Responses from Mayor Taylor and Mike Horan MP:

From Mayor Peter Taylor, Toowoomba Regional Council:. While TRC has had a briefing from various State Departments there is still no opportunity for the TRC to make a submission at this time. As a major project this application will come under the jurisdiction of the State Government and will be covered by the Mineral Resources Act, the Development and Public Works Organisation Act which override the requirements of the local planning schemes.

An Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is required however and when this is available the Council as well as the public will be able to make a submission to the Terms of Reference for this EIS.

Personally I believe there needs to be an of overall state-wide plan (which does not exist at the moment) for mining development under the following principles.

1. Is a proposal for a new mine in the correct location as indicated in a State plan for mining development?
2. Is the timing sequence for the mine proposal in the correct order?
3. Does the mine site have the necessary infrastructure to support the level of activity proposed - roads, water, power etc?
4. Has a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) been undertaken - ie the people impacts?
5. Has an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) been undertaken - i.e. the impacts on land, air, water etc,both short and long term
6. Is the area good agricultural land as per the State Planning Policy which prohibits development?
7. Is it the best long term use of the land proposed?

From Mike Horan, MP, South Toowoomba:The mining company will have to apply for a mining licence and this can only be granted when the Minister is satisfied all relevant matters are addressed.

The Minister must consider, under the Mineral Resources Act, all objections that are received, such as the effects upon primary industries, tourism and the social amenity of the district and surrounding villages and city.

One of the matters to be considered is whether there is a shortage of coal (which is not the case in Queensland) and one of the most important matters to be considered is whether the proposed facility is close to a major coal line route.

This is one of the major disadvantages of the proposed Felton Coal Mine compared to coal mines in the Surat and Bowen Basin which are all adjacent to coal infrastructure lines running to ports such as Gladstone and Hay Point.

On the issue of lack of a major rail line, this I believe is a major issue for the Felton district and Toowoomba.

Currently Acland coal is being carted to the Swanbank power station and to the Port of Brisbane mostly by trucks 24hrs/day. These B double trucks are contributing enormously to traffic congestion through the centre of our city as the Warrego Highway (James St) route involves at least 16 sets of lights.

I understand only 30% of Acland coal is carried by rail due to the shortage of rolling stock due to problems of the railway line rolling down the eastern escarpment and lack of slots for coal trucks through the rail system to the Port of Brisbane.

I believe there are also restrictions on the number of coal trains that can traverse through Brisbane suburbs. There are somewhere in the order of 4000 trucks, mainly B doubles and double coal trucks travelling through Toowoomba everyday making it one of the heaviest freight carrying roads in Australia. No other city of this size has to endure such traffic, inconvenience and social disruption.

The corridor for the second range crossing has been purchased, test drilling of the tunnel undertaken and detailed plans finalised but actual construction has not been funded.

Regardless of whether the second range crossing is constructed bulk coal should be hauled by rail and is a shortcoming of the Felton coal mine. The Felton Valley is one of the most beautiful and productive areas of the Darling Downs.

As Shadow Minister for Food Security & Agriculture (includes Fisheries & Biosecurity), Sport & Racing, I am concerned about the loss of farming land located so close to millions of people living in the South East corner and the expanding city of Toowoomba.

As Toowoomba grows and has the added importance of being a service centre for coal seam power stations and coal mines of the Western Downs, so too is the importance of farming and lifestyle in areas close to our city such as Felton.

The coal mining area around Acland, that was once a thriving community, is now a deserted and empty area purchased by mining interests and the entire area managed by a skeleton staff.

The Felton area has one of the most beautiful water holes on the Darling Downs with the large permanent water hole in Hodgson Creek adjacent to the road that runs from Felton to Pittsworth. Water holes such as this are rare on the Downs.

The first issue is that all of these matters must be taken seriously by the Minister under the Minerals Resources Act and secondly it is quite clear transport infrastructure is not there to support bulk haulage, let alone the tonnages proposed.

You only have to observe Toowoomba people, particularly mothers taking kids to school, trying to co-exist in amongst the huge trucks and large numbers of B doubles to realise that this highway is already overcommitted, breaking up and getting close to dysfunctional.

In the event that any future approvals were granted to the proposed mine, billions would have to be spent on rail and road infrastructure, water supply and other infrastructure.

On the social aspect it would be a tragedy for families old and new to be displaced from the Felton Valley or those who remain on the fringes having social and environmental dysfunction that would occur in a project of such size.

It is not as if Queensland is short of coal, with massive deposits and enough for centuries in more remote areas of less farming quality and adjacent to major infrastructure leading to bulk loading ports.

There is also no doubt that such a project would place additional pressures on the labour market in Toowoomba where firms are struggling to find staff as workers move out to more lucrative work contracts in the mining areas.

However, I believe the major problems of this proposal is the principle of whether prime agricultural land close to a large regional city should be lost at a time when world food prices are escalating and world food shortages is of major concern.

A project of this dimension can not I believe be approved when there is such an obvious lack of the massive infrastructure necessary in place or even planned or funded.

MIKE HORAN MP
Member for Toowoomba South
Shadow Minister for Food Security & Agriculture
(Including Fisheries & Biosecurity)
Shadow Minister for Sport & Racing