The Liverpool Plains boasts some of the best and most productive agricultural land in the country - it is our national food-bowl.
It has been more than eight years since controversial former state Labor minister Ian Macdonald issued China's state-owned Shenhua a licence to explore for coal in Australia's richest farming region, the Liverpool Plains, in return for a $300 million cash payment to the NSW government. Now is the time to cancel it.
October 2016 marked eight years since the exploration licence for the Watermark mine was issued.
A clause in the original 2008 exploration licence allows for the state government to cancel the project after eight years if no "substantial development" of the mine has occurred.
We call on Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister Don Harwin and Minister Anthony Roberts to fully protect the Liverpool Plains from mining and CSG by:
- Cancelling the Shenhua coal exploration licence given that the company has failed to meet the deadline to commence substantial development set down in the licence of 22nd October 2016
- Cancelling the government-owned coal licence and all Santos CSG licences on the Liverpool Plains
- Protecting the Liverpool Plains from future mining and CSG by protecting it and other important agricultural land in a strict 'no-go zone'