This project, which was itself an example of cross-company collaboration, focused on the challenges involved in dealing with cumulative, or multi-mine, impacts at the local level. 

Project Aims

Key objectives of the study, as endorsed by the industry steering committee for the project, were to: 

1. Develop a framework for assessing, monitoring and reporting the cumulative social, environmental and economic impacts – both positive and negative – of coal mining on regional areas where multiple mines operated. 
2. Undertake a trial of the framework in an area where there were multiple mines. 
3. Identify methods and indicators that can be applied to other regions of Australia 
   where multi-site impacts are a salient issue. 
4. The main research activities undertaken for the project comprised:
   • A review of published material, including: academic papers on the definition and measurement of cumulative impacts; the Annual Environmental Management Reports (AEMRs) prepared by each mine; Health, Safety Environment and Community (HSEC) reports (where available); and, environmental and social impact assessments prepared for current and proposed mining projects in Muswellbrook Shire. 
   • Consultations with community members, industry personnel and other stakeholders (see below for more details). 
   • Analysis of complaints data provided by the mines. 
   • Collection and analysis of data relating to the impacts selected for analysis. Some of this information was provided by the mines (for example, employment data), some 
   • was obtained from other organisations such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics 
   • (ABS) and the New South Wales Government (water quality data), and some was 
   • collected directly by the researchers (visual amenity data).