ABC news reported that up to 1,000 people are expected to attend an anti coal mining rally in the Hunter Valley town of Gloucester tonight.

The community is calling for the New South Wales Government not to renew the exploration licenses of Gloucester Resources when they expire at the end of June.

Mr Garry Ferris from Gloucester Residents in Partnership said that a council delegation met the mineral resources minister last week to express their concerns. He said that "We are getting a fairly arrogant response from Ian Macdonald at this time and we really think he needs to listen to the fact that there is a community that wants to have a say in the charting of its future."

He added that "We are expecting a very strong turnout, between 800 and 1,000 people to turn up."

(Sourced from ABC news)