Mining: coming to a farm near you

Abstract

Our paper explores the justice and equity issues of mining developments in NSW and the perversity of the law. The current legal instruments including mining, planning and environmental laws perpetuate an inequitable and unjust competition between mining companies and rural communities over use of natural resources and enjoyment of rural lifestyles. These issues will be exemplified through two case study regions of NSW in Dorrigo and Boggabri. The social licence of rural communities is threatened by the expansion of mining across regional and rural Australia. In particular it is questioned whether the mining industry hold the claimed trust of the community that has enabled their ease of access to natural resources gifted by government for many years and compare other industries such as timber, seafood and farming (irrigation and native vegetation) and the government policy and legal reforms undertaken since the 1990s to ensure sustainable natural resource management. Why has mining escaped the types of reform other sectors have faced where 'no go zones' are accepted by other industries as part of sustainable practice? This predicament indicates the current protectionist relationship between government and the mining sector needs revisiting and reform. Our paper proposes reforms to policies and laws to create a more just and equitable approach to sustaining communities and natural resources in rural regions.