Bundaberg is experiencing a flurry of exploratory drilling for coal deposits.
The local mining sector is buzzing, and its investors are trumpeting the region as Queensland’s newest coal centre. They promise jobs, money, and a shiny white rabbit from under their hard hat!
The Bundaberg community isn’t convinced. They fear the coal mine expansion will adversely affect the local agriculture industry (the region’s third largest employer).
Coal magnates insist that mining and farming can co-exist peacefully. But is this a trick?
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