By Tim Howard
The battle to protect the Clarence River catchment from mining will come before Clarence Valley Council this week, as community advocates step up their campaign to safeguard the region’s water supply.
At Thursday’s council meeting, Cr Cristie Yager will move a Notice of Motion calling on council to formally support the Clarence Catchment Alliance and write to the NSW Planning Minister, Paul Scully, urging a ban on mineral exploration and mining within the Clarence drinking water catchment.
Cr Yager’s motion highlights the “substantial contamination risk” posed by mining at the headwaters of the Clarence River, and warns of the “significant social, environmental, economic, cultural and agricultural impacts” if exploration is allowed to continue.
“The Clarence Catchment is not just a water source, it is the lifeblood of our region,” her report states. “Protecting this vital resource is not optional, it is essential.”
The motion follows growing community concern after exploration activity resumed at Wild Cattle Creek on the Dorrigo Plateau earlier this year.
The catchment supplies drinking water to around 120,000 people across the Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour and Bellingen regions.
In March, antimony levels above national drinking water standards were twice detected at Shannon Creek Dam, underlining what campaigners describe as the “very real risks” of contamination.
Earlier this month, a Clarence Catchment Alliance delegation travelled to Sydney to present its case directly to state ministers and MPs.
Hosted by local MPs Janelle Saffin and Richie Williamson, the delegation met with Planning Minister Paul Scully, Water Minister Rose Jackson, and advisors to Environment Minister Penny Sharpe and Natural Resources Minister Courtney Houssos.
The group delivered a 120-page evidence dossier built over eight years of campaigning, calling for:
a ban on mineral exploration and mining across the Clarence Catchment;
the cancellation of existing licences and leases; and
an amendment to the NSW State Environmental Planning Policy (Resources and Energy) 2021 to prohibit mining in the region.
Their case rested on the catchment’s vulnerability to flooding and erosion, the presence of endangered species such as the eastern freshwater cod and koala, and the dependence of farming, fishing and tourism industries on clean water.
CCA members also pointed to the cultural significance of the river system to local First Nations communities, describing the Clarence and its tributaries as “living threads of culture, Country and community.”
Meetings with Greens MPs Cate Faehrmann and Sue Higginson, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers leader Robert Borsak, and NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders followed the ministerial sessions.
While no commitments were made, ministers requested tailored follow-up briefings, which the Alliance has since provided.
Thursday’s motion builds on a 2020 council resolution opposing mining in the Clarence catchment.
That position was repeated in a 2022 submission to the draft North Coast Regional Water Strategy, although the state government ultimately rejected calls to cancel mining licences.
With fresh evidence and renewed momentum from its Sydney delegation, the Clarence Catchment Alliance hopes council will again reinforce the region’s united stance.
“Securing the Clarence Catchment as a prohibited zone for mineral exploration and mining is a clear, protective step toward safeguarding our water, health and long-term wellbeing,” Cr Yager’s motion concludes.
The Notice of Motion will be debated at Thursday’s Clarence Valley Council meeting.
