The farming future of the Liverpool Plains has been secured with the New South Wales government announcing a large scale, multi-million dollar buyback.
Minister for Resources, Don Harwin announced the $262 million buyback of more than half of Shenhau Watermarks’s coal exploration licence.
The agreement will see 51.4% of the company’s licence handed back.
Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson said in a statement the agreement strikes the right balance between preserving agriculture on the Liverpool Plains, while also creating 600 new jobs and millions of dollars in investment for the region.
Some Liverpool Plains farmers have reacted angrily to the announcement.
Breeza farmer Andrew Pursehouse, whose property adjoins the proposed Shenhua coal mine said, “We’ve been betrayed by the NSW Government. If it was serious about protecting farmland, it would have cancelled the coal licence outright and stopped this coal mine.
“Carving out areas that Shenhua weren’t going to mine won’t change a thing. Anything less than the full cancellation of the Watermark Project will fail to protect the farming systems of the Liverpool Plains.
“The community is fully committed to fight this coal mine going ahead no matter what this government decides.”
Phil Laird, National Campaigner for Lock the Gate Alliance said, “The NSW Government could have cancelled this licence and banned coal mining on our agricultural land. Instead, they are handing tax-payers money to a foreign owned company and waving them through to mine our food bowl. It beggars belief.
“We will support the farming community of the Liverpool Plains to keep this mine out of one of the best agricultural regions in this country.
