Aurum Pacific plans to bring back Gympie Eldorado gold mine take step forward

Efforts to resurrect a historic Gympie gold mine, shut for more than a decade, have hit a critical juncture with the State Government now considering a call to remove a restrictive ban in the region.

Plans to resurrect Gympie’s historic Eldorado gold mine have taken a major step forward with the State Government proposing to overturn a restrictive ban preventing it from starting back up.

The Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning has put forward a proposal to remove the Restricted Area 384 designation across Gympie and open the door to new mining ventures.

The restriction, introduced in 2011, prevents any new applications for coal, mineral or coal seam gas around Queensland urban areas.

If repealed, it would be replaced by a new system allowing mining companies to make submissions for exploration, subject to approval by Gympie Regional Council under the Regional Planning Interest act.

Applications would also be assessed under the Environmental Protection and Mineral Resources Acts.

According to the department’s proposal, the ban was only meant to be an interim measure until a new system allowing council’s direct input could be established.

It claims this new system, if approved, would ensure the council was aware of the community’s views on how any proposal would impact the region, whether good or bad.

If removed the restrictions would be placed by a Priority Living Area designation, in which mining submissions would be assessed by the council and under the Environmental Protection and Mineral Resources acts.

All applications will require public notification.

This system ensures Gympie is “safeguarded from resource activities unless it is demonstrated that the location, nature and conduct of the proposed activities meet the community’s expectations,” the report says.

Gympie Regional Council wrote to the State Government in December last year asking for a repeal of this ban.

The request followed efforts by international mining group Aurum Pacific to reopen Gympie’s Eldorado mine.

Aurum bought the lease on the mine from BHP eight years ago.

In early 2020, Aurum founder and managing director Scott Dodd, said there was still life left in the historic mine, which had been shut since 2008.

“We believe this mine has the potential to operate successfully for up to 20 years,” Mr Dodd said.

Mayor Glen Hartwig said the State Government’s proposal was a better solution than simply removing the mining restrictions across the region entirely.

“During that time we would expect to employ around 120 to 150 full-time employees and that number could rise as high as 500 depending on the outcome of our exploration.”

The proposal became a political football at the March 2020 elections amid revelations Aurum had been meeting with the council since 2017 in an effort to restart the mine, with little result.

Mayor Glen Hartwig, a strong proponent of the company’s efforts to bring he mine back to life, said the State Government’s pitch was “a good step forward”.

“The (proposed Priority Living Area designation) protections ensure the community, through the council, have an opportunity to determine the direction of future mining exploration in the region,” Mr Hartwig said.

“This is a far better alternative than just a repeal of the URA (restriction).”

The public feedback period closes December 17.