Property owners in NSW will benefit from new mining reforms, which for the first time puts the onus of subsidence damage on coal mine owners.
Previously coal mine operators would pay a levy to a compensation fund to cover subsidence damage, freeing them from any liability, but under the changes to legislation which were passed in parliament, coal mine owners will now be directly accountable.
“The reforms make coal miners financially and socially accountable for the damage caused by their operations,” Property Minister Victor Dominello said in a statement on Tuesday.
The peak regulatory body for mine subsidence compensation in NSW, Subsidence Advisory NSW, will establish a new case management system where individual case managers are assigned to property owners to ensure they are treated fairly during the compensation process.
A panel of independent experts will assess all claims and strict time frames will apply to process claims and compensate affected property owners.
SA NSW will have the power to initiate disciplinary action against coal mine operators that are not doing the right thing by claimants, making it a fairer system that benefits property owners, Mr Dominello said.
My house had about 20 years back $12500 worth of damage caused by ground movement the mines dept would not fix it as my house was alleged to be on a pillow wall .
In reality recently a new lot of power poles were put in my street and a pole substation was moved 3 metres south west from where the mines ground test was.
When the pole borer went into the ground it disappeared into a massive vugg in the ground that goes under my home where it was damaged in The Lake Macquarie Area near Newcastle When the local coal mine killed a lot of miners from drowning guess where the water came from.