I object STRONGLY to the fact that mine companies and developers seem to be excempt from the rules that apply to others in the community, especially farmers. Why is it that farmers can't realign creeks, cut down trees etc. to improve their capacity to earn more income, not that many would do so anyway, as they take care of the land. These forign owned companies will make a fortune from Australia and when all the coal is gone, they will leave and we will end up having to fix up the mess. As can be observed in the Hunter Valley the rehabilitation program does not bring the land back to the original condition, no matter how hard they try to convince us that it does. Australia's have to stand up for the future of our farming land and the security of our water.

The proposed "permanent" re-alignment of Goonbri Creek which is a 4th order stream in good to excellent condition, will turn a natural asset into a drain. The mine should halt 300m prior to Goonbri Creek and leave the creek in its current, natural and permanent location. Goonbri Creek is a major component of the groundwater recharge for the area of Barbers Lagoon and the township of Boggabri.

Please think of the future and our need for clean fresh water.

The proposed "permanent" re-alignment of Goonbri Creek which is a 4th order stream in good to excellent condition, will turn a natural asset into a drain. The mine should halt 300m prior to Goonbri Creek and leave the creek in its current, natural and permanent location. Goonbri Creek is a major component of the groundwater recharge for the area of Barbers Lagoon and the township of Boggabri.

Please think of the future and our need for clean fresh water.

We don't need another coal mine on the Western river system that will contribute to the toxic inflows at peak flow times. The recent release of toxic waste shows the danger posed by storage dams.
These mines cause a lot of dust that settles in the vacinity of the mine. All of this dust eventually finds its way into the surface water and adds to the toxins that are acumulated across the entire system. The Darling should not be used as a drain by multinational corporations so that they can profit by mining our public land.
Any pretense of rehabilitation is lip-service to the legislative requirements. There must be some forest left for the native animals. if this, and other proposals in the area, there will be scarce resources left for wildlife and all of this will be effected by dust.

1. The proposed mine expansion will clear almost 400 hectares more of irreplaceable woodland ecosystem including some in the publicly owned Leard State Forest. No amount of offset can replace this old woodland.
2. The proposed rehabilitation is totally inadequate, with the proposed topsoil layer too thin to support a healthy growth of locally appropriate woodland vegetation.
3. The proposed mine expansion will harm surface water quality by increasing the risk of polluted mine water discharging onto local floodplains in times of flood, as has already happened in November 2011 and February 2012.
4. The proposed mine will destroy native woodland vegetation and replace it with a hole in the ground. This would permanently lower the local groundwater. The landscape would never return to its pre-mine condition.
5. The mine as proposed will destroy the natural flow of Goonbri Creek which is currently in good condition. It is essential for there to be an undisturbed buffer zone 300 metres wide for Goonbri Creek. The mine as proposed will harm the hydrological systems well beyond Goonbri Creek because this drainage system contributes to groundwater flow to Barbers Lagoon. Barbers Lagoon is a very important Aboriginal cultural site and historic site. It was documented as long ago as 1832 by Thomas Mitchell. It is wrong to damage this heritage.
6.The water in the post-mine hole will increase in toxicity over time, further transferring the real costs of this project to future generations and to the ecosystem.
7. This expansion of Tarrawonga coal mine further expropriates the public interest in land and gifts it to private interests for profit.
8. This proposed mine expansion is against the principles of ecologically sustainable development, especially inter-generational equity and not destroying future use options.
9. The purpose of this mine is to produce coal that will be burnt and so it will result in additional greenhouse gasses. This activity is destroying the entire human habitat and is no longer justifiable or excusable.

I have not actually visited the site but people I know have and they assure me there are issues with the below and I urge you to fully consider them.

The proposed "permanent" re-alignment of Goonbri Creek which is a 4th order stream in good to excellent condition, will turn a natural asset into a drain. The mine should halt 300m prior to Goonbri Creek and leave the creek in its current, natural and permanent location. Goonbri Creek is a major component of the groundwater recharge for the area of Barbers Lagoon and the township of Boggabri.
The clearing of 397 Ha of Native Vegetation including some vegetation in the Leard State Forest. The consequence of this clearing is to increase the cumulative impact to the Leard Forest from the Boggabri Coal and Maules Creek Coal mines. This Forest is PUBLIC LAND and is being provided to a largely foreign owned company for private profit.
The project area will be rehabilitated by spreading a thin layer of topsoil over the overburden embankment. This is not sufficient to ensure the water holding capability can sustain White Box and other native trees which are currently found in the area.
The disturbance of surface water flows from the existing mine due to the overburden embankments has directed large volumes of mine water from within the project area onto the flood plain during the Nov 2011 and Feb 2012 floods. The increased project area in the Goonbri Creek Catchment due to the mine expansion will exasperate this issue.
The plan to leave a final void where there was native vegetation is not best practice. The void does not return the land to its pre-mining land capability and creates an evaporative pump that permanently negatively impacts on the ground water.
The water contained in the final void will increase in toxicity and be a threat to native animals in the area and as shown in the recent flood event could be a major threat to the floodplain.

I am advised and concerned that the proposed "permanent" re-alignment of Goonbri Creek will turn a natural asset into a drain. The mine should leave the creek in its current, natural and permanent location. Goonbri Creek is a major component of the groundwater recharge for the area of Barbers Lagoon and the township of Boggabri.
The clearing of 397 Ha of Native Vegetation will increase the cumulative impact to the Leard Forest from the Boggabri Coal and Maules Creek Coal mines. This Forest is PUBLIC LAND.
Incidentally, is your security code _meant to be so very difficult to read and reproduce?
The project area will not be rehabilitated by spreading a thin layer of topsoil over the overburden embankment. This is not sufficient to restore the water holding capability to White Box and other natives.
The disturbance of surface water flows from the existing mine due to the overburden embankments has directed large volumes of mine water from within the project area onto the flood plain during the Nov 2011 and Feb 2012 floods. The increased project area in the Goonbri Creek Catchment due to the mine expansion will exasperate this issue.
The plan to leave a final void where there was native vegetation is not best practice. The void does not return the land to its pre-mining land capability and creates an evaporative pump that permanently negatively impacts on the ground water.
The water contained in the final void will increase in toxicity and be a threat to native animals in the area and as shown in the recent flood event could be a major threat to the floodplain.

Please dont destroy more of our o2 producing native forests for h2o poisoning, co2 producing, toxic waste spilling unsustainable mining activities in the Namoi basin. Putting short term profit over sustainable practice will destroy our environment for generations to come.

I have flown over this area to inspect it and object to this proposal.

1. The proposed "permanent" re-alignment of Goonbri Creek which is a 4th order stream in good to excellent condition, will turn a natural asset into a drain. The mine should halt 300m prior to Goonbri Creek and leave the creek in its current, natural and permanent location. Goonbri Creek is a major component of the groundwater recharge for the area of Barbers Lagoon and the township of Boggabri.

2. The clearing of 397 Ha of Native Vegetation including some vegetation in the Leard State Forest. The consequence of this clearing is to increase the cumulative impact to the Leard Forest from the Boggabri Coal and Maules Creek Coal mines. This Forest is PUBLIC LAND and is being provided to a largely foreign owned company for private profit.

3. The project area will be rehabilitated by spreading a thin layer of topsoil over the overburden embankment. This is not sufficient to ensure the water holding capability can sustain White Box and other native trees which are currently found in the area.

4. The disturbance of surface water flows from the existing mine due to the overburden embankments has directed large volumes of mine water from within the project area onto the flood plain during the Nov 2011 and Feb 2012 floods. The increased project area in the Goonbri Creek Catchment due to the mine expansion will exasperate this issue.

5. The plan to leave a final void where there was native vegetation is not best practice. The void does not return the land to its pre-mining land capability and creates an evaporative pump that permanently negatively impacts on the ground water.

6. The water contained in the final void will increase in toxicity and be a threat to native animals in the area and as shown in the recent flood event could be a major threat to the floodplain.

Best Regards Donald

Prof. Don White
___________________________________
Don White and Co Pty Ltd
ABN 32 084 601 169
___________________________________
Please consider our environment before printing this email

To whome it may concern, I am outraged that any mining operation exists at all within the Namoi catchment area. The destruction of sustainable O2 producing forests to be replaced with H20 guzzling C02 producing toxic spilling mining operations to profit overseas companies appals me to my very core! Be aware to expand upon this operation would be negligence. To avoid the most stingent rehabilitation operation and leave a toxic void in our landscape will have dire consequences for not only the landscape, the flora and fauna of the local region and the water down stream all the way to the SA for generations to come. Please say no to the exploitation of our sustainable eco-system for someone elces profit, after all we have to live here.