Shenhua's Watermark coal mine dominated discussion at a meet the candidates event in the tiny community of Breeza on Wednesday.
About 80 farmers, Breeza residents and representatives of the Gomeroi people attended the event to hear Nationals candidate and sitting member Kevin Anderson, Country Labor candidate Joe Hillard, Greens candidate for the Legislative Council Justin Field (representing Greens candidate Pat Schultz), and independents Peter Draper and Stan Heuston speak.
Many at the meeting voiced their concerns about the project, with the $1.2 billion Watermark mine approved by the NSW government but yet to get the nod from federal environment Minister Greg Hunt, who is rumoured to be visiting the site tomorrow.
Mr Draper said the Planning Assessment Commission had been “no more than a rubber stamp” for mining activities.
“If you had told me I would contest the election a year ago, I would have said you were mad,” Mr Draper, who lost the seat of Tamworth to Mr Anderson in 2011, said.
“I am here because of the Shenhua issue and because of the government’s ridiculous plan to sell off our power assets that the people own.”
Mr Anderson told the emotional crowd the mining industry had “raced ahead of the controls”.
“We are looking at the processes to stop the runaway freight train of the resource extraction industry,” he said.
Mr Hillard said Labor supported mining, but it did not approve of mining on the black soil of the Liverpool Plains.
