Rocky Hill

Rocky Hill

Come listen to this tale of those who blazed a trail

To a better day

It’s the story of a town that wouldn’t take it lying down

When Big Coal came their way

When GRL moved in they put Gloucester in a spin

With their plan to mine Rocky Hill

But some townsfolk they said “no, this coal mine’s not the go

We won’t bend to their will

“This open cut they’ve planned would put a scar across our land

And a blight upon our earth

It’s the wrong place and wrong time for this Rocky Hill coal mine

It’ll cost more than it’s worth

We’ll build a groundswell, say no to GRL

We’ll shout out loud and strong

It’s the wrong place and wrong time for this Rocky Hill coal mine

Leave our town alone”

So they rolled out all their banners, roused their knitting Nanas

Took their message to the street

They called politicians, wrote petitions and submissions

Made GRL feel the heat

Then the dreaded PAC said “even we agree

Now we’ve listened to your case

We’ve clearly understood that the bad outweighs the good

This mine is out of place”

But GRL said “wait, we won’t let you lock this gate

We’re taking this to court”

So between the grey walls of Law’s hallowed halls

The battle was finally fought

When the judge had heard the facts, and considered the impacts

He said “It’s clear to me

It’s the wrong place and wrong time for this Rocky Hill coal mine

I’m not going to let it be”

So the little mouse that roared beat the Big Coal overlord

And showed it can be done

When the people use their might to fight for what is right

Our future can be won

Now that spirit carries on, from Gloucester to Bylong
As we climb our rocky slope
Let's celebrate and then let's get marching once again
Up our Rocky Hill of hope

And though that rocky road ahead might fill us all with dread

There’s an Earth that needs our care

It’s the wrong place and wrong time for any new coal mine

There’s Rocky Hills everywhere

Yeah Rocky Hill’s everywhere

Oh Rocky Hill’s everywhere

------------------------------------------------

Background:

This song was inspired by the great victory (in February 2019) of the campaign waged by the Gloucester community (led by Groundswell Gloucester) against the open cut coal mine proposed by GRL (Gloucester Resources Limited) at Rocky Hill, a short distance from the Gloucester township in the NSW Hunter Valley.

The coal mine was first rejected by the NSW Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) in December 2017 (the PAC was notorious for its previous "rubber stamp" approach to approving developments that came before it, including major coal industry developments such as the T4 development in Newcastle).

GRL appealed this decision in the NSW Land and Environment Court. In a landmark decision handed down in February 2019, Chief Justice Preston rejected GRL's appeal, stating that the Rocky Hill proposal was "in the wrong place at the wrong time".

The second last verse of the song was added to the original song after the NSW IPC (Independent Planning Commission) rejected the proposed Bylong coal mine (also in the NSW Hunter Valley) in September 2019.


Below is a condensed chronology of the Rocky Hill Coal Mine issue (the song is an even more condensed history). A more detailed history is available on the Environmental Law Australia website.


2012 (18 December): Gloucester Resources Limited (an 80% foreign owned coal company made up ) proposes an open cut coal mine about 5kms south of the town centre of Gloucester, in the NSW Hunter Valley. The proposed mine site is in a scenic area within a conservation zone, and less than 1km from residents. The estimated production of the mine would be 21 million tonnes over 16 years.

Local residents opposed to the mine form Groundswell Gloucester to organise the campaign against it (the exact date of the formation of GG is unclear).

2015 (April - June): GRL is advised by the state government that their original Rocky Hill application would be rejected and puts the proposal on hold.

2016 (11 August): GRL submits amended Rocky Hill application.

2017 (14 December): The NSW Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) rejects GRL's amended application, saying that "the possible benefits would be outweighed by the detriment to the quality of life for residents near the mine site caused by visual impacts from the project and potential risks associated with an increase in noise and air quality impacts..."

2017 (19 December): GRL lodges appeal in the NSW Land and Environment Court against the PAC decision to reject the mine.

2018 (23 April): Land and Environment Court accepts Gloucester Groundswell's application for standing as a party to the proceedings. This was very significant because the legal case was GRL v the NSW Government, and GG signalled their intention to raise climate change as one of the reasons that the court should reject GRL's proposal, which they subsequently did.

2019 (8 February): Chief Justice Brian Preston rejects GRL's appeal, saying that the mine proposal is in "the wrong place (because of its local impacts) at the wrong time (due to climate change). In his judgement, Judge Preston CJ said: 

'In short, an open cut coal mine in this part of the Gloucester valley would be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wrong place because an open cut coal mine in this scenic and cultural landscape, proximate to many people’s homes and farms, will cause significant planning, amenity, visual and social impacts. Wrong time because the GHG emissions of the coal mine and its coal product will increase global total concentrations of GHGs at a time when what is now urgently needed, in order to meet generally agreed climate targets, is a rapid and deep decrease in GHG emissions. These dire consequences should be avoided. The Project should be refused.'

The judgement is regarded as a landmark one because - for the first time in an Australian court - climate change impacts formed part of the reason for refusing a coal mine development.

2019 (18 September): The NSW Independent Planning Commission (which replaced the PAC in 2018) refuses the proposed Bylong coal mine (a much bigger mine than Rocky Hill), referring extensively to Chief Justice Preston's Rocky Hill judgement in their statement of reasons for their decision.