Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697643924361.pdf (Australia)
New England Greens, Armidale Tamworth,(NEGAT) is grateful for the opportunity to take part in this Senate Inquiry into Rehabilitation of mining and resources projects as it relates to Commonwealth responsibilities.

NEGAT has confined its observations to two instances of environmentally inadequate rehabilitation in an area east of Armidale in Northern New South Wales: at Comet Vale Mine and Hillgrove Mines.

Both of these sites are in the catchment of the Macleay River.
Pollution from these sources endangers the livelihood and health of farmers, fishermen and communities downstream and impacts on the health of a World Heritage listed National Park.

Comet Vale Mine: the ‘rehabilitation’ of this site has seen the dumping of tonnes of waste and the continuous seepage of arsenic-laced water into the water table and draining into the catchment of the Macleay River.
The owner of the land supposedly ‘rehabilitated’ has lost his license to produce livestock, his property has been revalued to a worth of $0 ; the Local Council, State Government and EPA are unable or unwilling to impose an appropriate rehabilitation plan.

Hillgrove Mines: the original DA for the extension of the gold and antimony mine at Clarks Gully included NO plan for decommissioning & rehabilitating the mine.

The EIS indicated that the plan would be developed only 12 months after operations commenced.
NEGAT specifically wish to comment on the following Terms of Reference: b. the adequacy of existing regulatory, policy and institutional arrangements to ensure adequate and timely rehabilitation • in the two cases cited, existing regulatory, policy and institutional arrangements to ensure adequate and timely rehabilitation have proven to be woefully inadequate d. the effectiveness of current Australian rehabilitation practices in safeguarding human health and repairing and avoiding environmental damage • current practices are clearly inadequate in safeguarding human health and repairing and avoiding environmental damage g. the potential social, economic and environmental impacts of inadequate rehabilitation • the potential impact of inadequate rehabilitation includes o o the further loss of livelihood from farming and fishing the loss of tourist income- fishing spots downstream are becoming unviable with poisoning of fish and contamination of water o further ‘fish kills’ such as that reported recently in the river o compromising the nature of a World Heritage National Park j. proposals for reform of rehabilitation of mining and resource projects • strict national mine rehabilitation standards must be developed Rehabilitation of mining and resources projects as it relates to Commonwealth responsibilitiesSubmission 22 • a bond sufficient to ensure appropriate rehabilitation and decommissioning should be part of any mining proposal • a Federal Environmental Protection Agency able to enforce mine rehabilitation should be created • a transparent, strict corporate mine rehabilitation liability reporting system should be established The images in the left hand column show the toxic water running freely from an old mine site down towards a dam.
These photos were taken almost two years ago – the dam is now red, overflowing and leaking.

The images in the right hand column show the mounds of dumped garbage and waste which were transported from Coffs Harbour to the site 35 kms east of Armidale.

This waste contains a whole range of plastics, car parts, wire, clothing.

Rehabilitation of mining and resources projects as it relates to Commonwealth responsibilitiesSubmission 22