Mining expansion under Sydney water catchment approved without full data

Independent panel warned state government there was insufficient data to support an approval

The New South Wales government ignored warnings from its own independent panel that there was insufficient data to approve the expansion of the Dendrobium coalmine near Wollongong,

The government is under fire for approving extra longwalls at the mine without waiting for the panel to complete a much broader study of the impact of mining under Sydney's water catchment.