Nationals vow to approve blocked $1bn Blayney goldmine

Nationals leader David Littleproud says the Coalition will approve the $1bn Blayney goldmine if it wins the next election, unless Tanya Plibersek says publicly why she blocked the project.

Nationals leader David Littleproud in parliament. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Nationals leader David Littleproud says the Coalition will approve the $1bn Blayney goldmine if it wins the next election, unless Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says publicly why she blocked the project.

Mr Littleproud also said there were ongoing discussions with the Senate crossbench about a “dis­allowance motion” over Ms Plibersek’s decision.

“Unless the minister is prepared to publish that statement of reason, we will approve this mine,” he said. “We will approve this mine as soon as we’re elected because all the approvals have been granted.”

The Albanese government has come under fire for Ms Plibersek’s decision to declare an Indigenous heritage protection order against a tailings dam for the goldmine project. The Australian revealed last week that Anthony Albanese ignored warnings months ago from Regis, the company proposing the mine, that the project would fall over if Ms Plibersek followed through with the rarely used Indigenous heritage protection order.

Mr Littleproud said the project had “ticked all the boxes” and by blocking it, the Albanese government had created “sovereign risk in this country in investing in the resource sector”.

Mr Littleproud was in Blayney on Wednesday morning alongside opposition Indigenous affairs spokeswoman Jacinta Price and local candidate for the seat of Calare, Sam Farraway.

“They’re going to take their money and they’re going to go somewhere else and they’re going to take those jobs somewhere else,” he said. “And so this is a clear opportunity for the Prime Minister to lean in, to take the phone call, to meet up with the CEO of Regis like I have, to understand the failings of Minister Plibersek.”

Senator Price said the Albanese government’s decision would ensure “they are on the path of destruction for Indigenous people to keep them on welfare”.

Mr Littleproud said the ­Coalition was in discussions with the crossbench to move a disallowance motion in the Senate and a successful disallowance motion would make it beholden on Ms Plibersek to “revisit her decision”.