An independent planning panel has heard a mining company has failed to offer compensation to dozens of people living within two kilometres of a proposed gold mine in central west NSW.
For the past three days, the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has been holding public hearings into the proposed open cut McPhillamys gold mine, slated for Kings Plains near Bathurst in the state's central west.
Mining company Regis Resources has faced the panel to answer claims from residents, farmers and academics that the proposed mine would heavily impact the Kings Plains community, undermine groundwater security and pose a threat to local water catchments.
Social impact researcher from Macquarie University Alison Ziller told the IPC's panel today that those who chose to stay in their Kings Plains homes and have not been offered an agreement with Regis Resources will suffer immensely.
"It makes the village unliveable," Dr Ziller said.
"It's like saying the price of this mine is the village," she said.
Double-glazing and aircon on offer to some
At least eighty-five residents live within two kilometres of the proposed mine site.
Dr Ziller said 34 residences were situated fewer than one kilometre from the mine's boundary.
"Residents would not be able to open their windows in the early morning, or in the evening, or at night as noise and dust from the mining operations would occur 24/7," Dr Ziller said.
She said while agreements include compensation for the property value and moving costs they fail to address the loss of personal connection to landholdings.
"Some of which have been held by several generations of one family," she said.
The company has negotiated agreements with 18 residents, eight of whom have signed.
Some 15 agreements include voluntary land acquisitions, while others offer home modifications including double-glazing and air conditioning.
No social license
Environmental assessor Warwick Giblin told the panel that Regis Resources was using "its power advantage" to create an "imbalance that has limited the ability for the locals to negotiate fair terms."
"[Locals] do not have: firstly the time; secondly the technical capacity; thirdly the financial ability; and fourthly, the political clout to match the developer."
He believed locals would experience "heightened mental health risks of anxiety, depression and loss of place, arising from having their peaceful rural landscape disrupted by a major industrial facility moving in", and that there was no social licence for the development's approval.
Regis Resources chief executive Jim Beyer denied the company had not thoroughly engaged with residents.
"In the past two years the Regis team has met with every Kings Plains household," he said.
He reiterated the Department of Planning's assessment report found that: "on balance, the Department considers the benefits of the project outweigh its residual costs and that the project is in the public interest and is approvable, subject to the strict conditions of consent".
The project is expected to provide a major economic boost by injecting $67 million both directly and indirectly to local households, and at peak construction would employ 600 people, plus 260 ongoing.
Mine wastewater worries
Water researcher Ian Wright urged the committee to think seriously about the mine's impact on the environment.
He said that water coming from Lithgow's coal-fired power station would need to be transferred through a 90-kilometre pipeline, traversing properties from Lithgow to Kings Plains to be reused at the gold mine.
"I have never heard of a pipeline that does not have some sort of problem," Dr Wright said.
"A hairline leak under the ground could seriously deplete the quality of the soil and the ability to grow plants with the level of that salinity," he said.
Dr Wright also criticised the company's environmental impact statement for failing to adequately address the potential for failure of its tailings dam, which would be at the head of the Belubula River.
"There could be accidental leakages or something more accidental or catastrophic," he said.
"I think it's reasonable that the entire Belubula catchment could be affected, and even the Lachlan catchment."
The IPC also heard concerns about the damage toxic dust and contaminated water could cause.
Farmers cited a failure at the nearby Cadia Mine in 2018 to detail their concerns about the possibility of contaminated groundwater.
They also pointed the panel to dust events at the troubled mine.
A legacy project
Mr Beyer has said the water pipeline would be a legacy project which could be used for decades to come, but many residents are worried about what other legacies the company will leave behind in its wake.
Among the Blayney community, support for the proposal outside of the business fraternity was weak.
Over the course of the three-day hearing, concluding today, more than 90 speakers presented arguments.
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has recommended the mine be approved.
Executive director of energy and resource assessments Clay Preshaw said assessing any greenfield mine was "tricky".
"We certainly haven't made our recommendation lightly," Mr Preshaw said.
He said on balance of economic, environmental and social impacts, it should go ahead.
"There will be residual social impacts, even if they're complying with technical criteria," he said.
A determination is expected to be made by the IPC by the end of March.
