Narrabri council pulls support for Vickery coal mine, due to 'inflated job figures'

Councillors voted to write to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC), to inform the organisation that council had pulled its support for the project.

The move follows a damning report prepared by the council, which slammed the job figures put forward by the company, who claims the Vickery extension will create 500 jobs during construction and 450 operational roles.

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"The figures used to calculate these figures appear flawed and the purported economic benefits to the community of Boggabri seem unlikely to materialise," the report stated.

"It is difficult to have confidence in the figures that the proponent has presented with respect to projected employment figures.

"The proponent has not revealed precise workforce data relating to this project and they have not been able to provide a reasonable explanation as to why workforce projections have increased so dramatically."

Council wrote the damning report after negotiations over a voluntary planning agreement (VPA) - which aims to offset the mine's long-term impact on nearby Boggabri - broke down.

Narrabri councillor Ron Campey, who moved the motion to write to the IPC, said the report demonstrated "there was nothing in it" for Boggabri and the shire.

He called the company's $3 million VPA offer "a slap in the face to the community". After consulting with the Boggabri community, the council believes an offer of $14.87 million would be acceptable.

"For a company of their wealth to offer $125,000 a year over 25 years - that wouldn't even fix the pot holes they create in the road," Cr Campey said.

"We weren't getting any traction with Whitehaven, they showed complete arrogance to council and the community at large.

"Vickery is not in the interest of the people. There has got to be something in it for the community.

When approached, Whitehaven declined to comment. In the past, the company has stood by the proposed job figures for Vickery.

Whitehaven has also points out of the 411 submissions to the IPC, more than 75 per cent were in favour of the project.

However, the council's report notes more than 75 per cent of public submission came from outside the local communities of Gunnedah, Narrabri and Boggabri.

"It also appears that many submissions came from individuals or contractors that also had an existing relationship with the proponent or worked in the mining industry but based outside the local region, including resource intensive areas such as the Hunter Valley," the report states.

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