MEDIA RELEASE
Greens Member for Mining and Pastoral Robin Chapple MLC has welcomed the Western Australian Auditor-General’s report ‘Ensuring Compliance with Conditions on Mining’, saying it confirms what he has been saying for years.
“While much has been made of the mining boom, what is less well known is the poor performance of mining companies when it comes to compliance with environmental requirements,” Mr Chapple said.
“Indeed, it seems that mining companies, assisted by the Department of State Development and the Department of Mining and Petroleum, are making their sizeable profits at the expense of the environment and Indigenous cultural values.
“The main criticism must be directed at the Premier Colin Barnett, who is also the Minister for State Development, and the Minister for Mines and Petroleum Hon Norman Moore for the failure of their departments to ensure monitoring and compliance in several areas including environmental offsets, annual environmental reporting, mines inspections and ensuring adequate mine closure and rehabilitation plans.
“Premier Barnett and Minister Moore must be held to account and explain to the community why, when we are a-wash with money, they cannot do more to protect our environmental and cultural values.
“Other departments were also found lacking, and questions must be asked of the Minister of the Environment Bill Marmion and Minister of Indigenous Affairs Peter Collier about their poor efforts when it comes to monitoring and enforcing compliance.
“As the report notes: ‘heritage sites may have been lost or damaged without the State knowing or acting’.
“We know it has happened as recently as last month when, despite calls to the Registrar of Aboriginal Sites for urgent action to prevent damage to registered sites at James Price Point, nothing happened for an inordinate amount of time.
“Both DIA and the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority must spend more time in the field monitoring the activities of mining companies rather than accepting their reports without scrutiny.
For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255
