Community and environment coalition rallies against Stone Ridge Quarry

The call comes as the Stone Ridge Quarry proposal is to be referred to the Independent Planning Commission after more than 134 objections were submitted to an Environmental Impact Statement.

Australian Resource Development Group propose to extract and process 1.5 million tonnes of quarry products from the site for the Lower Hunter, Central Coast and northern Sydney construction materials markets.

The group met outside Port Stephens MP Kate Washington's Raymond Terrace office on Friday, August 11, to highlight both environmental concerns and health, safety and well-being issues affecting the East Seaham and Balickera communities.

Rebecca Beetson from Save Balickera, a group representing residents in the area where the quarry is proposed, said trucks wake her at 4am every day travelling past her Italia Road home and it continues all day.

"The roads is narrow, it has lots of potholes and trees close to the edge of the road with a 90km/h speed limit. It's way too fast for the condition of the road," she said.

"Other residents of the road, myself, my family and friends have at times all been pushed off the road by trucks going too fast for the conditions ... it's not safe.

"I have school children who get off the bus there and I have to make sure someone is there to meet my son every afternoon because I can't feel safe for him to cross the road because of the trucks.

Mrs Beetson said there was an abundance of wildlife in the area including koalas and wedged-tailed eagles who were just starting to thrive again after the 2019-20.

"I've spotted koalas at my place without even looking for them. Koalas are very hard to find so to actually get an estimate of how many are in that area they want to destroy is impossible," she said.

"There's massive amount of wildlife that has just started to regenerate that forest after the fires. To lose all that wildlife again would be devastating."

Carmel Northwood from Koala Koalition EcoNetwork Port Stephens (KKEPS) said if the quarry goes ahead, it will severely compromise existing wildlife corridors that link Port Stephens with the Mid Coast region.

She said koalas, squirrel gliders and brush-tailed phascogales had been photographed in and near the development area, including in the threatened forest areas they intend to clear fell first.

Save Balickera member Anna Kerr people were saying enough is enough when it comes to quarries.

"It is a rural residential area and Italia Road was never intended to be a haulage route for big industry. The state forest was never intended to be a place to put a massive quarry ," she said.

"I'm not sure why the state government would be doing this at a time when we are all learning we need to do more to stop climate change.

"These are big, noisy, polluting, heavy traffic inducing operations that are being approved in rural areas in the Port Stephens hinterland.

"Our area is being decimated before our eyes. It's not just locals concerned by this - the projected, massive increase in heavy vehicle movements will directly impact anyone who is a regular user of the Pacific Highway between Karuah and Newcastle.

Ms Washington said the Independent Planning Commission processes were entirely independent of government, and of the department, and the proposal will go through a rigorous and public assessment.

"Any concerned parties will have further opportunities in the IPC process to again voice any concerns regarding the proposal," she said.

"I respect the groups acting and their right to peaceful protest. I have met with many of these organisations over the years and continue to do so. As the Member for Port Stephens, I have a strong track record for standing up for our environment and protecting local biodiversity, including our koalas."

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