[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE: Greens call for increased protection of Gardens of Stone National Park

Thu Jun 16 16:59:27 AEST 2016

Media release
16 June

The Greens launch report calling for improved protection for the Gardens of Stone National Park

NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon and Greens candidate for Calare Delanie Sky today launched the 'Protecting our precious environment' campaign that calls for improved environmental protection for the Gardens of Stone National Park.

The state-wide campaign and release of a 30 page comprehensive report on NSW's diverse natural environments and the dangers they face is being supported by Former Greens leader Bob Brown.

Ms Sky said "Despite being a World Heritage area, the Gardens of Stone ecosystem and World Heritage status are threatened by several large-scale coal mining projects.

"To add to this, millions of litres of highly saline mine water are being discharged into the Cox's River, which flows into Lake Burragorang - polluting Sydney's major drinking reservoir. This poses a danger to humans and animals alike, especially given that the ecosystems that support the diverse wildlife in the Park are fragile.

"Sand mining, logging and resort development all pose risks to Gardens of Stone. It is reprehensible that governments past and present have been unwilling to adequately look after this precious World Heritage listed area.

"The Greens are proposing a sustainable way forward that protects our communities, our wildlife and our environment. We need to abandon outdated and harmful coal mining and protect this natural wonder," Ms Sky said.

Senator Rhiannon said, "Successive governments in NSW and federally have weakened the laws that are supposed to protect the environment and regulate the impacts of development and mining.

"The Greens NSW report 'Protecting our precious environment' is a key part of our election platform. NSW natural environments are under a range of serious threats and this election is an opportunity for people to be informed and to add their voice to the call for greater protection," she said.

Dr Brown added that "anyone who cares for the future should not vote for Labor or the Coalition. It is essential to Vote 1 the Greens".

Media contact

Delanie Sky: Tracey Carpenter 0408228946
Lee Rhiannon: Maddy Williams 0421 214 305

Background on Gardens of Stone National Park

The Gardens of Stone National Park forms part of the Wold Heritage Listed Greater Blue Mountains region. It is a beautiful, unique landscape with spectacular formations of rock, internationally significant pagoda formations created over the millennia of ironstone bands within the sandstone. Within this environment are literally hundreds of endangered native plant, bird, and animal species, surviving within fragile ecosystems.

The biggest ongoing threat to all areas of the Park, including the existing World Heritage area, is the continued operation of coal mining. The Centennial Springvale Coal Company has been granted approval by the NSW Planning Assessment Commission to extend underground mining beneath the Newnes State Forest to extract 4.5 million tonnes of coal per year for a further 13 years. The effect of the underground mining has already caused significant damage from subsidence to existing pagoda formations, causing collapse of some features. Of even greater concern is the discharge of large amounts of polluted water into the river systems that feed into Sydney's major drinking water reservoir. The Discharge of millions of litres of highly saline mine water runs into the Cox's River, which flows into Lake Burragorang. The discharge also contains nitrogen, phosphorus , zinc, nickel and other contaminants.

Maddy Williams
Campaigner
Senator Lee Rhiannon | Australian Greens Senator for NSW
p:  Sydney 02 9211 9523 | Canberra 02 6277 3496
w: lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au<http://lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au/signup>
I am a proud member of my union, the CPSU.