Mining

15 September 2005

Parks Masterplan a welcome step forward for Territory environment - shame about the prospect of mining in national parks.

The Environment Centre NT (ECNT) has welcomed the release of the Draft NT Parks and Conservation Masterplan earlier this week. The Draft Masterplan lays out future directions for the Territory’s parks and reserves, including the move to joint management with Aboriginal Traditional Owners and, importantly, also places increased emphasis on biodiversity protection in areas outside of the protected areas system.

ECNT’s Freshwater Campaigner, Dr Gary Scott, said, “At last, the Territory has a comprehensive document outlining the significant ecological values of this special part of the world. We therefore urge the Territory Government to walk the talk with the Parks and Conservation Masterplan. The 2005-06 Territory Budget unfortunately saw an overall drop in funding to the environment. This must be reversed if the Masterplan is to live up to its undoubted promise”.

ECNT is, however, disappointed that the Draft Masterplan has not taken adequate steps to prohibit mining activity in the Territory’s national parks. Prior to being elected in 2001, the Labor Party responded to an ECNT survey, by stating: ‘Labor will ban mining in National Parks and assess conservation reserves on a case-by-case basis’.

“Four years down the track and the NT Government has done what amounts to a policy back-flip with a twist thrown in for good measure”, said Dr Scott.

“The Draft Masterplan now proposes to prohibit mining and exploration in conservation reserves, which comprise a relatively small proportion of the conservation estate, and assess mining in national parks on a case-by-case basis”.

“Yet even this minimalist policy has earned the ire of the NT Minerals Council, which was reported this morning as saying mining activity would be ‘stifled’ under such a regime“, said Dr Scott.

“The reality is that, currently, only 1.6 percent of the Northern Territory is off-limits to the mining industry through what are known as Reserves from Occupation under S.178 of the Mining Act. Prohibiting mining in national parks and conservation reserves, even if new parks proposed in the Masterplan are created, would leave more than 90 percent of the Territory accessible to the mining industry”.

“The danger here is that we’ll end up with environmentally unacceptable mining activities, similar to the currently proposed McArthur River Mine expansion, in the middle of our national parks”, concluded Dr Scott.

Further information and comment:
Chalres Roche: 8941 7439
Email: ecntdaly@iinet.net.au

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