*Pic: All that remains … of Shree Minerals’ much-trumpeted venture …
‘Reserved’ … for exploitation …
Save the Tarkine has expressed extreme disbelief that Resources Minister Paul Harriss is pressing ahead with plans to offer up 61,500 hectares of the Tarkine reserves to mining industry speculators in a resources market that is clearly falling.
27,500 hectares are being put out to bids in May, with another 34,000 hectares listed by Mineral Resources Tasmania as ‘pending’ Exploration Release Areas.
This includes areas within the Arthur Pieman Conservation Area, Meredith Ranges Regional Reserve, and Savage River Regional Reserve totalling 14% of the Tarkine.
“Having re-opened the Tarkine reserves available for logging, now this minister want’s to re-invite mining speculators to the Tarkine” , said Save the Tarkine Campaign Coordinator, Scott Jordan.
“Exploration Release Areas are not even new ground. These ERA areas are licences that have been explored and surrendered because the explorers deemed it unlikely to become a commercial prospect.
Having been ruled out, why is the Minister offering these to speculators at a grand Tarkine fire sale?”
“These speculators won’t mine, but they will trash areas of the Tarkine, fleece investors with fanciful claims, and claim R&D tax credits from the public purse”.
“This is ideology gone mad. The minerals boom is collapsing and this Minister wants to sacrifice the growing tourism sector in the Tarkine to mining speculators who in collapsing tin and iron ore markets”.
The Exploration Release Area process is not backed by legislation.
“Save the Tarkine is putting the Minister and the speculators on notice that we will oppose any licences sought under the Exploration Release Area process”.
61,500 hectares is equivalent to 30,750 Melbourne Cricket Grounds.
EARLIER on Tasmanian Times … the bulldozed remains of the last failed speculator …
• Shree Minerals and The Tarkine … The Pictures tell the Story …
• John Biggs, in Comments: Ideology gone mad certainly. We have seen very recently mining companies, Shree foreign-owned, tear up patches of the Tarkine, find it’s not worthwhile and then leave it a bloody great mess and holes in the ground. It’s even more problematic now ore prices have crashed. It’s almost as if Harriss delights in destroying lovely things with an up-yours to environmentalists — or even just ordinary Tasmanians who love the idea of wilderness sitting there at their back door. So what is there in this for Mr Harriss? His motivation is bewildering and disturbing.
• TT Satire: Positions Vacant …
• Carol Rea, in Comments: The Shree mine has been in ‘care and maintenance’ for a year now. Justice Stephen Escourt Supreme Court in December last year ruled that the head of the EPA did not have authority to allow Shree to store acid producing rock on the surface rather than the pit. Especially since the mine produced 20 times that described in the original application. Who is monitoring the pollution? Does Shree have to mitigate risk? How long can they declare ‘care and maintenance’ if they are outside the criteria of their original application? Questions for the EPA, Minister Groom, Mineral Resources Tasmania and the Circular Head Council. Looking forward to their response.
• Bryan Green: Adam Brooks all talk and no action over Arthur Pieman tracks
• Paul Harriss: Supporting Mining in the North West The Hodgman Liberal Government supports continued exploration and sustainable mining operations in the North West of Tasmania. Today’s claims from Save the Tarkine are nothing more than another desperate, ill-conceived attempt from fringe environmentalists to lock up more land.
