Tuesday, 28 July 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (14:07): I was so pumped last week to hear the news that the pump has been dumped. It absolutely made my day to hear that, after a huge local community campaign in Anglesea, Southern Rural Water has announced that they had rejected Alcoa Australia’s application for a groundwater licence to extract 1500 megalitres a year for 10 years to fill its old coalmine pit. At a time when we can feel like we are up against it, when big corporate interests seem to always be put above people and our environment, this campaign shows what is possible when people come together and fight against the tide. I was honoured to join many of the campaigners along the way, like the incredible Keith Shipton, Dick O’Hanlon and Tarryn O’Leary, from Friends of Anglesea River, who brought together detailed geological, environmental and citizen science with community passion. They were able to demonstrate to Southern Rural Water that pumping from the aquifer would impact groundwater levels, reducing river flows and increasing the risk of acidification of the Anglesea River estuary. It is a waterway that has already suffered from the impacts of this coalmine, including mass fish kills, and is at further risk with climate change. It is a win for science, a win for the Anglesea community, and it shows what we can achieve when we demand better from our decision-makers.