Anvil Hill's owner trying to buy silence!

Centennial Coal, the developer of the Anvil Hill project, is trying to get landowners in the Wybong Area to sign an outrageous contract. Centennial must buy their land to mine Anvil Hill. In return for a payment of $25,000, anyone who signs the contract must:

1. “….not in any way make any objection or complaint to any Authority regarding the grant of Project Approval [for Anvil Hill]” (Clause 4.1)

Effectively then, anyone signing the Agreement is gagged.

2. “do all things and sign all documents reasonable required by Centennial to support the grant of Project Approval” (Clause 4.2).

This means that Centennial could require a landowner who signed the Agreement to sign a petition in support of the mine, or write a letter in support of the mine, or even attend a community meeting to speak out in support of the mine. And if they don’t? Centennial can demand the $25,000 back. Centennial doesn’t just want to buy land, Centennial wants to buy people’s opinions and their right to free speech!

It also has to be asked – is this mine is such a good idea, then why does Centennial need to gag and manipulate community opinion?

Write to the Premier and your local member today and express your outrage at this heavy-handed unethical behavoiur by Centennial (contact details on the “Act now section of this website).

Sample letter:

Dear Premier,

The Agreement that Centennial is offering to landholders in the Wybong area is outrageous. In return for $25,000, landowners are prohibited from speaking against the mine – in effect they are gagged – and are also required to publicly support the mine whenever Centennial asks them to. This could mean being forced to sign petitions or attend community meetings and speak in favour of Anvil Hill going ahead. This is an outrageous, unethica breach of our right to free speech and I urge you to prevent Centennial or any other coal company from being able to use such agreements.