Meeting To Determine Mount Pleasant Mine Extension

BY ARIANA GATTI

A meeting in Muswellbrook was held today to discuss a proposal posed to extend the life of the Mount Pleasant open-cut coal mine forward another six years.

The mine, which was approved for operation from 1999, was set to wrap up activity by the year 2020.

However, residents around the Mount Pleasant and Muswellbrook area are raising concerns against the extension of mining operations due to the on-going effects chemicals from the mined substances have on the population's health and environmental conditions.

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), as well as The Department of Health has also raised concerns about the deterioration of air quality around the region, along with the future quality of conditions of the Hunter River, as the mine decides to discharge dirty water into the catchment.

Image sourced: https://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/5505849/muswellbrook-coal-mine-hearing-considers-serious-air-quality-concerns/?cs=175#slide=1

The discharge has the potential to affect drinking water standards, where pollution may run through available tap water.

If plans to extend the mine's operations, production could see almost 60-million tonnes worth of coal being extracted over the given six cycle.

Coordinator for the Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group, Wendy Wales, says the community is in need of some consideration to sit a comfortable lifestyle.

"It doesn't feel as if the NSW Government cares at all about air pollution and its effect on us, so we are appealing to the Planning Commission to demonstrate its independence and refuse to approve this modification", she says.

Wales believes mine activity does not comply well with the weather conditions around the Muswellbrook area.

"We've had an incredibly hot summer and now we're really seeing the consequences with all the mining activity that has happened in the area and with heavy winds blowing up Mount Pleasant is just a recipe for disaster", Wales says.

Image sourced: https://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/5505849/muswellbrook-coal-mine-hearing-considers-serious-air-quality-concerns/?cs=175#slide=1

Rate Reduction Slips Through Maitland Residents' Fingers

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

A motion to give Maitland residents a one-off rate reduction has been shot down by the majority of Councillors in last night's meeting.

Labor Cr Ben Whiting raised the proposal, which would see Maitland Council absorb a scheduled rate increase of 7.25%; instead limiting it to 2.3%.

It would've equated to a one-off saving of around $80 to $100 per ratepayer.

Cr Mitchell Griffin, who voted against the motion, said it "simply didn't equate" within the budget, and believes essential projects would've been put at risk if Council allowed the reduction.

"There was going to be quite a substantial cost put on the community - around $40 million over 10 years," he said, "services would have been cut from Council's Delivery Program...obviously when you make that sort of cut you have to look at jobs as well. 

"So hence, we've protected the jobs of those within Council and also the Delivery Program we'll be running over the next 10 years," he concluded. 

However, Cr Whiting said he carefully considered the financial implications of the move and mapped out areas to absorb the rate cut. 

"In the motion, I noted the roads as an example," he said, "they're done on a prioritisation basis - they are now and they always will be - so as part of targeting where to cut, I looked at the lower priority roads...and that same process could have been applied across the board." 

Cr Whiting said he was disappointed, but not surprised the Liberals voted against the "modest proposal." 

However Cr Griffin believes the $100 saving promised by Labor in the last election didn't add up with the $77 figure put on the table last night. 

"One has to question whether there is a genuine benefit for the ratepayer," he said, "or it was just there to pork-barrel the electorate." 

Meanwhile, breaches of Council's Code of Meeting Practice are being investigated by the General Manager following a series of interruptions from Councillors who were speaking. 

Lake Macquarie Photo Scandal

BY ALEX MURRAY

Tonight, an important part of the agenda for the Lake Macquarie City Council meeting is for the calls of a permanent removal of two photographs of convicted child sex offenders hanging in the administration building as former council members.

Milton Orkopoulos of 2008 and Douglas Carley in 2009 were both convicted of criminal offences, causing a community outcry to have them permanently taken down.

A notice of motion tonight lead by Liberal councillor, Kevin Baker tonight is aiming to completely discard any photographs, plaques or honourable memorabilia of existing and future offenders in other buildings around the city.

Councillor Baker has expressed the photographs have been temporarily taken down but there needs to be a sense of permanency and consistency with cases such as these in the future.

"This issue with the photographs could have resolved plain and simply many years ago when these two men were convicted."

"Tonight I will be lifting the confidentiality of the confidential meeting held in 2016, I believed it was unlawful we closed that meeting in November and as such, I am moving a recession motion."

"I'm seeking to move the motion to make certain they are taken down permanently, quite simply we should not be honouring criminals in any shape or form and I am attempting to correct that tonight."