Calls For Resources Minister To Quit Over Illegal Tarkine Lease

Calls escalate for Resources Minister Guy Barnett to resign over granting an illegal lease to a mining giant in the state’s northwest.

The Bob Brown Foundation [BBF] are leading the charge against Chinese state-owned mining company MMG’s plans to build a new tailings dam at its Rosebery mine. 

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Concerns over the access road to the proposed waste facility have the BBF up in arms as the proposal encroaches into the Tarkine rainforest, blocking protestors and other members of the public from going into the site.

“The area followed a narrow strip along five kilometre and included beekeeping sites, the Forest Walk tourist site, the BBF’s protest camp and access to MMG’s proposed tailings dam,” the foundation said on Thursday.

Campaigner Scott Jordan purports that "under Tasmanian law, an applicant must demonstrate a mineable body of ore and a mining plan"

"The BBF asserted that neither existed in this case and that the lease was sought to deny public access,” he said.

“This was an attempt to shut down public protest and to lock the community out of an area that MMG did not want them seeing. Without our intervention, this illegal lease would have done just that"

- Scott Jordan

The Greens have backed calls for Mr Barnett to resign in part since he admitted that he legally had no right to grant the lease.

Meanwhile, MMG has resubmitted their plans citing a minor technical error with the mining lease application. 

The contentious 5km narrow strip along Helilog Rd includes beekeeping sites, the Forest Walk tourist site, the BBF’s protest camp and access to MMG’s proposed tailings dam.

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