laden trucks per day means 300 truck entry/exists per day for 30 years, given that trucks create most of the airborne dust this will be an ongoing traffic hazard especially on windy days over the B23 Monaro highway.
2. I reside approx. 4K North of Williamsdale quarry the dust level is greater than the maximum annual average of 10 µg/m, this is demonstrated by the dust levels found on outdoor furniture and in the swimming pool.
3. Royalla Solar Farm is an asset that delivers real benefit to the overall population, it’s quite and clean, I am concerned the dust level will impede the panels performance over the 30 years, I can testify to the loss of Solar power generated due to dusty panels living by the Williamsdale quarry, with quarries both North and South at nearly equidistance to my property, I've got no chance!
4. As the project develops the stock piles of stone and spoil will increase and the landscape will start to change, this encroachment is clearly demonstrated by the Williamsdale quarry where quarried material has been deposited above the hillside vista and is visibly growing every year.
5. Ironically the location of the proposed quarry is known as Enchanted Hill and Beauty Hill, if successful the beneficiaries (the few) will spoil yet another area with total disregard to the health and wellbeing of the local population (the many) while the few reap the benefits the many lose through house/land/wellbeing depreciation.

As a local resident who chose to live out in Royalla due to the peace and quiet and lifestyle it currently offers I oppose the quarry development.
We run 23 acres and enjoy running a small mob of sheep and head of cattle. We enjoy the lifestyle, where we don't have noisy neighbours as they are a fair distance away. We don't have traffic noise like in town. We have fresh air without pollution.
We already have seen a decrease in local water tables as Royalla is growing and more properties have bores. The quarry has indicated that they will hit ground water within 4 years of operation. This will more than likely impact not only close surrounding properties but reduce ground water levels in the whole area as water will travel naturally to larger wells or underground storage areas. The run off from contaminated water will be directed into Tuggeranong creek, which in turn runs into Lake Tuggeranong and overflows into the Murrumbidgee River. While Monaro Rock indicates they will control the run off, we see time and time again that larger companies will start with the right intention but profit drives results not looking after the environment. You only have to see how many water breaches are reported in various bodies of water where contaminated water reaches our seas and waterways. I don't have the number to report but watch the news and see how big corporations will pay a fine to make it go away. I would hate to see our local area ruined from contaminated water that will destroy local trees, water ways, wildlife and stock.
My family had a brown out that caused major damage to two pumps, one to our house for drinking water and another for stock, plus a tv that wasn't surge protected. We were lucky that the bore pump was turned off and not on a timer when the surge blew the pumps. The extra electricity required by the new quarry, without any infrastructure upgrades worries me as I have already been impacted by local surges and voltage swings. We can't afford the constant increases in insurance premiums to cover the possibility that we will incur more frequent voltage swings when the quarry takes more electricity from the grid.
The silica dust that will be added into the air worries me. We live in a world where we understand the risks of blasting, how silica travels and what damage it does to our bodies. To openly put many people at risk of silica related disease does not make any sense to me. It adds extra pressure on our health care system, it risks the health of staff required to work there and all local residents. Monaro rock have mapped out how far they think silica may travel but they can't be 100% sure their mapping and estimates of future weather patterns are correct. Look at the weather stations, they hardly get it right!
I have learned a lot about the endangered box-gum grassy woodlands from the volunteers that are helping to oppose the quarry. I thank them for making us aware of the biodiversity that exists in our area. We as a small community, have many working bees to keep our area thriving and to support the environment. One my husband and I have helped with on occasions. We have a tree protection zone on our property where we have cleared blackberries and teatree to help gum trees and native wattle to thrive. The council comes onto our property to ensure we are irradicating weeds and keeping the land safe yet Monaro Rock want to totally destroy a hill side for profit.
The traffic is also an issue. We already see many potholes on the Monaro Hwy from current traffic levels. The road would need significant upgrades to cater for extra trucks up to 200 a day. The proposed entry point for trucks seems unsafe and may cause traffic delays, slowing the flow of traffic. The alternate route of Old Cooma road would be horrible for local residents that are next to the quarry . The extra noise, dust, vibrations would destroy their peace and quiet.
The current area is zoned C2 and RU2. It was zoned this way for a reason to protect local flora and fuana, and wildlife. This goes against that zoning.
I am not a scientist, I don't hold a degree in environmental studies but I am very concerned about the impacts to the local area, the decrease in value of our homes due to noise pollution and reduced air quality. The increased risk of ongoing health issues relating to silica. Potential defects of our homes due to vibrations from blasting. Potential changes to weather patterns that could affect already below average rain fall as Enchanted Hill becomes a hole in the ground. I really hope this does not approved and common sense prevails. We can't reverse the damage that the quarry will cause to the landscape.

The Royalla Community Association strongly opposes the proposed Monaro Rock quarry and industrial plant. We represent the interests of the community, and at multiple meetings since the quarry was announced, the consensus of the community and association members has been overwhelmingly opposed to the quarry.

This quarry will profit the few at the risk and detriment of the many and should not be permitted in this location. We are not opposed to quarrying or businesses or profit; we are strongly opposed to doing these things when the harm and negative impacts to the community are so great. There is no social license for this proposed Development.

Please deny this quarry and industrial plant in this location.

We oppose the quarry for the following reasons.

FUNCTION AND ZONING
What was originally proposed as a quarry is now an industrial plant including quarrying, concrete recycling, concrete production and asphalt production. The site is proposed on land zoned as C2 and RU2, which explicitly prohibit and exclude developments such as this, preserving the land for conservation and rural living. This alone should be sufficient to stop this development.

TRAFFIC
The proposed intersection to connect to the Monaro Highway will increase the risk to commuters and will increase travel times. The proposed entry to the Monaro is on a crest known to be a high accident zone already. The road already struggles to handle snow traffic, quarry traffic from Williamsdale, and logging trucks. Heavy fog means that travellers may not see entering trucks. We have a genuine concern that people will lose their lives from accidents because of the increased heavy vehicle movements.

Any alternate route down Mates Drive and Old Cooma Road is unacceptable to the community as it puts heavy trucks on the same roads where children walk to the school bus stop and people ride their horses. On a dark winter morning, they will be at increased risk. Some quarry traffic using Old Cooma Road would still enter the Monaro Highway, and this would also endanger commuters and slow traffic.

Up to 500 heavy truck movements per day is an average of around one every three minutes in each direction, 13 hours a day, six days a week. At peak times, it will be a lot more frequent.

The EIS’ traffic assessment was done during COVID when Victoria was in lockdown and many residents were working from home. This is not representative of current and future traffic on that road. Further, the EIS traffic survey was not done during the peak ski season and so does not consider the extra traffic that will be present for those four months of the year.

When the Monaro is inevitably closed due to accidents, all quarry traffic will go by Old Cooma Road, and this has not been considered in the EIS and is not acceptable to the community.

DUST
The quarry will create silica dust, and the community is genuinely concerned that it will not and cannot be adequately suppressed for the 30-year lifespan of the project. There is growing evidence that long term exposure to silica dust has drastic health implications. We are concerned that it will be breathed in by tens of thousands of residents in ACT and NSW, young and old, who may suffer greatly in the long term. Our children live and grow here, and it would be a tragedy that society and government would put the profits of the few before the health of the many residents.

Dust will collect on roofs impacting the efficiency of solar panels and requiring more regular cleaning. Dust will be collected into domestic drinking water tanks gathering as sediment, clogging filters and damaging pumps. Dust may also impact pets and livestock and native animals.

Monaro Rock's wind forecast is based on data from Isabella Plains. While this is the closest weather monitoring station, it is in a valley and surrounded by suburbs. By comparison, the quarry site is near the top of a hill and exposed. It is likely that the wind forecasts are under-stated and there will be many high wind days exceeding the EIS’ forecasts that will carry dust in many directions. All wind testing should been done locally on site.

The community is concerned that, despite commitments made by Monaro Rock, procedures won't be effective and the dust will escape. Once the quarry is approved and operating, it is very hard to get traction to fix issues. The only safe way is to ensure the quarry in this location is never approved.

ECOLOGY
The site is nestled into some of the best habitats of the critically endangered box-gum grassy woodland. There are over 300 flora and fauna species here, and the quarry proposes to clear the equivalent of 500 modern residential blocks of box-gum grassy woodland, and overall clear a size of 1440 residential blocks. The QPRC Local Environment Plan has intentionally zoned this area for conservation and government at all levels have in place protections for these endangered ecosystems.

NOISE AND VIBRATIONS
Quarries make blasting and crushing vibrations and noises, and truck movements also create noise. Inversion layers during cold weather can carry the noise for kilometres. Residents near existing quarries regularly complain about the blasting noises and vibrations from that quarry and have suffered structural damage. There's a reasonable chance that noise from this proposed quarry and industrial plant will have a detrimental impact on residents as well as fauna, and a chance of more structural damage to houses, septic systems and concrete water tanks.

ODOUR
Asphalt and concrete production create odours that will carry long distances on strong winds and be an irritant or nuisance for residents in the ACT and NSW. This can be especially impactful for pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and COPD.

LOCATION
There are an estimated 49,000 people living within 5km of this quarry, projected to grow to 69,000 within ten years. The nearest ACT suburban residence is 2.2km in Theodore and the nearest NSW resident is 1.5km away. The closeness to suburban populations and rural residences will increase the impact of dust, noise and odour.

The rhyodacite rock sought by the quarry is readily available between the ACT and Cooma, with plentiful locations where few people live close. While this would increase transport costs, it would impact residents and commuters much less. We believe the primary reason for the quarry's location is to reduce costs and increase profits for Monaro Rock or any future operator. This should not be allowed to happen when the risks and impacts are so high from being close to a large population.

ECONOMIC BENEFIT
The current quarries are under-producing and so currently there is more supply than demand. The revenue made by Monaro Rock would therefore be a loss of the same to another quarry, a near-zero sum game. As such there is likely no overall economic benefit to taxpayers or residents or anyone other than the owners of the company. Given that the risks and impacts are borne by the community, but the profits go to the few, this quarry should be rejected.

NO EXCESSIVE DEMAND
There are five known quarries within a 50km radius of Royalla, NSW, with three of them located within 10km. The two nearest quarries are operating well under their full capacity, and one is considering an application to expand their production. We reject as evidently false Monaro Rock's claim that there is any shortfall in production capacity for years to come.

WATER RUNOFF
Water from the quarry will be discharged into Tuggeranong Creek and find its way into Lake Tuggeranong. Under adverse weather conditions, or if dams fail, there could be impact to the ecology of Lake Tuggeranong. Runoff also impacts the Murrumbidgee and Lake Burley Griffin, residents and the ecology in the ACT.

GROUNDWATER USAGE
The facility aims to use up to 42 million litres of water per year. Residents are concerned about the lowering of water tables and changing the quality of the water, which impacts drinking and managing livestock.

INDIGENOUS ARTEFACTS
The facility contains culturally significant sites including a scar tree and ring tree plus potential archaeological deposits. The community values and is concerned for the safety and protection of these artefacts.

Submission approved by
Committee of the Royalla Community Association Inc.
23 September 2025.
President and Secretary
The Royalla Community Association Inc

I object to the Quarry proposal on the basis of its location near rural residential areas, and its impact on local traffic. The quarry is in proximity to Royalla, Fernleigh Park and Little Burra where there are many hundreds of small acreages. The noise, dust and visual impact of the quarry will significantly impact these residents. Large trucks going to and from the quarry will also significantly impact the single lane traffic on Old Cooma Road. We heard from the ACT Government that there are no plans to offer access to the Monaro Highway. So the trucks will need to share the road back to Queanbeyan with commuters through Googong, causing major problems. I seek rejection of the proposal or at least a significant review of its social impact.

Concerns after reading the air quality impact report statement. There is exceedances in relation to PM2.5 around winter to surrounding properties, this is indicating a cumulative affect and creates are higher risk to properties based on the cumulative effect from other surrounding quarries and high wind periods. The report outlines meeting short term air quality for PM10 not PM 2.5. Monaro Rock’s proposed dust management assurances and air quality monitoring programs are not clearly defined and are rely on too many factors such as water supply during dry periods, the effectiveness of vegetation wind breaks and limiting vehicle speeds which can be difficult to monitor and manage regularly and during each 24 hour period. The exposure to increased air pollution particularly repairable crystalline silica is a concern to the surrounding residents and NSW EPA do not provide air quality criteria for RCS which makes it difficult for Monaro Rock’s enforcement and management once the quarry is built and adds further risk to surrounding residents.