PROTESTERS gathered in the rain outside Member for Bathurst and Deputy Premier Paul Toole's office on Wednesday morning, organised by Wollar resident Bev Smiles, to insist that he reject any coal mining expansion in the region.
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But they have received a blunt response from Mr Toole, who told the Western Advocate afterwards that coal mining provides work for families, keeps the lights on and the economy ticking over.
Chris Gambian, from the non-profit environmental advocacy group Nature Conservation Council, invoked the spirit of Bathurst's favourite son as he addressed the protesters in Howick Street.
Former prime minister Ben Chifley, he said, understood the need to focus on the opportunities before the nation.
"He would be saying it's time to stop coal, it's time to start looking into the future," he said.
In referencing recent fires and floods, Mr Gambian said the nation was facing a climate crisis and a shift away from coal to renewable energy was imperative to limit rising temperatures.
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The protesters were calling on Mr Toole, as Deputy Premier, to reject the expansion of the Wilpinjong coal mine over 1632 hectares of farming country around Wollar, north-east of Mudgee; the Angus Place West coal expansion at Lithgow; and the Moolarben Mine open cut expansion near Mudgee, among other projects.
Rally organiser and Wollar resident Bev Smiles detailed how she said her village had already been affected by nearby coal mining, including through the loss of community services and social networks because of residents moving away.
"Those that are left [in the village] are determined to keep our community functioning," she said.
Talking to the Western Advocate after the rally, Mr Toole said coal mining and power generation had been "the backbone of communities for decades".
"There are families reliant on mining and these protesters would happily see them thrown on the scrapheap," he said.
"These protesters think we can live in the dark huddled together under a blanket through winter.
"Coal mining continues to keep the lights on and the economy ticking over."
Mr Toole asked whether the protesters who turned up with a hot coffee to his office realised "that those coffees were heated using electricity which is powered by coal".
"I'll continue to take a balanced approach to coal mining, clearing the way for expansions and modifications to existing mines while ruling out large potential release areas like Hawker-Rumker [in the Rylstone area]."
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