The Nature Conservation Council says the NSW Government has lost an opportunity to preserve The Drip by failing to excise the area from Yancoal’s renewed exploration licence.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Resources Minister Anthony Roberts confirmed in a letter to the Nature Conservation Council that The Drip was not excluded from the licence when it was renewed in May for a further five years.
Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolksi said the renewal occurred even though the government had been negotiating with the company all year to have the gorge included in Goulburn River National Park.
“This is a classic example of the left hand in government not knowing what the right hand is doing,” she said.
“Just four weeks after the license was renewed, the Planning Assessment Commission ruled that Moolarben coal mine should not be allowed to expand until The Drip was fully protected.
“If the government is serious about conserving this beautiful part of the Central West for future generations, it needs to get its act together and ensure that different arms of government are talking to each other.
“It is a pity the government missed this golden opportunity to do something positive to protect this iconic location.”
Ms Smolski said local people wanted the area included in the Goulburn River National Park before the state election in March 2015.
The Drip was in Crown land until December 2010, when the Labor government sold it to Yancoal, owners of the Moolarben Mine.
The exploration license expired in August 2012. In May, 2014, it was renewed for another five years, to August 2017.
