Whitehaven’s coal mines destroy Aboriginal land and water and sacred sites and erase cultural heritage.
Whitehaven Coal’s mines have been strongly opposed by Gomeroi Traditional Owners. In 2014 the Gomeroi sought a stop work order at Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek Coal Mine over concerns the mine clearing could be destroying a number of important burial and cultural sites. Whitehaven Coal denied Gomeroi elders access to their own sacred sites and bulldozed their burial sites.
In 2021, a group of Gomeroi elders released a statement calling for a stop to all new coal and gas projects, and expansions of existing projects, on Gomeroi country.