Former Greens councillor Cath Blakey has challenged Labor’s “double standards” on a proposal that could affect the 8500 people in the 2508 postcode who rely on drinking water from the Woronora Dam.

In a rare public statement since retiring from local politics last year, Ms Blakey has called out Labor’s “spurious claims” at August’s Wollongong City Council meeting that it was not councillors’ role to object to Peabody’s State Significant Development to extend underground coal mining in the Woronora Special Area of the water catchment.

“Council can lodge an objection,” Ms Blakey said.

“Indeed, Cr David Brown and Cr Tania Brown voted in support of my motion to make a submission in objection to the Wollongong Coal expansion under the Cataract drinking water catchment at the Council meeting on 26th October 2020.

“Also, Sutherland Council resolved to object to the Peabody mine expansion application.

“Indeed, [in 2019] Wollondilly has also made submissions in objection to mining under the Cordeaux drinking water catchment.”

“It's always understood that Council is not the determining authority, but as a representative body of the Wollongong community, it can make an objection.”

Over 200 submissions are in

Feedback on modification plans for longwalls 317 and 318 at Helensburgh’s Metropolitan Mine closed on 26 August, with over 200 submissions since published on the NSW Planning Portal. Amid 75 supporting and 140 opposed, only Wollongong Council staff's submission is labelled as "comment".

Councillors debated the matter the night before the submissions cut-off, when Greens Cr Deidre Stuart put forward a motion for council to oppose the mine expansion and ask that the project be referred to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC).

Supporting their fellow Greens councillor, Ward 1’s Jess Whittaker mentioned how Council resolved to object to the 2020 Russell Vale mine expansion, while Ward 2’s Cr Kit Docker told the meeting: “It's not simply an abstract planning matter matter. It does pose a direct risk to the drinking water of people in the north of our city.”

However, after highlighting that council staff had already made a submission, and citing a need to “stay in the lane”, Labor councillors voted that Wollongong’s elected representatives make “individual, personal submissions”.

Cr Ann Martin said: “It is not our role to make an objection. It's up to the state government as the determining authority to make the appropriate decision.”

It was these comments that prompted Cath Blakey to step out of her new life in bush regeneration this week and draw on her two terms of experience in local government to point out the precedent for objections.

“It’s worth councillors having a say,” she told the Illawarra Flame, also noting the different approaches at Wollongong and Sutherland councils.

Council staff in the Sutherland Shire – where Sydney Water data shows up to half a million people may receive some of their water from the Woronora Water Filtration Plant – registered a need to include councillors in their objection, writing that their council’s “high level” assessment “should be considered a draft until elected councillors have had time to review and provide any additional comments”.

IPC would 'enhance transparency'

Ms Blakey also backs the second part of Cr Stuart’s motion: that the longwall modifications be referred to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) “to enhance transparency and accountability”.

“I think it warrants that level of scrutiny,” Ms Blakey said.

She said Labor councillors' statements seemed to conflate the Independent Expert Advisory Panel for Mining with the Independent Planning Commission (IPC), "which previously accessed and refused the Dendrobium mine expansion due to irreversible damage".

The panel is an advisory body, while the IPC is a consent authority. The panel provides technical and scientific advice to NSW Planning; the IPC holds public meetings as part of its role in making determinations on State-significant DAs. It was one such IPC hearing back in December 2020, when University of NSW researchers presented on the Dendrobium mine near Mt Kembla, that left a lasting impression on water catchment advocates of the danger of irreversible damage.

“For me, that felt like a line in the sand,” Ms Blakey says.

While Special Areas have been mined since the 19th century, amid the coal seam gas protests and resulting investigations more than a decade ago, NSW was found to be unique in risking its water security.

“NSW Chief Scientist Prof Mary O’Kane found that Sydney was the only city in the world which permitted longwall coal mining under publicly owned water catchment,” Ms Blakey says.

She believes Wollongong needs to shine a brighter public light on Peabody’s latest modifications.

“I think there should have been a report to councillors – I know sometimes the timeline is quick, but I think it's worth councillors having a say, and as [part of] our city's decision making, I don't think that it's just a technical matter either.”

Wollongong Council’s response

The Illawarra Flame asked Wollongong City Council for more information, including why the submission from council staff didn’t come to councillors for input.

A spokesperson said: “Council routinely receives requests from the Department of Planning Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) for advice in relation to State Significant Development Applications under assessment. As with all matters relating to development assessment, these requests are managed by Council’s technical officers and do not involve input from elected Councillors.

“The response from Council officers to the DPHI’s request for advice provided comments and suggestions in relation to a number of matters, including environment and cultural heritage. Given the Councillor interest in the application, Councillors were provided a copy of the officer’s feedback prior to the Council meeting.”