Leading geoscientists gather at UOW to discuss advances in study of the Sydney Basin

Sep 30, 2003

Leading geoscientists attended a two-day symposium on Advances in the Study of the Sydney Basin on at the University of Wollongong this week (Sep 29-30), officially opened by NSW Minister for Mineral Resources, Kerry Hickey.

The symposium, hosted by UOW's School of Geosciences was the first of its kind to be held in Wollongong.

It brought together Australia's leading experts in the fields of coal mine geology, engineering geology, environmental geoscience, salinity and water geochemistry including experts from UOW and ANSTO at Lucas Heights who highlighted recent research on salinity in uban areas and metal contaminants in Port Kembla Harbour.

During the official opening, the Minister said the symposium promoted fresh thinking and the honest exchange of ideas that would ultimately help the mining industry tackle the challenges of the 21st century.

These included competing land uses; the impact of mining on the environment; remaining competition in volatile international markets and better protecting the health and well being of miners.

University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerard Sutton said the the symposium included papers from coal industry experts outlining methodologies for better understanding and solving problems related to coal mining, which was especially relevant to the Illawarra.