Monday 16 October 2017

I opposed laws pushed through parliament to weaken protections of Sydney’s water catchment. The bill validated approval to expand the Springvale coal mine after the Court of Appeal ruled it unlawful based on its level of discharge into the catchment. While the government claims the laws secure the state’s electricity supply because the Mount Piper power station relies entirely on the mine for coal, the bill also included provisions to apply the weaker test used to approve the expansion – which the court ruled invalid –to any development in the catchment.

The prospect of an energy crisis over the closure of one coal mine that pollutes our water supply is strong evidence that we must transfer to green and renewable sources that don’t put our long term future at risk. My speech is HERE.