News

From the Mayor's Desk - 18 May 2012

Date: Fri 18-May-12
Author: Alison Davey
On Friday 4 May at Parliament House the Annual Jean Arnot Memorial Luncheon was held which honours ladies over 90 years old for service to the community. Cessnock Business and Professional Women's Association invited three ladies from our LGA, these being Mary Campbell, Joy Manning and Margaret Agnes Munro for their great service to our community.

From the Mayor's Desk - 1 May 2012

Date: Tue 01-May-12
Author: Alison Davey
Anzac Day this year was well attended by the community and I have noticed the crowds are growing stronger attending in larger numbers. It is good to see that many of our youth attend this special occasion and they do not forget the contribution that our servicemen and women have made over the years to ensure the safety and well being of our Country and its people.

Rich Land, Wasteland by Sharyn Munro is now available

Date: Fri 27-Apr-12
Author: Carlie Harris
The book on how coal is killing Australia

From the Mayor's Desk - 9 March 2012

Date: Fri 09-Mar-12
Author: Alison Davey
A delegation from Cessnock Council and Singleton Council to see The Minister for Planning, the Hon Brad Hazzard MP, re opposition to Coal Seam Gas will take place on Thursday 5 April. Our members of the delegation are the General Manager, Group Leader, Strategy and Sustainability, Mayor, a Councillor, representative from the Wine Industry Association and a member from Wollombi WAGE.

Gas protesters join coal debate

Date: Wed 15-Feb-12
Author: Singleton Argus
REGIONAL coal seam gas opponents have joined the fight to save the Bulga and Milbrodale communities from open-cut coalmining.
Spokesman Graeme Gibson confirmed yesterday that the Hunter Valley Protection Alliance would do all it could to support communities opposed to the $600million expansion of the Mount Thorley Warkworth pit.

The state government's planning assessment commission approved the open-cut expansion last week despite widespread opposition from the residents and Singleton Council having unanimously rejected it four times.

The Bulga Milbrodale Progress Association immediately responded by briefing Environmental Defenders Office solicitors for a Land and Environment Court appeal.

Mr Gibson said: "The protection alliance made a written submission against the Warkworth expansion to Planning Minister Brad Hazzard, and members of our group also made individual representations.

Bulga women want out

Date: Wed 15-Feb-12
Author: Singleton Argus
NOT everyone in Bulga wants to fight the $600million Warkworth open-cut coalmine expansion.
Three residents told The Argus yesterday, they wanted compensation now for "horrendous" impacts they've endured for years.

Danielle Hanson, Nerida Lepisto and Toni Silk said coalmining had divided the Bulga community, some people wanted to get out immediately, some wanted to fight on and some accepted the situation.

"We're sick of it, we've complained for more than two years about noise, dust and blasting vibrations from current operations and it just continues," said Mrs Hanson.

"It's mainly Coal and Allied's Warkworth open-cut, but there's also Peabody's Wambo and Xstrata's Bulga mine.

Council considers vineyard CSG ban

Date: Wed 15-Feb-12
Author: ABC Newcastle
Cessnock Councillors are being asked to support moves to have coal seam gas exploration banned in the vineyard district of the Lower Hunter.

A report to tonight's council meeting says the operations of gas company AGL in the Broke and Bulga area have illustrated the close proximity of the industry to the local government area.

The report recommends writing to the Minister for Resources and Energy and asking that the vineyard district be excluded from CSG exploration by gazettal.

Valley Artists Newsletter - February 2012

Date: Mon 13-Feb-12
Author: Janine Oliver
Looking back at 2011 and information on the next production - K2 - and 2012 Sponsorship.

Public's chance to comment on exploration too slow

Date: Mon 13-Feb-12
Author: Michelle Harris (The Herald)
THE state government says guidelines for public comment on exploration licence applications will be available later this month, but it has been criticised for not moving faster to give communities a promised say.
As well, it has emerged a ban on the use of a controversial coal seam gas drilling process called fracking that the government announced in July has not been formally extended to pre-approved activities.

Twenty-one petroleum exploration licences, required for coal seam gas exploration, are awaiting renewal, including three lodged before last year's state election, but remain in effect.

Among the recent renewal applications are those for AGL Energy's licences 267 and 4, which cover from Lake Macquarie to the Upper Hunter and take in the vineyards.

Bulga residents vow to battle mine

Date: Fri 10-Feb-12
Author: Paul Maguire (Singleton Argus)
THE Bulga and Milbrodale communities feel betrayed by this week's approval of the $600million Warkworth open-cut coalmine expansion.
Residents who spoke to The Argus said the state government assessment appeared to be "a done deal" and planning assessment commission appraisal was just "public window dressing".

Despite this, residents are not only determined to fight on, they have an underlying confidence of success.

On the other hand, a spokesman for the development company Graham Witherspoon of Rio Tinto, said: "This project has been subject to a rigorous two and a half year assessment, taking into account both its impacts and significant benefits.

"We recognise that members of the community have ongoing concerns and we will continue to work with them to minimise our impacts as much as possible."

From the Mayor's Desk - 8 February 2012

Date: Wed 08-Feb-12
Author: Alison Davey
A Mayoral Minute was carried at the Council Meeting on 1 February on Coal Seam Gas Exploration and Mining Activities in the Local Government Area. The resolution reads:-

Tenders called for Broke Road work

Date: Wed 08-Feb-12
Author: The Advertiser
Work is progressing well on plans to upgrade roads in the Hunter wine region, as part of the NSW Government's commitment to provide $20 million across four years.
Nationals Duty MLC for Cessnock, Trevor Khan, said this financial year the NSW Government has allocated $5 million to start work.

"Cessnock City Council will invite tenders this week to upgrade a 700 metre section of Broke Road about 400 metres west of Wine Country Drive at Pokolbin," Mr. Khan said.

"This project will complete the upgrade of Broke Road between Wine Country Drive and McDonalds Road.

Why the rush

Date: Tue 07-Feb-12
Author: Di Sneddon (Singleton Argus)
ONLY a week ago the federal government announced the appointment of a highly qualified expert scientific committee to investigate coal seam gas and large coalmining applications.
This appointment clearly recognised the need to independently analyse the impact of expansive open-cut mining.

Within days we hear the Mount Thorley-Warkworth expansion has been approved. This mine was sanctioned by the state government but because of community concern, was referred to a planning assessment commission for final determination.

Yesterday the commission said yes in news that came as a shock, especially on the back of last year's refusal of the Ashton expansion on grounds of noise and dust impacts.

Gas moves in on Army land

Date: Tue 07-Feb-12
Author: Paul Maguire (Singleton Argus)
OFFICIALS of the coal seam gas company AGL Energy have been slammed for applying to explore Singleton army base for methane mining.
Hunter Valley Protection Alliance spokesman, Graeme Gibson, said; "It's exploration by stealth.

"Trying to explore on Commonwealth land, such as the army base, is excluded under the company's licence and there's been no community consultation about it.

"Either there is a secret understanding between AGL officials and the state government or they're willing to bet millions of dollars that government ministers were bald-faced liars when they made pre-election promises to protect the Hunter Valley's wine growing region from coal seam gas mining."

Mr Gibson said his group found out about AGL's army base application by accident when a member of the community went to the defence department's internet website looking for information on another subject.

Warkworth mining expansion approved

Date: Mon 06-Feb-12
Author: Singleton Argus
COAL & Allieds Warkworth coal mine extension has been approved by the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC).

Already the Bulga Milbrodale Progress Association has indicated it will appeal the decision in the Land and Environment Court.

A meeting later this week will determine if class action will be taken against the minister for planning and Coal & Allied for allegedly dishonouring the deed of agreement from 2003 which protected the area.

Coal & Allied has welcomed the approval. Mount Thorley Warkworth General Manager Operations Cam Halfpenny said the extension is critical to ongoing operations at the mine, which has been an important part of the region's economy since 1981.

LEP Limbo for Wollombi Valley

Date: Wed 01-Feb-12
Author: Paul Flemming
As Mark Twain famously said, "the reports of my death are grossly exaggerated". So too, it transpires, was the comment in a WVPA Executive Committee article in last month's OON, when we said - "Happily, the new Local Environmental Plan is about to be behind us?.

By press release on 23 December, Cessnock Council and NSW Planning & Infrastructure jointly announced gazettal of Cessnock LEP 2011, and Council's General Manager, Lea Rosser, stated "the gazettal of the LEP would provide certainty for the community in relation to future planning in Cessnock."

(Video) Cessnock Council 'Learnt a Lesson' : NBN News

Date: Thu 26-Jan-12
Author: NBN News
Cessnock Council has welcomed the state government's decision to return its planning powers, saying it's learnt a lesson.

But the local Labor MP says it's too early to scrap the interim planning panel, claiming council is yet to prove itself.

Cessnock Councillors back in the drivers seat

Date: Thu 26-Jan-12
Author: ABC Newcastle
Cessnock Council has its full planning powers back, around 18 months after they were taken away.

The previous Labor Minister for Planning Tony Kelly stripped the council of its powers in August 2010 after concerns were raised about lengthy delays in determining development applications.

A Planning Panel that was put in place was yesterday disbanded.

Greens Councillor James Ryan says the move is long overdue.

Cessnock council has the power

Date: Thu 26-Jan-12
Author: Donna Sharpe (The Herald)
PLANNING powers will be returned to Cessnock City Council tomorrow after the state government announced it will scrap the council's planning panel which was appointed in August 2010.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Brad Hazzard said yesterday that the government was disbanding three panels established by the former Labor government at Ku-ring-gai, Wagga Wagga and Cessnock.

Mr Hazzard said the government promised to ensure a new focus by returning local planning powers to communities through their councils.

Cessnock council was stripped of its authority to determine major development applications after former planning minister Tony Kelly appointed a three-person planning panel to assess projects with a value of more than $1 million.

Woeful Wollombi Road (Video)

Date: Wed 25-Jan-12
Author: NBN News
The state of roads in the Hunter has again been thrown into the spotlight by concerned locals.

Wollombi Road is the latest said to be in desperate need of attention.