Steelworks administration benefiting community
Mayor Phill Stone and Whyalla City Council CEO Justin Commons met with steelworks and mining administrators KordaMentha at this week’s OneWhyalla community meeting, receiving an update on the administration process and the flow-on benefits it’s providing for the local community.
Geoscientific breakthrough could spark new gold rush in WA: Michael
Experts from the Geological Survey of Western Australia, part of the newly formed WA Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration, have identified a distinctive chemical fingerprint that signals where gold is most likely to be found ... a major step forward for mineral exploration on a global scale.
Approval for mineral sands project
The Victorian Government has approved the Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project work plan. The work plan approval is the final major regulatory milestone permitting Donald Project Pty Ltd, trading as Donald Mineral Sands (DMS), a joint venture between Astron Corporation Ltd and US critical minerals company Energy Fuels Inc, to develop the resource.
Action against mining demanded
United voices from scientists and experts, residents, farmers, and regional environment groups demanded action against mining in the Clarence catchment as they stood with Gumbaynggirr Traditional Owners at a packed public meeting in Dorrigo last weekend.
Birchip hosts renewables and mining meeting
The community of Birchip, an epicentre of three wind farm proposals and four significant mineral sands mining retention licences, played host to a community meeting addressing turbines, lines, mines and property rights ... Three key speakers addressed an audience exceeding three hundred people from across Western Victoria, who filled the Birchip Leisure Centre to capacity.
Listing in ’26? Moonta Mines World Heritage status could be ticked off as soon as next year
Joanna Tucker. Work is continuing towards the Australian Cornish Mining Sites: Burra and Moonta World Heritage bid, with the possibility heritage status may be achieved as soon as next year ... an opportunity to skip the preliminary assessment, so World Heritage consultant Barry Gamble has decided to endorse the parallel preparation of a full World Heritage nomination.
Mining exploration escalates in catchment
The Clarence Catchment Alliance CCA, local environmental groups and residents are calling for immediate action as mining exploration for antimony and tungsten escalates across the Wild Cattle Creek area near Dorrigo; a sensitive part of the drinking water catchment relied on by more than 80,000 people in the Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour regions.
Northern Grampians withdraws from five-council alliance
Northern Grampians Shire Council has withdrawn from a five-council alliance created to collectively advocate to State Government on issues including transmission lines, renewable energy and mining. The alliance, formed in February this year, also includes Buloke, Gannawarra, Yarriambiack and Loddon councils, which are all directly impacted...
What’s your plan?
As the debate over rare earth mining in our district intensifies, concerns have been raised about the state government's commitment to conducting an independent investigation into the potential risks of the operation. Independent member for MacKillop, Nick McBride, put a spotlight on the issue during the March sitting of the House of Assembly, pressing Energy and Mining minister Tom Koutsantonis to outline his plan.
Opinion – Bauxite mine expansion approval exposes double standards for forest conservation in Western Australia: Lachlan McCaw
Dr Lachlan McCaw AFSM. Federal environmental approval recently granted for expansion of the South 32 Worsley bauxite mine has given the green light to clearing of a further 3855 hectares of native forest around Boddington south-east of Perth ... the community should question how much bauxite mining is enough, and whether closure of the native forest timber industry is simply a convenient smokescreen for increased mining in the jarrah forest.
Farmers’ mining plea rejected
Sarah Herrmann. “If you walk into State Parliament, in the House of Representatives, on the floor — embedded in the carpet — is wheat sheaves and grapes,” Pine Point farmer Brenton Davey says. “That was put there as recognition of what the primary producers have done for this state. And they’re walking all over us — on the carpet.”
Five councils form alliance
Councillors and CEOs from Buloke, Gannawarra, Loddon, Northern Grampians and Yarriambiack Shire Councils, along with representatives from the Municipal Association of Victoria and Rural Councils Victoria, met in Charlton last week to discuss the ongoing impact of transmission lines, renewable energy developments and mining.
Mining battle
Proposed mining for rare earths elements in the Limestone Coast is facing opposition from local producers and residents. Many sections of the community are concerned about how mining would impact production in one of the state's key agricultural regions.
Rising tide blockade of coal port
Chibo Mertineit ... The protestival was longer, bigger and better and there was a large contingent of Northern Rivers residents who joined, organised and facilitated ... Overall, there were 7000 people over eight days, 33 volunteer teams with over 1000 volunteers doing 4500 shifts, cooking 20,000 meals and having 130 spokespersons (delegate of your group) representing 2000 people and meeting twice a day for decision making. It was just huge, and there was such a positive and friendly atmosphere at this drug-free event.
Call for review of Victorian- approved mineral sands mines
“The Victorian Government’s approval of two mineral sands mines yesterday through Environment Effects Statements isn’t the end of the matter,” Member for Mallee Dr Webster said on Wednesday. As farmers learned of the two Mallee mines, the Member for Mallee lamented that Victoria’s prime agricultural land and the health of farming communities are not considered as significant as environmental grounds when assessing mining projects.
Proposed quarry: are we asking the right questions?
Close to 50 people crammed into the supper room at Baringhup Hall last Thursday 5 December to attend an information session about the proposed quarry at Blue Hills. Staff from Mawsons Concrete and Quarries, the company behind the proposal, presented a slide show and answered community questions.
Loy Yang seeks water for mine lake
Water is a key part of the operation of the Loy Yang mine – and will still be a key part of the brown coal mine’s future. The scheduled closure of the Loy Yang A power station in 2035 is looming larger on the horizon, and the water issue needs to be sorted out.
A wooden pipeline that carries more than water – it carries a lot of history
A captivating chapter of Tasmania's industrial heritage - a story of history, engineering, and environmental stewardship that celebrates innovation and resilience in Tasmania's wild west ...The story culminates with the remarkable Lake Margaret Hydroelectric Power Scheme - a testament to ingenuity and the enduring legacy of wooden pipelines.
Community unites against rare earth mining threat
A coalition of regional agricultural and business leaders has launched a new advocacy group focussed on protecting the Limestone Coast’s high value agricultural resource, finite water assets and cultural heritage from the imminent threat of mining activities. The Limestone Coast Sustainable Futures Association has launched an awareness campaign to inform the community about the invasive nature of rare earth strip mining which it believes will threaten the economic viability of the food and fibre sector and jeopardise biodiverse value including underground water resources.
Maldon’s Lara Croft: Michelle Ross
Ian Riley. One of the best things about the museum, other than the exhibits, is the people you meet there. I have always been a history tragic, but on my last visit to the museum, I met Michelle Ross. Michelle has a YouTube channel with 9,000 followers and a website called Goldfields Guide ...
Donald meeting questions Mineral Sands mining: Farmers have their say
Emotions ran high and voices rose with them at the Donald Mineral Sands community information session held at the Memorial Hall on Thursday, with a group of frustrated farmers taking the opportunity to protest one of the many large scale projects earmarked for the region. Trucks, tractors and other agricultural machinery lined the streets, signed with phrases such as: “No Mines, No Turbines, No Transmission Lines!”
How South32 is worshipping false gods
... it’s disturbing to read in a recently released EPA document that South32 propose to follow Woodside's example and ‘sterilise’ over 4,000 hectares of freehold land—good farmland—as a means of appeasing the environmental gods ... This is the same mad formula Woodside is following: take freehold cleared farmland and ease their guilt by planting trees that will never be harvested, with the land lost to agricultural production, including tree farming, forever.
