Green group launches new bid to block Tarkine mine

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/03/new-challenge-to-tarkine-mine

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Environmentalists have launched another legal bid to block mining in the Tarkine region of Tasmania, claiming that the government has failed to properly consider the impact on species including the Tasmanian devil.

The Save the Tarkine group has lodged a case in the federal court to challenge the decision to grant environmental approval for Venture Minerals’ proposed mine at Riley creek, in the north-west of Tasmania.

Tasmania’s planning authority dismissed an appeal by Save the Tarkine last month to prevent the mine, but added conditions to the development.

The mine was approved by the federal government under the previous Labor administration. Save the Tarkine won a legal bid to block another Tarkine mine, at Nelson Bay river, only for the then environment minister, Mark Butler, to give the go-ahead. A further legal challenge is being planned by Save the Tarkine.

Bob Brown, former leader of the Greens and patron of Save the Tarkine, told Guardian Australia that the Riley creek mine should be reconsidered on several grounds.

“Firstly, the federal minister made a decision to go ahead before the conditions on the mine were agreed,” he said. “Secondly, they didn’t look at the [cumulative] impact of the other mines and logging on the Tarkine, which has the spotted-tailed quoll, wedge-tailed eagle and Tasmanian devil, which are all endangered species.

“Thirdly, the conditions imposed include a fine for running over or destroying a Tasmanian devil. This money would be used to keep the devils alive in zoos. That’s not what federal environment law is meant to do – it is meant to prevent them from becoming extinct in the wild as the Tasmanian tiger did.”

Brown said that the “farcical” conditions attached to the mine would set a dangerous precedent for the Tarkine, as well as other wilderness areas across Australia.

“This has national ramifications because the government will be saying that it’s acceptable to keep our wild flora and fauna in zoos and we should just accept that,” he said. “The whole nation won’t accept that. It isn’t what Australians want to see happen.

“The Tarkine is one of the last wild regions in Australia, with a large area of temperate rainforest. And yet there are 57 mining applications across the area. It’s a national and global heirloom that should be protected by world heritage listing, not a place where you can run over Tasmanian devils as long as you pay compensation.”

The Tasmanian devil population has been ravaged by a facial tumour disease which has affected the species across 80% of Tasmania. The Tarkine is believed to be the last tumour-free area in the state.

A spokeswoman for Greg Hunt, the environment minister, said: “This was a matter decided by the previous Labor government. As it is now an issue before the court, it would not be appropriate to comment.”

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