Media Release - 14 October 2026

Greens candidate for Heathcote Nick McLaren has called for a moratorium on mine expansion projects in the Sydney-Illawarra drinking water catchment as a petition objecting to the use of offsets to allow swamp damage was presented in the NSW Upper House on Tuesday.

“Damage to the drinking water catchment should not be excused with offsets,” Nick said.

“There is no way to replace or repair the irreversible damage caused to endangered upland swamps and groundwater systems in the Woronora drinking water catchment.”

Peabody has a modification application for Longwalls 317 and 318 at the Metropolitan Coal Mine underneath the Woronora Reservoir catchment.

The Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Unconventional Gas Development and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) advised that the only effective way to protect the catchment is to avoid longwall mining beneath all swamps and waterways in the Woronora Reservoir area.

Over 1,700 people signed the community petition opposing the mine expansion, including Sutherland Shire Mayor Carmelo Pesce, local ward councillor Kal Glanzig, Nature Conservation Council CEO Jacqui Mumford, Sutherland Liberal councillor Stephen Nikolovski, and 2025 Sutherland Shire Citizen of the Year John Veage.

The petition was presented to the parliament by Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and water and mining spokesperson.

Contact: Nick McLaren, Greens for Heathcote