Resolving the conflict between agriculture and mining

Federal Member for New England, Independent MP Tony Windsor will identify the failures of the planning system to minimise the risk of permanently damaging our best agricultural land, in a talk examining the conflicting interests of agriculture and mining in sensitive landscapes.

In an Australian Academy of Science public lecture entitled Resolving the conflict between agriculture and mining over prime land on the Liverpool Plains, Mr Windsor will use the example of the agriculturally productive Liverpool Plains and its rich deposits of coal seam gas worth billions of dollars, to highlight the key issues in the recent signing of a national partnership agreement between the Federal Government and the eastern states on coal seam gas and large coal mining development.

He will describe the establishment of an independent expert scientific committee, whose recommendations are to be integrated into the state planning system.

This lecture is part of the Academy’s 2012 monthly free public lecture series on Caring for the Australian countryside: lessons from the past and present. The series examines sustainable communities, mining, agriculture, culture and environment in country Australia.

The lecture will be web streamed live from 6 pm at www.science.org.au/livestream/

Media are welcome to attend and record the lecture.