Sydney

"Allowing BHP to undermine our drinking water supply defies common sense and breaches a personal commitment by Premier O'Farrell to prevent mining in drinking water catchments," Nature Conservation Council of NSW Chief Executive Officer Pepe Clarke declared on Tuesday with the announcement that approval had been given to BHP Billiton's Mount Kembla Dendrobium coal mine to extend under part of Sydney's water catchment.

On Monday 11 February the New South Wales State Government Department of Planning and Infrastructure gave approval to BHP Billiton's Mount Kembla Dendrobium Area 3B long wall mine extension plan. This involves several underground excavations directly under Sydney's Woronora water catchments. The approval was strongly criticised by conservationists including Total Enviropnment Centre director Jeff Angel, and the NSW Conservation Council Pepe Clark who accused the Premier Barrie O'Farrell of breaking a key pre-election promise of not to mine in Sydney's catchments.

Related: Longwall mining, subsidence and damage to Sydney waterways and wetlands | Aboriginal Heritage: Water - Everyone's Future

Sydney and NSW Aboriginal rights events for your diary

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Event: 7 February - 10 March 2013: Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW
Production by emerging Koori playwright
Nakkiah Lui, called "This Heaven"
Director Lee Lewis
"'This Heaven' is the story about the
death in custody of a father and his
family's reaction on the night they're
told the police have been acquitted
of his murder."
Event details: http://belvoir.com.au/productions/this-heaven/

Sydney and NSW Aboriginal rights events for your diary

Click on the links for details of the events ...

Event: Mon 4 February 2013: Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW
Stop the Intervention Collective special meeting:
Guest speaker from the NT:
Marie Ellis, President Amoonguna community
"Marie Ellis has been a leading Aboriginal voice
opposing the Intervention and the devastation it
has caused at Amoonguna, her community near
Alice Springs. At this special STICS meeting,
Marie will give us the latest news from the NT
and discuss the struggle to re-establish community

On the evening of the 25th of January 2013 a banner of solidarity was hung on the Sydney University fence. This was the evening before the day of celebration that takes part across Australia.

Yabun is a near by celebratory event of survival for Koori people. It is a patch in the geography of the larger space, a country that is dominated that day by celebrations that are void of the recognition of Koori struggle, the celebrated colonial nationalism or ‘Aussi racist culture’.