The Tasmanian Greens today pursued Resources Minister Bryan Green as to whether he was aware that two of the directors on the board of Shree Minerals were also directors of the company operating the Pike River Mine, site of the well publicised disaster in November 2010 that claimed the life of 29 people.
Greens Mining spokesperson, Paul O’Halloran MP, said that as a result of the disaster, Pike River Coal Ltd became the subject of a New Zealand Royal Commission which resulted in fines and charges, some of which remain outstanding.
“As a result of being ordered by the New Zealand Government to pay $3.4m in reparation and fined $760,000 over nine charges, Pike River Coal Ltd went into receivership after paying only $5000 of the $110,000 owed to the family members of the deceased miners,” said Mr O’Halloran.
“The Minister finally admitted after two days of questioning that he had no idea that two of the current directors of Shree Minerals were also directors of Pike River Coal Ltd at the time of the incident.”
“This admission raises serious questions about the rigour of the State’s due diligence procedures when applications are being assessed.”
“The Minister owes the Tasmanian public the assurance that safeguards are in place to shield the Tasmanian taxpayer from incurring similar liabilities that the New Zealand Government has had to wear.”
“The Minister has not been forthcoming with any details about the bond that should be in place should the company run into problems and the mine site need to be remediated by the State.”
“We need to ensure that Tasmanian workers and their families can feel secure knowing that they are safe in their workplace,” Mr O’Halloran said.
Paul O’Halloran MP Greens Mining Spokesperson
