Just a fortnight after the amended forests agreement passed state parliament, the southern Tarkine protected area at Riley Creek has had a strip mine approved. The Venture Minerals’ mine will remove all the vegetation at the site, rainforest included.
Bob Brown, Patron of Save the Tarkine, says that the go-ahead for the Tarkine mining operation within the yet-to-be gazetted reserve has been given by the so-called Environment Protection Authority.
“Some protected area, some protection authority!”, he said.
“The Tasmanian public had a right to think that the forests protected under the ‘peace deal’ would be environmentally safe.This shatters that illusion,” Brown said.
“It is now up to the Federal Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke, to put a halt to this invasion of the Tarkine forest peace zone.”
“Minister Burke excused his refusal to grant heritage protection to the Tarkine by claiming that the Tasmanian Forests Agreement would protect the Tarkine. Well what is that protection worth if it allows open cut and strip mining?”
Tarkine National Coalition Campaign Coordinator, Scott Jordan
