NSW looks to compensate property owners impacted by mines
The proposed reform would offer support to owners whose properties have been impacted by sinking due to mining activities.
The Coal Mine Subsidence Compensation Amendment Bill 2024 will look to provide increased protection for property owners impacted by coal mine subsidence.
The bill was introduced to NSW Parliament on the 20th of June 2024, following a statutory review of the relevant act, and a consultation process with affected residents and mine operators.
With mine subsidence existing across Newcastle, the Greater Hunter, and the Wollondilly Shire in Sydney’s south-west, residents affected by damage to buildings and other structures are currently able to receive compensation from Subsidence Advisory NSW.
Once passed, the bill will enable the agency to provide affected residents with “temporary accommodation, payments for relocation costs and, where necessary, direct people to evacuate in a mine subsidence emergency”.
The new laws will also mandate “pre-mining property inspections” in areas that can be at risk of subsidence damage, and will provide Subsidence Advisory NSW with “clear powers” to obtain necessary information from mining companies to ensure a “comprehensive and accurate claim assessment”.
Over the five years to 2023, the state government detailed that 168 mine subsidence compensation claims were paid out in NSW, including 89 claims in active mining areas and 79 claims in non-active mining areas.
Subsidence Advisory NSW also remediated 381 mine subsidence safety issues reported through their 24-hour emergency hotline, which primarily supports the Hunter and Lithgow regions where potholes from historical coal mining frequently appear on roads.
Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Anoulack Chanthivong, stated “these changes ensure that the residents impacted by subsidence are protected”, while noting that mining is “essential to the NSW economy”.
“These important changes ensure people living above primarily historic and former mining activity get the support they need if the worst should happen.”
“Whether it’s a recent mine or one from 150 years ago, these changes will grant further powers to Subsidence Advisory NSW to better assist residents,” he said.