New South Wales should follow the lead of Western Australia and protect the Hunter Valley wine region from coal mining, a tourism body says.
Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive John Lee says the decision of the WA government to effectively ban coal mining within 230 kilometres of the iconic Margaret River wine-growing region should put pressure on the NSW government to take similar steps.
“The WA government is to be commended for its far-sighted approach to this issue,” Mr Lee said on Wednesday.
“The potential for short-term gains must be balanced against the potential for long-term damage to the wine and tourism industries.
“It would take decades – or even longer – to recover from any environmental damage caused by a mining mishap.”
The Hunter Valley is the second most popular tourist destination in NSW behind Sydney, attracting more than two million visitors every year.
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