Union calls for fatal mine to be shut while it is investigated

The CFMEU has labelled the NT Resources Minister’s response to the Bootu Creek mine tragedy “weak” and said the mine should be shut down while it is investigated.

Craig Butler is presumed dead by police after being trapped on a mine site. Picture: Facebook

The CFMEU has labelled the NT Resources Minister’s response to the Bootu Creek mine tragedy “weak” and said the mine should be shut down while it is investigated.

It could take several days for the body of 59-year-old Craig Butler to be pulled out of a pit at a remote Territory mine site.

Mr Butler was engulfed under about 48,000 cubic meters of soil and rock at the Bootu Creek Mine, about 130km north of Tennant Creek, following the horrific industrial accident.

Nearly 72 hours after the incident, NT Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said “survivability” for the man was low.

“It is likely he has died as a consequence,” he said.

“It is a very sad and tragic event.”

Commissioner Wurst said it could be days before Mr Butler’s body could be recovered.

“The site itself is still considered unstable, what that requires is levels of expertise that has to be brought in from elsewhere to assist the mine operator,” he said.

“To complete the recovery it will take an unknown period of time and it may be further days before we are able to achieve that.

“We need to bring this person home for the family.”

Commissioner Wurst said because of the instability of the area, a time frame for the recovery was impossible to give.

He said they were unsure if charges would be laid.

“No offences have been detected at this stage,” he said.

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Primary Industry and Resources Minister Paul Kirby said he had heard of at least two separated alleged incidents in the same mine pit Mr Butler was trapped in.

However, he remained tight-lipped about further details.

“We are aware of incidents in the past at this mine site,” Mr Kirby said.

“We won’t comment on the specifics.”

Mr Kirby also said he had yet to travel down to the mine site, and as yet had no plans to.

He said communications were better in Darwin and being in the NT capital allowed him to make better decisions.

“Our heartfelt thoughts go out to the family,” Mr Kirby added.

“Any accident, any incident at work is something that we will work hard to try and prevent.”

OM (Manganese) was convicted and fined over the desecration of an Aboriginal sacred site at Bootu Creek in 2013.

But Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union organiser Kane Lowth has called Paul Kirby’s response to Craig Butler being buried alive “very weak”.

Mr Lowth said all efforts should be made for NT WorkSafe to be able to enter the work site unencumbered.

“In our view the operation should stop and NT WorkSafe should be able to go out there unencumbered to be able to do the investigation,” he said.

He urged the Government to get tough on lax health and safety regulations at worksites across the Territory.

“A lot of these companies are taking our resources and taking huge profits and don’t give a hell of a lot back,” he said.

“It’s about time this government stopped cowering to business and started caring about our workers health and safety.”

In a statement released Monday, the board of OM Holdings said it was “deeply saddened” about what they called a fatal accident after a wall collapsed at mine site.

It said their employee was killed due to the failure in Tourag pit.

“All operations at the mine were halted, subsequently certain operations have restarted,” they said.

“All employees are offered access to counselling services.”

OM Holdings would make no further comment on the incident.

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On Monday, Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union NT organiser Kane Lowth said his thoughts were with the family, friends and workmates of the worker.

“There have been an increased number of serious incidents and fatalities across the resource industry of late and we are not learning from it,” he said.

“After a spate of critical incidents in Queensland all mines have done or are doing mandatory resets to put the focus back on safety.

“While this investigation was ongoing, it is a fact that people are three times more likely not to return home from work in the NT then any other state or territory in the country and that calls for major change in how we do business here

“We should never be silent on safety and sadly for some companies safety becomes a poor second to their operations.”