The devastating loss yesterday of Wollar Progress Association’s judicial review challenge to the approval of the Wilpinjong coal mine expansion has prompted Lock the Gate Alliance to call on the New South Wales Government to restore full legal appeal rights to communities affected by large scale coal mines.

Lock the Gate says plans by Adani to avoid a full Federal environmental impact assessment of their plans to take 10 billion litres of river water in Central Queensland are dangerous, and undermine Federal environment laws.

Adani recently submitted a referral under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 for the North Galilee Water Scheme which will extract 10 billion litres of water from the Suttor River to run the Carmichael coal mine.

The Commonwealth government has released its bioregional assessment of the Hunter subregion, revealing that 25% of the Hunter could already have been affected by groundwater drawdown caused by mining, and another 5% of the region is likely to be affected if proposed new mines proceed.

The Productivity Commission warns against special water rights for resource companies in its report on national water reform, leading to calls for action from the Queensland Government to rein in statutory rights for coal and gas projects to unlimited groundwater.

Lock the Gate Alliance has welcomed support from across the political divide for Battle for Berrima's 13,000-strong petition debated in NSW parliament yesterday that seeks a moratorium on further coal mining in Sydney’s drinking water catchment and an inquiry into the risks mining poses to the future quality, supply and safety of water supply from the Sydney Water catchment.