The Hunter Valley community of Bulga has been fighting off Rio Tinto's Warkworth coal mine for over five years. Bulga residents were given a taste of justice by the NSW Supreme Court in 2013, when it ruled that Rio's mine would be bad for not just Bulga, but NSW as a whole, and should not go ahead.
But Rio didn't accept the court's ruling, and the NSW Planning Department has been working closely with the company to undo Bulga's victory ever since.
Rio's new mine application is likely to be approved before Christmas, and the only thing that can stop it now is a dramatic intervention by NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes. Minister Stokes could make a new regulation that protects Bulga with a buffer zone from mining. It's not uncommon for a Planning Minister to change the law for a mining company - but will he do it to save a community?
Join Bulga residents and supporters this Thursday in Sydney as we rally for justice outside the Supreme Court that gave us a taste of it in 2013. Let's show Minister Stokes we want justice for Bulga, not more coal for Rio.
