Bob Brown Foundation says most oppose MMG’s ‘toxic’ Tarkine dam plan
The campaign against a mine tailings dam in a Tasmanian rainforest will step up unless the federal environment minister stops the plan, the Bob Brown Foundation has promised.
Tasmania
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MOST Australians want mining company MMG to find an alternative to building a tailings dam in the Tarkine, the Bob Brown Foundation says.
The conservation group has released survey data it claims supports a federal government veto on the plan.
The Australia Institute commissioned pollsters Dynata to conduct an online survey of 1001 people about their attitudes to the mine’s expansion.
The Bob Brown Foundation said the poll showed a large majority of Australians would back Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley if she insisted that mining company MMG use an alternative site to the Tarkine rainforest for its next tailings dam in North-West Tasmania.
The poll found that two in three respondents supported Ms Ley using her power to stop the forest clearing and insist MMG use an alternative site, the Foundation said in a statement.
The poll showed 17 per cent of respondents were opposed to Ms Ley halting the dam.
The Bob Brown Foundation is campaigning against MMG clearing a section of Tasmania’s Tarkine rainforest to build a tailings dam for its Rosebery zinc, copper and lead mine.
Tailings dams store by-products from mining, which Dr Brown called “toxic waste dumps” full of heavy metals. He said there are alternatives to building the dam.
“It’s a must-do for the minister as this is habitat for nationally listed species vulnerable to extinction, including Tasmanian devils, quolls, giant wedge-tailed eagles and owls,” Dr Brown said.
He said the campaign to save this rainforest would grow rapidly if Ms Ley failed to act.
In the past fortnight, there have been 15 arrests of protesters blockading MMG’s machinery and on Saturday, the Foundation held a rally in Hobart opposing the dam plan (see below).
Ms Ley is due to make a decision by Tuesday.
Hundreds join rally against proposed mine dam
NEARLY 1000 protesters filled Hobart’s City Hall on Saturday, gathering in opposition to plans to build a new tailings dam that would store leftover materials from a mine in the Tarkine.
The demonstration was held on World Environment Day by the Bob Brown Foundation, which said the proposed area was home to Tasmanian devils, spotted-tailed quolls and masked owls.
Environmental activist Bob Brown said the plans would cause complete devastation.
“It’s got a number of toxic waste dumps because the tailings coming out of the mine are full of heavy metals,” Dr Brown said.
“285 hectares they’re clearing, the dam will fill up more than half of that and the forest will be eradicated and the wildlife with it.”
Dr Brown said there were alternatives to the build, speculating those options weren’t being considered because building a dam was cheaper.
“If ever there was a simple but disastrous environmental process which was simple to fix, it’s this one because there’s alternatives. Just move in and tell that company, you can’t do that,” he said.
The former Greens leader said the state government needed to act.
“Peter Gutwein should move in on this,” Dr Brown said.
“I wrote to him more than a week ago, I’ve had no reply. I also wrote to the minister for the environment, she’s given no reply.”
State Environment Minster Roger Jaensch said the proposal would need to pass a series of assessments and approvals.
“We understand that’s going to be critical for the safe ongoing operating of that mine, we fully support the future of that mine and that industry in Tasmania,” Mr Jaensch said.
“It needs to be done without damaging the environment that’s what our regulations and federal regulations are there for.”
Dr Brown said initial work has already started, and that machinery has been brought in to begin preliminary drilling.
Seventeen Bob Brown Foundation protesters have been arrested in the past 18 days.
“What we’re seeing in the Tarkine is defiance against destruction,” Dr Brown said.
Originally published as Bob Brown Foundation says most oppose MMG’s ‘toxic’ Tarkine dam plan
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