Philip Cox

I am 57 years of age, married with two daughters aged 22 and 19. I am an Armidale solicitor, originally based in Moree. Prior to my career in law I worked as a Wool Classer, Real Estate Valuer and Property Consultant. As a Property consultant I have represented  NSW Government Corporations including Sydney Water, TransGrid & Forests NSW and the telecommunications company Vodafone.

 

I have nominated as an Independent Candidate for the seat of New England because I am determined to protect NSW’s prime agricultural land, the Breeza Plains, from coal mining.

 

As an Independent Candidate for the seat of New England, I do not have a vested interest in supporting one political party, one lobby group or one mining magnate.

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I have the capacity to challenge Coal and Coal Seam Gas Corporations because in 2010 I was a consultant for Forests NSW where I held the role of Acting Manager, Assets & Estates Management.

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During my tenure at Forests NSW I successfully negotiated land use agreements with numerous coal corporations and their respective lobby groups, and in late 2010, I successfully challenged Eastern Star Gas (now Santos) over its coal seam gas activities in the Pilliga State Forest, near Narrabri.

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At that time, the NSW Minister for the Department of Primary Industries controlled the portfolios of Forests and Mining. After my successful negotiations against Eastern Star Gas my contract was not renewed and my comprehensive land and environmental contracts were finalised by a bureaucrat.

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As an Independent Candidate, I offer the New England Voters an opportunity to elect a Federal Representative who doesn’t have a perceived conflict of interest with the coal mining industry and who will fight to protect Australian farmers prime agricultural land on the Breeza Plains and the extensive underground artesian aquifers.