Environment
Sustainability
New rules on flood plain harvesting to face political test next week
Water Minister Melinda Pavey has appealed to other parties to drop their opposition to new regulations governing billions of litres of water taken by farmers during floods, declaring them to be “beyond politics”.
- by Peter Hannam
Latest
Government buys out Shenhua coal, curbs Dartbrook and opens up Wollar
The Berejiklian government shifts gears on coal, paying $100 million to extinguish one mining lease as it put curbs on a mothballed mine and opens up more land near Mudgee.
- by Peter Hannam
Farmers demand future coal and gas mine ban after Shenhua buyout
The Berejiklian government has announced that it’s paying $100 million for a Chinese company to exit its coal mine lease on the Liverpool Plains.
- by Peter Hannam
Exclusive
Coal
Shenhua set to walk away from Watermark coal mine with taxpayer payout
The Berejiklian government plans to buy out the remaining licence for a proposed coal mine planned for rich farmland on the Liverpool Plains, ending a 13-year-long saga.
- by Peter Hannam
Call for pantomime of coal politics to end in Upper Hunter
There is much at stake at the Upper Hunter May 22 byelection with locals wanting “real talk” about what to do once coal is no longer king.
- by Peter Hannam
Exclusive
NSW floods
Sydney desalination plant churning out water even as dams remain full
As experts debate preparedness for future deluges it is revealed a year’s worth of water gushed from Sydney’s main dam each day during the height of the floods.
- by Peter Hannam
Green groups blast Barilaro’s ‘cherry-picking’ Hunter pollution claim
Environmental groups say Deputy Premier John Barilaro’s claims that the government’s own pollution data for the region was being manipulated by mining opponents were “laughable”.
- by Peter Hannam
Exclusive
Biodiversity
Royal Sydney Golf Club: Removal of trees will restore original coastal heathlands
The Royal Sydney Golf Club revised development application increases the number of trees, and makes a case for the re-wilding of about a quarter of its greens to allow more diversity of flora and fauna to return to the area.
- by Julie Power
Turnbull calls for halt on new coal mines, inquiry on rehabilitation funds
Deputy Premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro slammed Malcolm Turnbull’s comments, saying the government remained “firmly committed to the coal industry in NSW” and there would be no pause on coal mining approvals anywhere in the state.
- by Peter Hannam
Opinion
Ethical living
Used soup bowls and worn shorts among the joys of op-shopping
Second-hand clothing is a vote against fast fashion and a protest against the “buy more” marketing mantra.
- by Cat Woods
‘Sinister stuff’: Worries remain over Moorebank’s toxic PFAS chemicals
Residents opposed to the development of one of Australia’s largest freight hubs say the site requires long-term monitoring and possible intervention to prevent toxic chemicals leaching into the nearby Georges River.
- by Peter Hannam