Former Independent Member for New England Tony Windsor has joined farmers from the Liverpool Plains in a media campaign launched today that puts the Turnbull Government on notice to cancel the approval of Shenhua’s controversial mega coal mine.
The advertisement will air on Sky News and Prime TV from today and vision is available here.
Mr Windsor stars with local community members in a television commercial where he warns of the dire potential impacts from mining, "They are mega mines over the top of the biggest water system in the Murray darling so the risks in terms of those groundwater systems could be catastrophic," he says in the video.
Phil Laird, National Coordinator at Lock the Gate Alliance, said, "The Liverpool Plains are no place for a massive coal mine that will threaten some of the nation’s best agricultural land that contributes about $2.4 billion to our GDP annually.
"We do not want to repeat on the Liverpool Plains the mistakes we’ve made in the Hunter Valley allowing industrial-scale mining in farming areas."
"We're grateful for Tony Windsor for standing up for communities and defending them from reckless coal projects that jeopardise our good soils and our biggest water system.
"Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tweeted in 2011, 'the Liverpool Plains are an agricultural treasure that which must be protected which means thorough science and hydrology.'"
On 6-8 November, a major Harvest Festival is planned that will bring together people from around the North West of New South Wales and beyond that have pledged support to the community at Breeza in their efforts to stop the coal mine.
"It’s not too late for the Prime Minister to stop the Shenhua mega mine from going ahead. He must urgently revoke approval for the mine to safeguard Liverpool Plains land, water and community,” Mr Laird said.