It's all good...the lnp will look after the farmers.
The pledge follows comments from Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill who complained of ‘a vocal minority’ of activists with ‘deep pockets’ during her National Press Club address last week.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said the big energy companies need to be reined back in with new mines and coal seam gas exploration approved for the state’s food bowls.
“The McPhillamy’s Gold Mine at Blayney will include an open-cut pit and tailings storage at the source of the Belubula River, along with a 90-kilometere pipeline to send ‘excess’ water to a coal mine near Lithgow,” Xavier said.
“Another disruptive mine that would produce silver, zinc and lead was approved for Lue, about 30 kilometres outside Mudgee, while the NSW Resources Regulator approved the reactivation of legacy coal seam gas wells near Gunnedah during the caretaker period before the state election.”
They talk about ‘decarbonisation commitments’ and ‘keeping the lights on in Asian megacities’, but the truth is this is all about money for them, and farmers and rural communities are in the firing line.”
Xavier said farmers were deeply concerned about new mines and CSG operations that would not only disrupt food and fibre production, but also endanger town and farm water security when the next drought arrived.
“We are losing productive agricultural land to industrialisation, and this is one of the reasons we have long called for a truly independent agriculture commissioner who can make our planning laws fit for purpose,” Xavier said.
