Sail 4 Sanity Rally and Picnic at Audley Weir

Environmentalists Tom Hunt and Dr. Simon Leslie are sailing from Port Kembla to Newcastle to join the Rising Tide blockade of the Newcastle Coal Port. The Newcastle coal port is the largest coal in the world, and Australia’s single greatest contribution to the climate crisis.

On their way Tom and Simon are stopping at Audley to say hi and lend their support to our campaign against coal pollution in the Royal National Park. All the coal in the Royal comes from the Peabody-owned Metropolitan mine, which is longwall mining under Woronora Reservoir. Not only is this mine directly threatening our drinking water, but it has also been the source of constant coal pollution choking up the Hacking River and threatening its vibrant ecosystem.

Join us for a rally and picnic at the Audley Weir, fostering awareness of the coal mine polluting our beloved RNP, and supporting Tom and Simon on their journey up to Newcastle.

The stop here is especially significant – in 2016 court documents revealed that Peabody Energy, then America’s biggest coal mining company, funded dozens of key groups responsible for climate change denial. The scale of it shocked researchers. “These groups collectively are the heart and soul of climate denial,” said one….”It’s the broadest list I have seen of one company funding so many nodes in the denial machine.”

The upcoming EPA Land and Environment court case against Peabody for discharges from the Metropolitan Colliery has now been deferred till February. Each of the five alleged offences under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 carries a maximum penalty for a corporation of $1,000,000.

Visit www.sail4sanity.au for more information about Tom and Steve and the reasons for their incredible action.