I have built my home in Medway. As other Australians, my wife and I have put everything into building our dream home. This proposal (including an enormous coal stockpile a few hundred meters from my house) will cause an unacceptable risk to the health and lifestyle of my family. Already, this proposal has caused stress, which has effected the health of my family, and caused feelings of disempowerment.

I object on the following grounds:

COAL DUST
My home is literally only a few hundred meters from the proposed coal stockpile. It cannot be disputed that coal dust will enter the lungs of myself and my family as we breathe on own property. According to the World Health Organisation &
Australian National Pollution Inventory; "There may be no safe threshold for fine
particulate matter and the effects are linearly related to concentration". I repeat, this coal stockpile will be a few hundred meters from my home. How can such a risk to our health be approved? How is it `low impact' to cause such a high health risk for a family to simply breathe the air in their own home?

Also, questions have not been answered about the effect of ventilation shafts near local homes.

PERSONAL WATER CONTAMINATION
As I discussed above, my home will be subject to air pollution. This air pollution will fall on my roof, and in turn, into my water tank. It cannot be permissible for my drinking water to be contaminated in this way. How much coal particulates will enter my tank in the course of 20-30 years? Will my water quality be tested regularly to ensure it is safe? Even so, how awful to live in a place where the environmental conditions are so risky that we cannot be certain that rain water is safe to drink. Will the NSW Government allow this to happen to hardworking taxpayers?

NOISE AND LIGHT POLLUTION
My family and I enjoy a quite, peaceful and beautiful existence in Medway. We enjoy listening to the wind through the trees and watching native animals in their natural habitat. The coal stockpile will be visible from our home. This cannot be acceptable. Instead of peace and quite, we will be forced to endure industrial noises 24 hours a day.

LOSS OF TOURISM POTENTIAL
My wife and I have commenced building a small cottage on our property. With a coal stockpile next door, there will be no hope to ever being able to use this property for income. Who would want to pay to visit a property next to a coal stockpile? This will cause tremendous financial hardship, due to land devaluation and loss of future income.

LAND WATER
My property is home to several spring fed dams. We will likely loose this water if this mine is approved. Our farm will not be viable without this source of water? No compensation can make up for a farm losing its source of water. Are we left to be bullied by Hume Coal as they determine how much they think our water was worth. In extension to this, this coal mine will affect the underground and reservoir water. This would be a disaster for greater NSW. This is not in line with Water NSW rules require that "Developments in the Sydney drinking water catchment must have a neutral or beneficial effect on water quality".

USE OF THERMAL COAL
In light of new trends in energy use, it is outrageous that a new coal mine will be allowed to sell the thermal coal. Apart from being backward and environmentally disastrous; this is not economically viable, and I am concerned that as the finances of Hume Coal degenerate they will cut corners and break promises.

I am also immensely worried about the loss of jobs that will be caused by the contraction and operation in the Southern Highlands. The Southern Highlands currently has among the lowest unemployment in NSW and is thriving with argi-tourism. This could all be ruined with Hume Coals proposal.

I implore the decision maker to reject this proposal. It has so far caused immense psychological distress, and if approved will ruin the health and lifestyle of my family. This coal mine would have a terrible impact on the economy, community and environment of the Southern Highlands.

Please see attached the Submission of MLPPL on behalf of CFSH Inc. and its attachment.

please refer to the attachment 1