Major parties vote against Hunter & Lithgow coal health study

"In the face of compelling evidence that the health of residents in the Hunter and Lithgow regions is suffering, the opposition and government joined forces to vote down the Greens motion calling for an independent population health study and better monitoring and enforcement measures," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The failure of the Keneally government to allocate funding in this week's budget to the study suggests it is not committed to finding answers.

"If a study finds evidence of a link between the coal and power industries and ill-health the government could be liable and would be forced to reassess its existing firm relationship with these polluting industries, " Ms Rhiannon said.

Motion voted down by the major parties in the NSW Upper House

3. That this House calls on the Government to:

(a) restore its faith with the Upper Hunter community by agreeing to design and undertake a comprehensive independent population health study to assess the impact of coalmining and coal-fired power stations on the health of residents in the Hunter region, and any impact on the local water supply and food chain,

(b) extend NSW Health’s investigation of the link between the coal and power industries in the Upper Hunter and poor health outcomes to the Greater Lithgow Area,

(c) ensure adequate air quality monitoring networks in the Upper Hunter and Greater Lithgow areas, that can measure particles to 2.5 microns, and can test and analyse the composition and toxic properties of dust pollution in these regions,

(d) make the findings of the health study and all pollution monitoring and any pollution testing data readily available to the public in an accessible format via the internet, and

(e) establish permanent and well resourced EPA offices in the Upper Hunter and Lithgow regions to investigate and monitor coal mining and coal-fired power related pollution.

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