Wallarah 2 is a zombie coal mine. Residents of Wyong Shire have fought it off for years, fearing the risks to their health, and to the local drinking water supply. Rejected by the Labor government back in 2011, it came back from the dead only a year later with a "new" application (for the same coal mine).
All appeared lost for the mine proponent (Kores, owned by the Korean government) when the Darkinjung Aboriginal Land Council blocked the project in 2015, outraged at the arrogance shown to them by the company. But Wallarah 2 has refused to die, and now Kores have a new "amended" application in for the project - one that attempts to bypass the Darkinjung.
Public submissions are being accepted until Monday 5th September. Please use our easy guide below to lodge your objection.
How to lodge your objection to the (latest) Wallarah 2 coal mine
- Go to the Wallarah 2 page on the Department of Planning website.
- Scroll down the page to the section Making a submission. Fill in the form. Make sure you put "I object to it" in the drop-down box.
- You can use our simple submission points below, but it will be more powerful if you put it them your own words. If you would like to put in a more detailed submission, please use this submission guide put together by local campaigners.
- That's it!
Suggested points for your submission
I object to the Amended Development Application for the Wallarah 2 coal mine. The amended application does not reduce the overall impacts of the mine proposal, which far exceed any benefits it would bring to NSW.
The proposed mine:
-
Poses a serious risk to Wyong's drinking water supply. It will undermine a major tributary and the void is modelled to soak up 2.5 million litres of water per day for at least 500 years – water diverted from creek and groundwater systems. For these reasons, the mine is opposed by the Central Coast Water Corporation.
-
Is opposed by Darkinjung traditional owners, who are disgusted with the arrogance the mine proponent has shown them. Rather than seek to make amends with the Darkinjung land council, the company has sought to cut them out of the process.
-
Is opposed by the directly affected communities of the Dooralong Valley, Blue Haven, and Wyee areas, whose health and livelihoods are threatened by the project. It is unfair and undemocratic to ask local residents to bear the impacts of a project that will provide no overall public benefit.
-
Is of highly dubious commercial viability. The ultimate owners of the project, the Korean Government, recently announced a strategic restructure for their resources companies, including Kores, away from thermal coal. In fact, the thermal coal industry is in the throes of terminal decline – many analysts expect the market will never recover, in the face of accelerating global climate change and the rapid development of renewable energy. The “economic assessment” put forward by the mine proponents is completely untrustworthy, and there is no reason to expect the mine would provide the long term financial benefits to NSW – in the form of jobs and royalties – that are promised.