RSWUA PRESIDENT’S REPORT to AGM 2012
It is about 18 months since my last report and not a lot has changed regarding the threat to our
water. But there has been a most embarrassing administrative glitch. Last September we voted to
adopt the new model constitution. However, as the form to advise Dept of Fair Trading of the
decision was never sent, that decision is now void and we have to do it all over again, which we
will do at our next meeting at 3pm on November 4 at the Running Stream Hall. Fair Trading was
very understanding and as we are such a small organisation they are not worried.
On a more positive note, your Association has been active in a number of ways:
Events
1. March 2011 – The Puggles Club was launched. Its purpose is to engage young people in
learning about how important running streams are, not just for us humans but for all living
creatures, and to encourage them join us in our mission to protect our precious water. And we
have held two excursions with young members.
2. We have participated in a number of rallies to tell the government that food and water is more
important than coal. The first was the Coal and Coal Seam Gas Rally in Sydney in March 2011.
The second was a rally in May 2012 organised by the NSW Farmers Association in response to
the draft Land Use Strategy outside Parliament House in Sydney
3. March 2012 – Mudgee Mining the wHole Story (a two-day educational event organised by 7
local community action groups including RSWUA)
5. July 2012 –presence at combined community action group stall at Mudgee Small Farm Field
Days where new RSWUA membership postcard was distributed.
Submissions
We continue to write submissions to the government on behalf of our members. Major submissions
we have made are:
1. April 2011 – NSW Coal and Coal Seam Gas Draft Strategy
2. Sept 2011 – National Food Policy
3. April 2012 2011 - Draft Strategic Regional Land Use Policy
4. July 2012 – draft Aquifer Interference Policy
We also urge you to write your own letters. You have the power to influence government and I
plead with you all to please take a half hour and put pen to paper whenever we ask. We try to
make it as easy as possible by giving you all the points to make, but you need to write your own
personal introductory paragraph.
Exploration
Early last year (March 2011) Centennial presented their Water Census Report. It is not the full
hydrogeological study that we continue to press for but it is a start. In July 2011 a Drill Rig open
day was held. However by the time drilling finally commenced in April 2012 Centennial had
changed the type of drill rig. In June 2012 they held a series of Drilling Demonstration Days.
The Inglenook CCC has met seven times so far. I remind members that if there are issues they
would like raised at those meetings, don’t hesitate to contact myself or the other committee
members. Minutes of the meeting are on Centennial’s website:
http://centennialcoal.com.au/Operations/Projects/Inglenook.aspx#Landholder-Liaison-Programme
At the last CCC meeting we were given copies of the Review of Environmental Factors and I
encourage members, particularly those with some scientific training, to look at this and ensure it is
adequate. A copy can be found here on Centennial’s website:
http://centennialcoal.com.au/~/media/Files/Inglenook%20Documents/Environment/Inglenook%20E
xploration%20Review%20of%20Environmental%20Factors.ashx
You can also pick up a hard copy from their office at Spring Park (opposite Running Stream Hall)
or by phoning them on 6358 8340.
We also looked at some core samples and had the term “ash content” explained. There are two
types of ash: one appears as a distinct band in the coal; these were formed from when there was a
lot of volcanic activity and clouds of ash settled forming bands within the coal seam. These are
fairly easily removed in the washing process through flotation. The other type of ash is embedded
within the coal itself. It comes from ash being mixed up within the vegetation as it is laid down and
this is harder to remove.
Rumours are flying around regarding the quality of the coal resource at Mt Viincent. In
conversation with one of our members, it was pointed out that while coal from the area might be
high in ash it is low in impurities and could be combined with coal from another region such as
Indonesia where it is low in ash, but high in impurities to make an acceptable blend. We have to
remember we are now dealing with an international company.
So we wrote to Centennial to clarify. Here is their response :
“At this early stage of the project no comment can be factually made about coal quality from the
Inglenook Exploration Project due to the low number of samples and incomplete analysis of
samples obtained. Appropriate comment can be made once a definitive understanding of the entire
coal resource is achieved through analysis and interpretation of all coal samples. Assessment of
the coal resource will accord with requirements of the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) and
the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Centennial Coal is committed to communicate project
information relevant to the community through the CCC and other communication methods”.
I also asked, again, how Centennial was going to compensate landholders and their neighbours
for loss of water due to their activities. Again the response was they would take that question on
notice, but this time we are supposed to get an answer at the next CCC meeting in October.
Access Agreements
As you know, drilling has commenced, with about nine landholders having signed agreements.
Negotiations with the “Denman Group” as six of us have been dubbed have ground to a halt, with
Centennial advising they will now take it to arbitration, and they have started with one of the group
(interestingly not one of the two with whom they began negotiations). However that person then
went on holidays for a month, so we haven’t heard where it is up to.
In conclusion I encourage you all not to give up hope; coal is a twentieth century source of power.
Keep writing to the government urging it to move into the twenty first century, support jobs in
renewable resources and above all think of the future and ensure our good quality land retains its
water resources and so continues to grow food for our growing population in the centuries to come.
Jolieske Lips, September 2012
NEW COMMITTEE
At the September AGM there was a committee reshuffle and new members were elected.
Your new committee is as follows:
President Nell Schofield
Vice President Guy Sim
Secretary Jolieske Lips
Treasurer David Drinkwater
Committee members Christine Maloney, Fiona Sim, Prudie Woods, Pam Chadwick
Congratulations to all our new committee members and deepest thanks to our former
committee members, especially Suzy Flowers for her dedication and commitment to the
preservation of our shared water resource. We are delighted to have Jolieske Lips remain
with us as Secretary and acknowledge her invaluable work as President.
We’d also like to extend a very special thank you to Craig Shaw, Secretary of the Bylong
Valley Protection Alliance for his fascinating presentation at our AGM. Entitled
‘UnderEddie’, his talk took members on a guided tour of the dark underbelly of the coal
mining business in the Bylong Valley by Eddie Obied and his associates. There are many
suspicious interconnections between ‘colourful identities’ and we await the outcome of the
ICAC enquiries with interest. If you’d like to keep up to date with developments in Bylong
Valley you can join the BVPA mailing list at http://www.bvpa.org.au/
And a quick reminder for those members who haven’t yet paid your membership for 2012, it
would be great if you would renew as soon as possible so that our new Treasurer can update
the books. Either fill in the attached form and post it to us with your cheque or make a direct
deposit and send an email to us at runningstream2850@gmail.com advising that you have
done so.
Many thanks for your support and we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting for a
special presentation by Mitchell Clapham from the NSW Farmers Association.
GENERAL MEETING
3pm, Nov 4 2012
Running Stream Hall
