Lock the Gate Alliance says Wollongong Coal’s failure to pay rent on its mining titles is the last straw in a series of failures that render the company unfit to operate.
Spokesperson Nic Clyde said, “It’s more than a year and a half since Lock the Gate provided a comprehensive report to the NSW Government outlining how Wollongong Coal companies are not fit or proper. It’s well beyond time that their titles are revoked and orders issued to clean up their sites and pay workers’ entitlements in full.
"In October 2015, one of the many issues we raised with the Government was Wollongong Coal’s financial capacity to comply with obligations under the Mining Act,"
"The announcement that Wollongong Coal is being taken to court for failing to pay rents and levies under the Act is not surprising. It’s consistent with a company in financial distress and seems incapable of complying with its obligations. Our main concern now is whether the company has sufficient funds to rehabilitate its mining sites and pay its workforce their full entitlements.
"Wollongong Coal has form. It is not a company that can be trusted to mine inside the Special Areas of our biggest city’s drinking water catchment.
"The mining titles that are the subject of this court action by the Government must be suspended and money secured from Wollongong Coal to pay out workers and undertake full rehabilitation."