MORE than 200 people have gathered to express concern over antimony mining and exploration within the Coffs-Clarence regional water supply catchment.
The Bellingen Environment Centre (BEC), the Blicks River Guardians and Lock the Nambucca Valley hosted the information and community planning event at the Never Never Mind community centre in Dorrigo on Saturday, 31 May, which was filled beyond capacity.
As reported previously in News Of The Area, there is growing community concern about the acquisition of a historical exploration licence by mining company Trigg Minerals on the Dorrigo Plateau, and the potential risks of water contamination from mining activities.
According to Clarence Valley Council, antimony levels above the Australian Drinking Water Guideline (ADWG) were detected twice during March in Shannon Creek Dam.
Trigg has stated that these results are unrelated to its work on the Plateau, noting that no mining or exploratory digging had occurred since their arrival on the Dorrigo Plateau.
Among the speakers was Dr Lian Sinclair from Sydney University, who outlined the global supply of antimony and the geopolitics behind current demand, highlighting the critical metalloid’s use in weapons manufacturing.
Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann told the audience that the systems surrounding mining in NSW are “broken”, while Dr Jacqueline Williams gave an overview of previous efforts to prevent antimony mining and exploration in the region.
Meredith Stanton from the Blicks River Guardians highlighted the extensive mining exploration licences approved across the regional water supply catchment, while Janet Walk from the Mudgee Region Action Group outlined her group’s previous successes fighting mining development.
Those gathered unanimously sought an immediate ban on any further exploration activities or mining across the Nymboida and Blicks River catchments.
Clarence Valley councillor Cristie Yager, who attended the meeting as an observer, said it was “concerning that water test results from the Shannons Creek Dam taken in March were not publicly available until May”.
She said her Council would be having ongoing discussions with the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
By Andrew VIVIAN
