Members of the Lue Action Group will be meeting at the Mudgee Showground tonight in the next phase of community opposition to Bowdens Silver Mine. In attendance will be members of the Cadia Community Sustainability Network, who have found dangerous concentrations of lead and other heavy metals in their rainwater tanks and blood tests, and Greens MP Sue Higginson who is supporting communities that have been failed by the planning system.
Despite expert evidence and experiences of communities at Cadia that demonstrates the toxic risks to humans, the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) approved Bowdens Silver and a decision by the former Planning Minister has removed the rights of the community to appeal the mine approval. The public meeting will be discussing potential reviews of the legality of the approval and the community groups from Lue and Cadia will be seeking ministerial intervention from the new Labor Government.
Greens MP Sue Higginson and spokesperson for planning said "The communities of Lue and Cadia have been failed by the planning system and, without intervention from the Government, face a future of ongoing blood tests to monitor for heavy metal poisoning,
"When children are returning blood tests that show elevated levels of heavy metals that shouldn't exist in their day-to-day environment, there is clearly something else going on. In the case of Cadia, residents have documented years worth of dust being pumped into the air near their homes that then settles on roofs and water tanks,
"Government and its agencies have failed to act or take responsibility for the mass poisoning of Cadia residents and the community at Lue are rightly afraid that Bowdens Silver will be operating under the same failed regulations as Cadia,
"I'm in Mudgee with the community tonight to help build understanding of this issue and to power a community movement that wants a planning system that respects evidence and community over corporate profits. We will be calling on the new Labor Government to act now and intervene in some of the recent decisions by the IPC that put communities at risk,
"The voices from Lue and Cadia are clear, they aren't going to take this lying down and they are ready to fight for their right to raise their families free from toxic mineral extraction projects that are operated by rogue corporations and acting with impunity against their consent conditions," Ms Higginson said.
