Government Departments and Agencies

Department of Mineral Resources (DMR)
Sydney Water Corporation (SWC)
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS)
Department of Land and Water Conservation
Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)
Wingecarribee Shire Council

Renewal of peat mining leases at Wingecarribee was opposed by several government departments and authorities including:

• the Environmental Protection Authority,
• the National Parks and Wildlife Service,
• Sydney Water Corporation,
• the Department of Land and Water Conservation,
• the Royal Botanic Gardens
• the NSW Heritage Council
• the Australian Heritage Commission
• Wingecarribee Shire Council

Their opposition was based on the damage that mining was doing to the Wetland. Only the Department of Mineral Resources argued for renewal of the lease and continuation of mining. It had never refused the renewal of a lease on environmental grounds before.

The National Parks Association criticised several government agencies for not using their own statutory powers to stop the mining rather than merely opposing renewal of the leases:

The National Parks Association has had a gutful of bureaucrats and politicians sitting on their hands, watching precious wetlands be destroyed and for a few dollars. They have the power to put a stop to it... (Press Release 9 May 1997)

It pointed out, for example, that the EPA had continued to license the discharges from the mining operation and the NPWS provided a license to destroy the Yellow Loosestrife, a protected plant) for a further five years.