[FORUM] It is typical of the arrogance of Wyong Coal that it thinks it can bribe its way to respectability and acceptance by the community with a paltry $100,000 donation to Central Coast Health (“Health District Board reluctantly agrees to meet with Wyong Coal over $14.8M donation”, WRC 182) for Wyong Hospital.
The smarmy PR language says it all: “If in any way we can contribute to the wellbeing of the community, this is a fantastic way to do it.”
This is followed by a suggestion that “there’s more where that came from”, if the Board plays ball.
What is astonishing is that this company has the chutzpah to suggest making a contribution to health services, when the burning of coal is one of the main contributors to ill health throughout the world.
It is good to see that the Board sees the incongruity of accepting such a bribe and recognises the inappropriateness of a contribution to health services from an organisation whose operation is fundamentally linked to environmental damage and to health impacts throughout the world.
Email, Feb 16
Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy