BHP Billiton Caroona Mine Project
Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES: My question is directed to the Minister for Mineral Resources. Is the Minister aware of widespread community concern about the exploration licence granted to BHP Billiton for mining in the Caroona area? Is the Minister aware that mining exploration in this largely farming area will risk a reduction in groundwater availability, impact on ecosystems that rely on aquifers, affect detrimentally the quality of water that is pumped from the mine site, cause damage to valuable wheat and oilseed land, and destroy the floodplain that leads into the Darling River? Will the Minister fund and support an independent working panel to assess the potential impact of mining on aquifers, agriculture and the surrounding environment, including the Darling River? How will the Minister ensure that the Murray-Darling is not polluted with effluent from the mine, given that the coalmine will be potentially sited on a floodplain that drains, by means of the Mooki River, straight into the Murray-Darling basin?
The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: It is good to see that a green wing is developing in the Christian Democrats. That sounded like a question written in the office of Ms Lee Rhiannon. What an alliance! They could exchange preferences! As to Caroona, we are entering the environmental impact statement process during which BHP Biliton will analyse the factors and issues to which Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes referred. That will be a rigorous process. The exploration licence is for five years so I assume that numerous tests will be conducted in that time. The mine will be a world-class operation, with resources in the order of 500 million tonnes. BHP proposes extracting up to 18 million to 20 million tonnes of material a year.
If the proposal goes ahead, it will have significant benefits in terms of infrastructure in the region, such as upgrading the rail route between the port of Newcastle and the Gunnedah basin. Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes can rest assured that as part of the process BHP will be required to produce an EIS and that it will be examined rigorously. It is not unusual for many companies around the world to pursue responsible mining ventures that handle with sensitivity and modern technology the types of environmental impacts that Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes mentioned. However, he can rest assured that the Government will not approve the mine unless it passes the environmental tests provided by way of legislation in New South Wales.
