ABSTRACT
Coal and coal seam gas (CSG) have both been produced in Australia for some time (ABS 2001) without attracting significant controversy. In recent years, however, the extraction of coal and CSG has increasingly encroached upon important agricultural land and natural ecosystems. Extractive industries and the government advocate that coexistence of mining, agriculture and the environment is possible, but many landholders and members of the public disagree. This chapter begins with an overview of the Namoi catchment. It explores the decision making processes relevant to the exploration, assessment and approval of new coal ventures in the Liverpool Plains: the Caroona and Watermark Coal Projects. Several extractive developments in the Namoi catchment propose to impact upon Indigenous land and cultural heritage. In September 2016, the federal government ordered an investigation into the assessment of Indigenous cultural heritage sites in Minister Hunt's conditional approval granted in 2015.
