Protecting Takayna – an Interview with Scott Jordan

Right now, Chinese mining company MMG is attempting to construct a huge heavy metal waste dump in the middle of the takayna/Tarkine Rainforest: the nation’s largest surviving temperate forest of its kind.

This means acid-producing tailings from the nearby Rosebery mine will be poured into a dam that requires the clearing of 285-hectares of the pristine ancient rainforest that’s home to dozens of endangered species.

The company is taking this option, which involves extensive environmental destruction, not because its necessitated, but as it’s the cheapest option.

With the Morrison government, including key enemy of nature federal environment minister Sussan Ley, agreeing that short-term savings outweigh the future of the planet.

The Bob Brown Foundation has been running a determined campaign against the destruction of the takayna/Tarkine. And it underscores that the preservation of the heritage site in no way threatens the running of the mine itself, and the economic benefits and employment it has long provided.

‘Irreversible damage’ greenlighted

The Foundation is taking the environment minister to the Federal Court to challenge her approval of the toxic dump on First Nations land in July.

On Monday, BBF sought an injunction to prevent MMG going ahead with preliminary works for the tailings dam. However, this was denied.

While disappointed by the decision, BBF isn’t too phased about it because it’s had volunteers on the ground for a number of years preventing the mining company from going ahead with its operations simply by sticking their bodies in the way of its machinery.

Following the court decision on Tuesday, citizens were back at the site ensuring any clearing would not be going ahead. And Tasmanian police officers turned up to serve the group with a 14 day move-on order, which is unlikely to have any significant impact on the blockade itself.

Two arrests were made, as 73-year-old Kevin Vaughan and 69-year-old Andrew Browne refused to follow police orders to move on.

While the Foundation stated in a release that “it appears Tasmania is being governed for the native forest logging corporations and mining company MMG”.

‘Not prepared to allow that’

The Bob Brown Foundation is quite confident that the tailings dam won’t be going ahead, due to the content of the submissions it’s putting to the court, and also the fact that it’s going to have bodies on the ground at the site everyday preventing MMG from proceeding.

Indeed, after the cops had hauled the protesters away on Tuesday, 35-year-old local nurse Jade Elford returned to the site that evening to block road access. And like the hundreds more before her, there are hundreds more to come in the mission to save the takayna/Tarkine Rainforest.

Sydney Criminal Lawyers spoke to Bob Brown Foundation Tarkine campaigner Scott Jordan about the easy and obvious alternative that MMG has open to it, which doesn’t require the destruction of the ancient forest, and how he and others like him won’t be leaving until it takes that option.

Read the interview here: https://www.mondaq.com/australia/waste-management/1190976/protecting-the-pristine-takaynatarkine-an-interview-with-scott-jordan-from-the-bob-brown-foundation?email_access=on