Kalbar recently announced refinements to the mine proposal that include a 200ha increase in size of the mining area, mining for rare earths as well as Zircon and Titanium, an additional processing plant, a 500% increase in size of the Tailings Dam (Storage Facility, Fines Storage) deviations of the Bairnsdale-Dargo Road (VicRoads managed – your taxes at work) and Fernbank-Glenaladale Road (East Gippsland Shire managed – EGSC rates at work). And suddenly Kalbar has more than doubled the projected workforce? What else can they pull out of their nether regions.
These are not refinements – they are changes. It is a new project that they are trying to sneak through the EES process. The public has not had the opportunity to comment on this project. It is a complete abrogation (and could be argued, corruption) of government responsibility to allow such changes to go ahead without putting them to the public for comment at the beginning of the process. Unfortunately this is the same sort of game that is played after a mining Workplan gets approval (as happened when the regulator was coaching miners on how to avoid sructiny at Birregurra https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/birregurra-quarry-row-regulator-coaches-miner-in-how-to-avoid-council-and-vcat-judgment-20151002-gk07ky.html )
The map is from Kalbar’s webpage. While, for a change, they do show the Mitchell River in this map and have labelled the roads correctly, they have left out other watercourses, creeks and houses. The diversions are going to interfere with Dargo and Mitchell River National Park traffic as well as local traffic. Local farm businesses are going to be severely impacted as they have cut access between properties, and they have even landlocked some residents. The one thing that does remain the same is the devastating impact this mine will have on our environment and the $200million Lindenow Flats vegetable growing industry. There are so many problems with this mine – the whole proposal is insane and it’s bewildering to think that so much time is being spent by Government Departments with a company that has had no experience in or reputation with mining. Why are they taking such a massive risk?
If you want to have an impact on this proposal please write to your local Councillors, MPs (Federal and State), Ministers for the Environment, Water and Earth Resources, as well as your local papers. If people say nothing they will pretend everyone’s in agreement with the proposal.
Some ideas are on our ‘how you can help’ page https://wordpress.com/page/minefreeglenaladale.wordpress.com/275
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