Farmer in dark on EIS submissions

He is calling on the Queensland government to adopt a system similar to NSW, where all EIS submissions are publicly available online.

Mr Cleary farms a 202-hectare mixed block about 15 kilometres west of one of the proposed pits in the New Hope Acland coal mine stage 3 project.

He and wife Naomi made an EIS submission on the project.

But DAFF failed to attend briefings in Brisbane and Toowoomba and site tours of the proposed development for government agencies.

Curious as to what issues were raised in EIS submissions from Queensland government departments, Mr Cleary attempted to obtain reports from DAFF and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP).

He obtained a copy of DEHP's submission, but a DAFF official informed Mr Cleary he would need to submit a right to information application to obtain a copy of their EIS.

He said that when he contacted Agriculture Minister John McVeigh's office to pursue the matter further, he was hung up on.

Mr Cleary said information published on the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning's website indicated DAFF had only made limited references to the impacts of open-cut mining on strategic cropping areas.

"I went to Minister McVeigh's office because they said I had to submit a right to information request - I think that is wrong," Mr Cleary said.

"They are a public service and I think they have forgotten what they are there for.

"The Department of Agriculture seemingly hasn't raised any major issue about the destruction of strategic cropping land under the proposed stage 3. DAFF is clearly not representing the interests of farmers."

Queensland Country Life contacted Minister McVeigh for comment on Friday but did not receive a response prior to publication. DEHP were also contacted for comment.

Mr Cleary also took aim at the Liberal-National Party in its role, calling it an "absolute disgrace".

Shortly before the 2012 election, LNP candidate for Nanango Deb Frecklington, who is now the member and assistant minister to the premier, released a statement saying that the LNP would not support the proposal for Acland stage 3.

A revised version of the New Hope Acland coal mine stage 3 project is currently being evaluated by the coordinator-general Barry Broe.

His spokesperson said the coordinator-general might consider making submissions publicly available once he had made his decision on a project.

"It has been a long-standing practice under numerous Queensland governments that, to respect the privacy of groups and individuals making submissions on environmental impact statements, the state's coordinator-general does not make submissions public while project assessments are under way," the spokesperson said.

"All Queenslanders are welcome to make an application to gain access to these submissions during this time through the right to information process, as outlined under the Information Privacy Act 2009."

Mr Cleary said he did not have a problem with coal mining.

However, he said he did not support the destruction of high-quality cropping land, and said the area proposed for stage 3 had to be protected.

"I just don't think extractive industries like open-cut coal mines should be on cropping land," he said.

"We have to put a higher value as a community on that good cropping land."

In NSW, EIS submissions relating to all coal mining applications and modifications are publically available online at majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au

An EIS can also be viewed in person at the NSW Department of Planning Information Centre, relevant councils and other relevant organisations, where they are placed on exhibition.

A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment said the department was committed to transparency and inviting the public to have a say on development applications.

"Public participation in development applications where an EIS is required is outlined in section 79 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979," they said.

"The Act states that a consent authority should make a development application or EIS available to the public as soon as is practicable. The consent authority is responsible for advertising exhibition notices in local newspapers."