Dr Harry Jennens (MBBS Hons, BMedSc) at Mirboo North
Channel: Gasfield Free Morwell
Date: 2015-10-31

The Mirboo North community is sceptical about the plans Mantle Mining have for the area. It appears they want to mine in the Latrobe Valley eventually and then withdraw the Mirboo North licenses after they do some exploratory drilling to find pointers to further exploration in the valley but the information is sketchy. The community clearly has withdrawn its social license and the company has a lot of work to do to convince them otherwise. The uncertainty will continue which is the entire point people were making. No one will buy farms with mining licenses over them. The prospect of waiting up to 30 years for the company to make up its mind is why people are concerned and somewhat angry. Will Ian Kraemer convey this to his shareholders? There is a lot of risk involved if they get it wrong and under prevailing market conditions the plans don't add up. At a minimum the company should set aside profits over the duration of the project in a government bond to cover remediation if it all goes south. There is a distinct lack of information on which to hold an informed opinion and that is always a concern.