Premier must reject Venture’s monster mine. Green’s Canberra tilt

Tarkine National Coalition is calling on the Premier to intervene to reject a plan by Venture Minerals to establish a chain of tin mines that the company is calling a “province of tin” (Andrew Radonjic in a speech to the Tasmanian Minerals Conference May 12, 2011).

Venture Minerals last week lodged for an open cut mine lease at Mt Lindsay in rainforest within the Meredith Ranges Regional Reserve, and has flagged its intention to apply for a second lease at Stanley River (5km from Mt Lindsay). The company is selling the prospect of multiple open cut mine sites across the 34 kilometres of known tin bearing deposits in the 292 square kilometres of exploration licences.

“This is the first step in a plan to bring Western Australian style open cut super-mines to Tasmania’s wilderness. The Tarkine is under siege with Venture’s multi mine plans and another eight companies with proposals to bring in new massive scale open cut mines”, said Tarkine National Coalition’s Campaign Coordinator Scott Jordan.

The Tarkine National Coalition has been talking to key mining industry players and is convinced that there is sufficient goodwill to enter productive negotiations on land tenure in the Tarkine, but unfortunately after seven months the state government is still blocking this from happening. This escalation of the threats to the Tarkine leaves the TNC with no option but to commence a campaign to prevent new mines in the Tarkine.

“The Tarkine is an outstanding wilderness area and the last wild refuge for disease free Tasmanian devil. The Premier must intervene to protect this Tasmanian iconic asset”.

The Australian Heritage Council is due to report on its assessment of the Tarkine National Heritage nomination at the end of September.

• Bryan Green, MP

Minister for Energy and Resources

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

Concern Over National Heritage Listing of the Tarkine

The Minister for Energy and Resources Bryan Green said today he would take concerns directly to Canberra over the negative social and economic impacts from the proposed National Heritage listing of the Tarkine.

Mr Green and Environment Minister Brian Wightman plan to meet Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke early next month with a submission on the effects a listing would have on tourism, traditional land users, mining and forestry.

The Commonwealth must seriously consider the impacts such a listing would have on the local community and the broader Tasmanian economy, Mr Green said.

Mr Green highlighted the importance of Tasmania s mining industry as an example of the damaging effect National Heritage listing would have on the State.

The mining industry makes an enormous contribution to Tasmania s economy and the well-being of regional communities.

Mining companies pay more than $45 million in royalties a year and more than 95 per cent of that revenue is collected from the North-West and West Coasts.

Mr Green said he had great confidence in the manner the mining industry was operating in Tasmania and was concerned National Heritage listing would jeopardise future investment.

All mining and exploration activities in Tasmania are subject to strict environmental controls under Commonwealth and State laws.

We are currently seeing record levels of mineral exploration in Tasmania and the Government wants to see more projects coming to fruition, Mr Green said.

•LABOR STALLING TARKINE ASSESSMENT
Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Member for Braddon

The Tasmanian Greens are accusing Labor Ministers, including the Deputy Premier Bryan Green, of pressuring the Federal Environment Minister to stall the heritage assessment of the Tarkine.

The Greens Member for Braddon Paul O’Halloran today asked Mr Green to confirm whether a Labor delegation had visited, or was planning, to visit Canberra to meet with Tony Burke.

Mr O’Halloran said the Minister didn’t fully address the question.

“Mr Green needs to be more clear about exactly what kind of lobbying activity is taking place, because this heritage assessment should be taking place at arms length from this type of political pressure,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“If Labor is successful in delaying the release of the Heritage Council’s decision, I am concerned that the 9 mining proposals and 56 active exploration licences in the Tarkine will be assessed under a much less rigorous framework.”

“Heritage listing won’t mean an end to economic activity in this region, but it will mean any proposals are subjected to less thorough scrutiny.”
“If heritage listing is delayed it will mean that the last stronghold of undiseased Tasmanian devil habitat will be further fragmented, putting the species at further risk.”

First published: 2011-09-20 04:29 AM

• WEDNESDAY: More delays to Tarkine National Heritage pose unacceptable risks. Emergency listing needed now.

Tarkine National Coalition is calling on the Commonwealth Environment Minister, Tony Burke, to emergency list the Tarkine after he approved a further delay to the assessment of the 2004 National Heritage Listing nomination.

This is despite the Australian Heritage Council having already recommended the Tarkine for National Heritage Listing in 2003 and 2010.

“The Minister simply cannot continue to delay the inevitable listing of the Tarkine while upwards of ten new open cut super-mines are being proposed across this national wilderness asset”, said Tarkine National Coalition’s Campaign Coordinator Scott Jordan.

“Large West Australian style open cut super-mines are not acceptable in the rainforests and heath lands of the Tarkine. By allowing the Emergency National Heritage Listing to lapse last December and allowing further delays to the assessment of the now seven year old nomination, the Minister is effectively preventing the impacts of these mines from being assessed against the National Heritage criteria”.

“The same government that so rightly intervened to protect the Tasmanian devil from new roading is turning it’s back and enabling the conversion of the Tarkine’s rainforests and heath lands from the last disease-free strongholds to the new Pilbara”.

“The Minister must act to protect the Tarkine immediately through reintroduction of the Emergency National Heritage Listing abandoned last December”.

Venture Minerals last week lodged for an open cut mine lease at Mt Lindsay in rainforest within the Meredith Ranges Regional Reserve, and has flagged it’s intention to apply for a second lease at Stanley River (5km from Mt Lindsay). The company is selling the prospect of multiple open cut mine sites across the 34 kilometres of known tin bearing deposits in the 292 square kilometres of exploration licences, in a plan that the company’s Technical Director Andrew Radonjic refers to as a “province of tin” (Andrew Radonjic in a speech to the Tasmanian Minerals Conference May 12, 2011).

Ten new “actual” proposed mines from eight separate companies are in various stages of development (with nine being open cut), with “floated” plans for many more.

• GREENS CALL FOR REVIEW OF MINING ACT
Conservation Groups Need Same Standing as Proponents

Paul ‘Basil’ O’Halloran MP
Greens Member for Braddon

The Tasmanian Greens today said that conservation groups and other stakeholders with an interest in regions which may be subject to mining exploration and activity should be granted standing equivalent to potential mining proponents.

Greens Member for Braddon, Paul ‘Basil’ O’Halloran MP, called on the Minister to review the Mineral Resources Development Act 1995, which currently restricts Standing right to a person with a proprietary interest only, which impacts upon other individuals or organisations from appealing a proposal through the Mining Tribunal.

“The Greens are concerned that the Mineral Resources Development Act provisions are out-dated and provide a disincentive to individuals and conservation groups from participating in our democratic and legal forums,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“The most recent example of this is in the case of the Tarkine National Coalition, which is currently seeking to appeal through the Mining Tribunal an open cut mine proposal in the Tarkine, but first has to jump through hopes to prove that they have the right to even be heard.”

“The TNC have a long and undisputed connection and association with the north west region, probably longer than some of the potential miners wishing to access the Tarkine, yet the latter receive automatic standing in the Mining Tribunal under the provisions of this out-of-date Act.”

“Not only is the TNC widely recognised for its work on the Tarkine, it is also listed on the Register of Environmental Organisation maintained by the federal Environment department, is on the Cradle Coast Authority’s tourism advisory committee, and is also on the Community Liaison Committee for Grange Resources, yet the provisions of the current Act mean that the TNC has to argue why it should be allowed to be heard by the Tribunal on matters pertaining to the Tarkine.”

“It is a potential waste of the Mining Tribunal time to have to first test standing in such cases, and the logical action for the Minister to take is to review the Act,” Mr O’Halloran said.