Promise: "A key part of the strategic land use planning process will be to identify strategic agricultural land and associated water and ensure that it is protected from the impacts of development."
Fact: Strategic Agricultural Land can be approved for mining via a ‘gateway’ process resulting in either a gateway certificate to proceed or a conditional certificate to proceed. There is no option for nonapproval and the gateway can never close.
Promise: "It will provide certainty to local communities that cumulative impacts are being taken into account,"
Fact: The Plan only requires the development of a methodology on ‘managing’ cumulative impacts in 2013. The Plan does not require consideration of cumulative impacts before new mines are approved.
Promise: “Strategic agricultural land is a finite resource that must be conserved into the future to ensure future food security. It will be identified using a triple bottom line assessment of the environmental, social and economic characteristics of the area.”
Fact: Commitments in the draft Land Use Plan for a public interest test and cost-benefit analyses have been dropped and are now only voluntary for coal and gas companies. There have been no triple bottom line or agricultural economic impact assessments.
Promise: "I can assure the member that we intend to protect all areas of high conservation value through the process that we are developing."
Fact: The maps of Tier 1 Biodiversity Areas that were included in the draft Land Use Plans were removed after complaints from the gas lobby. The final Plans provide no protection for high conservation value areas.
Promise: "The next Liberal/National government will ensure mining cannot occur in any water catchment area and that any mining leases and exploration permits will reflect that common sense. No ifs, no buts, a guarantee."
Fact: There is no protection whatsoever for water catchments in the Strategic Regional Land Use Plans or associated policies.
Promise: "Where CSG activities involve interference with groundwater systems, we will require that proponents must obtain an Aquifer Interference Approval under S91 of the Water Management Act 2000."
Fact: The regulation has been downgraded to a policy that has no legal standing. No approval is required. The Minister for Primary Industries and the NSW Office of Water have been relegated to a purely advisory role.
Promise: "Review the Water Management Act 2000, the Water Act 1912, the Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991 and related legislation to ensure aquifers are protected."
Fact: There has been no such review and there is no protection for aquifers threatened by mining in NSW.
Corporate Mining Rules OK?
The NSW government has replaced the entire board of the Sydney Catchment Authority. Who chairs the new board? Only the former director of two of Australia’s largest mining companies.
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