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More than 80 people attended an at-times heated meeting on March 3 organised by Illawarra Residents for Responsible Mining (IRRM) in Russellvale, north of Wollongong.

The meeting was held across the road from the entrance of Gujarat NRE’s number 1 colliery.

This meeting doubled as a meet-the-candidates event for the NSW state elections and a question and answer session about Gujarat NRE’s plans to expand coal production. Representatives of the mine attended the meeting.

Speakers referred to information presented at a February 3 IRRM meeting, which said the planned seven-fold increase of production would lead to a big rise in truck movements in the area.

Local residents made up most of the meeting's participants. They were told Gujarat has made an application to Wollongong City Council to buy a parcel of land at the far end of Bellambi Lane, which adjoins the mine. Some at the meeting questioned why the company needed the land.

Three candidates for the state seat of Keira attended the meeting: Paola Harvey from the Socialist Alliance, George Takacs from the Greens and Ryan Park from the ALP.

Liberal candidate John Dorahy did not attend. Takacs and Park said this was the sixth meet-the-candidates event Dorahy had missed in five days.

IRRM had sent a questionnaire to the four candidates. The Socialist Alliance and the Greens replied in writing and addressed the questions in their presentations.

In response to IRRM's request that the legal truck speed be lowered to 40 kilometres an hour along Bellambi Lane, Park said that initially the Roads and Traffic Authority should monitor future traffic flows in Russellvale.

Harvey pointed to the need to move freight, as well as passengers, to rail. She said Part 3A of the state planning laws, which allows the government to ignore environmental considerations and community concerns about developments, should be repealed.

Takacs suggested Gujarat could instead truck coal out in the opposite direction (west) towards Picton Road, thereby avoiding residential areas. Gujarat representatives at the meeting rejected the idea.

Gujarat NRE corporate relations manager Chris Harvey told the meeting: “Road was the only possible way of transporting coal to the port … The company has voluntarily lowered truck speeds to 50kph and lowering it more will lead to traffic congestion.”

He spoke against any buffer zones around the mine to protect nearby water catchment streams. He said Gujarat NRE was already doing enough monitoring, but said it would comply with any new regulations.

All candidates agreed with IRRM's proposal to set up a community consultative committee to provide input into mine development.

The meeting passed a motion calling on Gujarat NRE to inform IRRM of the company's plans for the parcel of land at the eastern end of Bellambi Lane.

Although he had earlier told the meeting that community consultation was important to the company, Chris Harvey responded that Gurajat's plans for the land "was none of your business”. He also said he knew nothing of the land purchase anyway, which brought forth laughter from the crowd.