Orange City Council yesterday went on the attack over comments by NSW Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon about the future supply of treated effluent to the mine.

In an interview with a local TV station earlier this week, the Greens mining spokesperson claimed Cadia Valley Operations was trying to exploit a decade-old agreement to avoid paying for the effluent over the next two decades.

Ms Rhiannon’s comments infuriated council and were even rebuffed by a member of her own party, Orange councillor Neil Jones.

Cr Jones said he was “surprised Lee Rhiannon has commented on what appears to be an issue currently before the legal teams of Cadia and Orange City Council”.

The city’s other Greens councillor Jeremy Buckingham was also accused of bringing politics into negotiations between Cadia and Orange City Council over the treated effluent.

“The Greens are good at creating havoc because they’ll never be in a position of power to have the responsibility to make such serious decisions,” Cr Jeff Whitton said.

Cr Buckingham denied he was playing politics and defended Ms Rhiannon’s right to comment on the matter.

“I think it was completely appropriate for Lee to be involved and make a comment. I mean, come on, she’s a respected member of Parliament and has been our mining spokesperson for the better part of a decade,” he said.

“And as for Jeff, he represents the NSW Labor Party, a party about to be thrown out of government because when they did have the power to make a decision they totally cocked up the state.”

Mayor Reg Kidd and councillors Glenn Taylor and Gavin Priestley also questioned Ms Rhiannon’s motives in a statement released yesterday.

The highly political statement, prepared by Orange City Council, was dismissed by Ms Rhiannon.

“What comes across to me is that those councillors are not doing their jobs. If they were, they would be standing up to Newcrest and supporting locals who are going to be left with serious problems for centuries,” she said.