THE State Government will back mining ahead of the environment in a submission to the Federal Government on whether the Tarkine Wilderness Area should be protected by national heritage laws.
Energy and Resources Minister Bryan Green said the State Government desperately wanted to see lucrative projects such as the multi-million-dollar Mt Lindsay tin mine reach fruition.
Project manager Venture Minerals says the Mt Lindsay mine, which will target the world’s second-largest tin deposit that overlaps part of the Tarkine in the state’s North-West, could generate up to $250 million annually — more than the dairy, beef and wine industries combined.
Construction of the mine and infrastructure would create 1000 jobs and up to 200 people would be employed at Mt Lindsay if the mine reached full production.
Already the company has contracted a range of consultants and supports up to 90 businesses in the local area.
Mr Green said the Federal Government needed to seriously consider the negative social and economic impacts of giving the Tarkine a national heritage listing.
“To this end, the [state] Minister for the Environment Brian Wightman and I are arranging to meet with [Federal Environment Minister] Tony Burke in the near future to present that submission to ensure he is well aware of the importance of the region to the Tasmanian economy and the community more broadly,” he said.
“[Projects such as Mt Lindsay] would be a tremendous boost for our mining sector, the West Coast region and the broader Tasmanian economy.”
Mr Green said locking up the Tarkine was not necessary because the mining activities were already subject to strict controls.
“All mining and exploration activities in Tasmania are subject to strict environmental assessment and approvals either under the Commonwealth’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and state laws or a combination of both,” he said.
