An 84-year-old local bird watcher Russ Watts chained himself to a gate at the Boggabri coal mine while a 38-year-old man from Wahroonga in Sydney and a 32-year-old man from Wollongong have been charged after harnessing themselves to a conveyor belt at the mine.

The NSW Minerals Council said it condemned the waste of specialist police resources in responding to a dangerous and “ideologically motivated political stunt”

“We respect the rights of anyone to speak up on issues they are passionate about,” NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee said.

“However, trespassing is illegal and any unauthorised entry to NSW minesites is extremely dangerous.

“Safety is the number one priority of the NSW minerals industry and it’s highly irresponsible for protestors to risk their own safety and the safety of others in this manner.

“Once again it appears that the so-called ‘anti-coal movement’ has been overtaken by extremists who are prepared to flout the law and endanger others to make their point.

“These stunts rightly belong at the fringes of any public debate. The local community also have every right to be concerned about the potential for local police resources to be unnecessarily diverted from meeting other community needs.”

Watts reportedly said the mine would largely destroy Leard State Forest, which is a haven for birds and other wildlife and a public area that is important for recreation.

“We are calling on the federal environment minister to intervene and prevent the destruction of Leard State Forest and surrounding areas under federal environment laws,” he is quoted as saying on the Green Left website.

In its latest profit announcement Whitehaven said it still remained frustrated with NSW government approval times for its Maules Creek project.

“NSW project approval for the Maules Creek project is still pending and has taken much longer than anticipated,” the company said.

“Latest indications are that approval will be received in the September quarter.

“There are no apparent issues to be resolved and Whitehaven remains confident of a successful outcome.

“It is extremely difficult to predict the timing of approvals under the current NSW planning process but Whitehaven is remaining optimistic that approval will be forthcoming in this timeframe.”