Ed,
When considering the topical subject of whether minerals exploration and mining should be banned in the Clarence River catchment, the focus tends to be on the potential environmental impacts; loss of biodiversity and its impact on already threatened species, and, of course, the ever-present threat of landslides in this steep fragile terrain that could trigger the collapse of a tailings dam. In a worst-case scenario, such a spillage into our drinking water supply could have catastrophic consequences that are scary to contemplate.
However, with all this focus, we must be careful not to exclude the social impacts. Current laws allow minerals explorers to freely access private properties, and while landowners do have rights, ultimately, the law is on the side of the miners, and exploration will proceed.
Should a viable minerals deposit be found, the land can be compulsorily acquired, which will take part on “just terms”, something generally determined by an independent mediator.
But “just terms” are never considered at the exploration stage. Granted a directly affected landowner may receive some concessions to compensate for the inconvenience of having to put up with increased traffic, strangers wandering around their property, the constant noise, dust, etc. However, close neighbours having to suffer the same impacts will get nothing.
Therefore, even the appearance of a small exploration team complete with drilling rig, trucks, tankers, generators, and a handful of FIFO employees, will strike consternation into the entire community.
There will be fears that homes and properties, often where families have lived and worked for generations, will be subjected to compulsory acquisition, with them forced to relocate.
These exploration programs can drag on for years, as has happened on the Dorrigo Plateau. That mountainous country is the source of the Coffs – Clarence regional drinking water, and one foreign-owned company in particular spent more than a decade moving its drilling teams from one site to another across the landscape, leaving traumatised communities in its wake.
Eventually, when nothing of value was discovered, investors tired of wasting money, and the company was the subject of a take-over, and left in 2017.
Similarly in the upper northwest of the catchment, a farm owner, who contacted us, has been left with severely damaged access roads, unrehabilitated land and no response from the mining company involved. This heavy cost and burden were obviously not in the initial agreement.
The stress on families under these conditions can be enormous, leading to family breakdowns, domestic violence, and even suicide. There are no “just terms”, or justice for the victims.
Protect our water, save our rivers, care for our catchment.
The Clarence Catchment Alliance
www.clarencecatchmentalliance.com