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The Forum > Article Comments > The dark side of Australia’s mining sector > Comments

The dark side of Australia’s mining sector : Comments

By Andrew Hewett, published 8/11/2007

Mining companies should recognise that choosing to push for a mine despite community opposition could result in breaches of human rights.

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I'm not surprised at Andrew Hewett's very sad tale of how mining companies operate in Third World countries. It is symptomatic of the runaway materialism of our culture - that shareholders require profits, and company executuives require very fat pay indeed - especially when they have to condone and cover up the injustices done by their companies.

Where would a mining company be, if it truly practised ethical operations? - its share-prices would fall - we can't have that!

So - no surprise that mining companies pay lip service to ethics in developed countries, where they are under some scrutiny, and get away with as much as they can - especially Australian ones - off the beaten track, out of sight out of mind - that's us.

On another tack - talking about the "dark side" - how about how Australian companies are to sell uranium to Russia. This is promoted by the Howard government - because, after all, it's for "peaceful uses on;y".

Yet - at the same time, Australia is likely to approve of, even follow, George W. Bush into an attack on Iran. This is because Iran is supposed to be developing nuclear weapons and promoting Al Quaida insurgents in Iraq.

It seems to have slipped our notice that Russia is setting up Iran with nuclear power. As with the previous bribing of Saddam Hussein - while our troops were fighting him in Iraq - now Australia's mining companies are to supply (indirectly) nuclear materials to Iran and Al Quaida.

Shades of Bob Menzies time - salling iron ore to Japan around 1941!
Pig-iron Bob - they called him. Now we have Yellowcake John - and his promoters - the uranium mining industry and all those who hold shares in it.
Posted by ChristinaMac, Thursday, 8 November 2007 9:34:38 AM
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The Australian Mining Industry rates alsogside its ripe off mates the Fishing and Farming Industries, as the worst Industries in the developed world for the treatment of Aboriginal people and the theft of their natural resources aquired in many cases by force.

Miners alongside the others mentioned have been ripping off Aboriginal people for more than 200 years, and that includes the Gold and other precious metal rushes of the 19th centuary, through to the present Zinc, Tin, copper Baxuit and uranium open mines.

Mining has a profound negative effect on our Indigenous populations including polluting the air, water (surface and underground)and creating respitory and skin problems not to mention cancer.

So I wonder how share holders in the mining Industry would in the city would feel if the sludge and contaminated water created by their mines were to be dumped in their front yards.
Posted by Yindin, Thursday, 8 November 2007 11:20:16 AM
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It's a pity the author hasn't chosen to define what he means by the word 'community'. Clearly, he implies that the only community whose views should be taken into account is the community people living close to or within the mine site. However, there are many other communities involved who have an equal right to be heard on whether mining should take place or not. There are the people living further away from the mine who will benefit from the improvements to roads, communications, power supplies, job opportunities, etc. Then there is the community comprising the entire Philippine people, who will benefit from the royalties and taxes paid to the government, so that it can in turn meet the health and education needs of the wider population.

Oxfam is anti-mining, not because it is opposed to mining per se, but it knows that by criticising a faceless mining company, it can generate headlines in newspapers in developed countries, thereby attracting more funds into its own coffers.

The problems in the Philippines are immense and I don't see Oxfam doing much to try and turn them around. The Catholic Church is opposed to the use of all contraception, including condoms, resulting in an annual birth rate of about 6%. The resulting population growth will dramatically increase poverty and environmental destruction at alarming rates, yet Oxfam chooses to attack a mining company which is mining with the full support of the national government. Corruption in the Philippines is a way of life, including among politicians and government employees, yet I don't hear any public statements from Oxfam in opposition to this corruption.

Oceana Gold may not have been too smart in the way in which they conducted their local community consultation, but for Oxfam to suggest that the interests of a local community should be unquestionably put ahead of the interests of the wider community in a country as poor as the Philippines is completely unreasonable.
Posted by Bernie Masters, Monday, 12 November 2007 9:51:48 AM
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"Clearly, he implies that the only community whose views should be taken into account is the community people living close to or within the mine site."

Come, come Bernie

These are the communities which are being force-fed hazardous emissions from the mining industries. These are the communities who unwittingly ingest chemicals such as cadmium, chlorine, chromium, cobalt, copper, benzene, fluorides, formaldehyde, mercury, PMs, PCDDs, PAH's, toluene, VOC's etc and many eventually succumb to the insidious diseases these chemicals cause in humans.

I allude only to those complex chemicals since I suspect you are the Bernie Masters who had a career as a geologist, prior to entering parliament, where you too remained silent on the excessive hazardous emissions from the operations in your industry.

You would be aware that in your state of Western Australia, the mining industry has polluted communities for decades. "Profits before people" has been the motto of successive governments in your state, despite the hard evidence that communities have suffered the ill-effects from hazardous and toxic emissions from an industry out of control.

These are not faceless mining companies and a couple of the big boys here have an appalling record for pillaging resources in other countries and leaving a mess.

Many citizens in Australia witness the environmental breaches occurring every day and in addition, they have in their possession, company emission reports to substantiate those claims.

However, today's news reveals that for the first time to my knowledge, a Minister in your state is acknowledging the shabby operations of the mining industry. Shabby, due to the incompetence of regulators and governments who remain captured by this influential lobby group.

Perhaps we can live in hope that there may now be some ethical balance between industry and the communities in which they mine and affected communities will no longer be considered cannon fodder for the "greater" good.

Until this industry is properly regulated in Australia, there is little hope that Australian mining companies will adhere to any moral or ethical obligations they have to the people of other nations.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/13/2089659.htm
Posted by dickie, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 9:43:38 PM
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Dickie - yes, you've picked me out correctly as the former state MP who used to work for the mining industry. My disguise didn't work very well, did it?
Your exaggerations about the mining industry certainly don't hide your attitude towards an industry which, while it's made mistakes (like every other industry or activity that actually tries to meet a human need), remains overwhelmingly of benefit to the people of WA. At present in WA, there are some 500 mining operations and I can only think of one - Alcoa's Wagerup refinery - which is causing significant health impacts to nearby residents. Over the last 30 years, from a couple of thousand mining operations, I can only recall a small number that caused problems: the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter, radioactive tailings at Capel and Geraldton, poorly rehabilitated areas at Yelirrie (sorry about the spelling). Can you think of any others?
At present in WA, there are tens of thousands of mineral exploration tenements and the minister today reported that 46 were in breach of regulations. Your likely response - that it was 46 out of 56 exploration sites inspected and isn't that terrible - may accurately reflect the minister's media release but I'm suspicious of the minister's timing: 12 days before a federal election during which the mining industry has publicly criticised the ALP's proposed changes to work place laws. So let's not worry too much about what the member for Swanbourne says (that's an in joke, Logan lives in Swanbourne and rarely goes into his working class electorate of Cockburn).
Overall, the mining industry creates the wealth that provides the people of WA with the economic ability to protect the environment, improve community services, etc, etc. It can always do better, like any industry, but I'd really appreciate you answering some of my criticisms of Andrew Hewett's article.
Posted by Bernie Masters, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 11:04:39 PM
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Alcoa - Wagerup Pollution

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/07/1998205.ht

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:SGPR3sJopRoJ:www.wsws.org/articles/2001/dec2001/alco-d21.shtml+DEC+licence+alcoa+wagerup&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=au&lr=lang_en

Bernie

Following are several more documented accounts into the environmental and health castastrophes occurring in your state as a result of mining operations.

I am not surprised you were unaware of them - most pollies I speak with also appear to be in the dark or prefer to remain in denial.

I'm happy to advise you of other breaches of the EPA Act by mining companies should you be interested.

Kwinana Pollution - Highest Cancer Rate in State - Dr Keith Woollard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM7QA30JEik

Barrick Newmont - Mercury Emissions - Highest in Nation
http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/wa/kalgoor/200507/s1424462.htm

Parliamentary Questions - See Paul Llewellyn - Environment - Heaps
http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/web/newwebparl.nsf/iframewebpages/Parliamentary+Business+-+Parliamentary+Questions

Parliamentary Enquiry into the Cause and Extent of Lead Poisoning in Esperance - Magellan Mines

http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/wa/kalgoor/

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/06/2025843.htm

Dr Hames, Acting Chairman of the Parliamentary Enquiry stated in the final report that:

"The Committee has identified major failings in DEC's industry regulatory function and shortcomings in other regulatory agencies.

"The Committee believes that these regulatory failures , combined with the irresponsible and possibly unlawful conduct of the Esperance Port Authority, Magellan Mines and BIS Industrial Logistics, exposed workers and the community to unacceptable and avoidable health and environmental risks."
Posted by dickie, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 3:11:16 AM
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