Tarkine mining

[geoskid]

Where did everyone go? I thought it was important? Too hard? Went beyond the sound bites?
Nearly 5,500 members. Whats the problem here?

[corvus]

A message from the Minister


It’s great news that the Federal Government has decided that it will not lock up vast areas of the Tarkine to mining investment.

This win is because of people like you. By speaking up, you have reinforced what the Tasmanian Government continued to tell the Federal Government – that our communities need the jobs and economic benefits that our mineral resources will deliver.

The Tarkine is one of the most mineralised and prospective areas of land in the world, and by sticking up for sensible mining development we have created opportunities for thousands of Tasmania into the future, particularly on the North West and North Coasts.

Mining is a key industry for the future of Tasmania and that is why Labor fought so hard and for so long against a National Heritage listing that would have prevented Tasmania benefiting from some of our richest mineral resources.

I am delighted that this decision means that the mines I have recently approved, such as Shree Minerals’ new mine near Balfour and Venture Minerals’ Riley iron ore mine west of Tullah, can proceed, creating hundreds of jobs and many millions of dollars of investment and income in the region. There are also a number of other exciting mining developments that have strong potential to deliver even greater benefits for our region long into the future.


Thanks

Bryan

And I agree we really need the jobs which will not "rape and pillage a pristine rain forest" just clear some Ti tree scrub and Button grass that will regenerate within a few years .
corvus

[wayno]

the US cutting the govt budget by 1.4 trillion over the next few years. that will reduce demand for goods made from resources mined in AUS, so will the mines still be needed to supply minerals to the chinese to make goods for america?

Last edited by wayno on Mon 04 Mar, 2013 5:42 am, edited 2 times in total.

[stepbystep]

Whats the problem here?

I do believe corvus just answered your question.

[frenchy_84]

Where did everyone go? I thought it was important? Too hard? Went beyond the sound bites?
Nearly 5,500 members. Whats the problem here?

I think everyone disappeared because its evident that we will never agree on the subject and we were covering old ground. Thanks for the link, the series of articles on tasmania by the conversation was really good. I think this article is also worth a read, it is relevant to alot of the development conversations we have on the site. https://theconversation.edu.au/obstacle ... ally-11330

"But first the opportunities. My colleagues and I at the Australian Innovation Research Centre recently prepared a report for the Commonwealth Department of Regional Development that identified six main areas of opportunity: wine, dairy, aquaculture, horticulture, mining, and tourism, especially “experiential” tourism related to wilderness and the island’s gourmet products….
In Tasmania, we’ve arrived at a situation in which if any interest group regards itself as disadvantaged by a development proposal – whether materially or in terms of its values – there is insufficient weight on the pro-development side to push through resistance to change.
The first source of this resistance is demographic. Only a minority of Tasmanian households derive their income from participation in the private sector, and few indeed are dependent on the portion of the private sector traded out of the state. The 2011 census revealed that over a third of Tasmanian households derived their sole or primary source of income from a Commonwealth government payment: old-age pension, disability, supporting parent, and, of course, unemployment.
While the census does not record the proportion of households that derive their income from a government job, almost another third of the Tasmanian economy was made up of public services (health, education, welfare, administration, policing) and government business enterprises. This includes everything from the ports, railroads, shipping, buses, three electricity corporations, forestry establishment, maintenance, and harvesting, gambling, horse racing, motor-accident insurance, irrigation development, and management of tourist and cultural sites.
On top of this, it is estimated that up to 10% work for a private corporation whose sole client is government: road construction, building maintenance, or outsourced government services in the welfare sector.
These numbers suggest that as little as a quarter to a third of Tasmanian households derive their livelihood from the genuine private sector. Of them perhaps a third gain their income from wholesale and retail trade and associated logistics, another third from residential and commercial construction and maintenance. The clients of both these groups depend largely on public-sector incomes, leaving only about 10% of all households making a living from the traded private sector.
Tasmania can afford this lop-sided economy only because for every dollar Tasmanians contribute to the national tax kitty, they receive back $1.58 in benefits and services….
When a particular economic development is proposed and would necessitate some inconvenience or clash with values, which most ultimately do, few Tasmanians have an immediate stake in making a compromise. Little is lost personally by opposing the development or delaying its introduction. If government attempts to expedite the proposal, a large number of Tasmanians will oppose such action as improper. Instances of inconvenience mentioned by opponents of particular projects include more trucks on the road, difficulty finding parking, lights on the horizon from off-shore aquaculture developments visible from the twice-yearly-visited holiday shack, spoiled views of natural features, and, of course, environmental and humanitarian concerns.
All are real concerns. But only a population whose income is independent of the performance of its private businesses will come to privilege such concerns, no matter how minor, above the need to earn a living."

[Nuts]

A message from the Minister


The Tarkine is one of the most mineralised and prospective areas of land in the world

Really, why wasn't it exploited years ago then?

And.. I was in Queenie the other day, the hills are as orange as they've ever been !

mah, there's no debate here, I don't believe any of it ..

[stepbystep]

All good and well, however I'm most certainly in the 10% that could benefit most greatly from an expanded private sector, including an expanded mining industry. As a small business owner I get zero government incentive packages or tax concessions(unlike mining and forestry), I struggle to employ others due to regulatory red tape imposed on me by the government thus making it very difficult for me to expand my business which I most certainly would given some incentives.

No-one sees my potential as an employer as important or that of many of my colleagues in the same industry. My industry gets scant funding or attention from the powers that be and it is left languishing as an also ran where it has infinite potential for expansion. Talented young technicians, writers and artists that could be employed in my sector disappear to the mainland because of the lack of opportunity people like myself could give them IF we were given some of the attention afforded to the traditional industries like mining, fishing, agriculture and fishing.

And therin lies my point, constantly our attention is being drawn to these sectors when for example 'The Arts' as an industry is one of Tasmanias best performers. How much time do we get on the floor of parliament?

[wayno]

A message from the Minister


The Tarkine is one of the most mineralised and prospective areas of land in the world

Really, why wasn't it exploited years ago then?

And.. I was in Queenie the other day, the hills are as orange as they've ever been !

mah, there's no debate here, I don't believe any of it ..

they have planes equipped to pick up the mineralisation of the land, just fly over and build a map of where is best to mine or send people in on the ground to gather more information, they have been flying up and down nz, thats where the nz govt got a lot of their info where was best for mining in our national parks...

[frenchy_84]

And therin lies my point, constantly our attention is being drawn to these sectors when for example 'The Arts' as an industry is one of Tasmanias best performers. How much time do we get on the floor of parliament?

Not much time in Parliament because you dont see forest workers chaining themselves outside your door trying to stop you going about your job. However to suggest that the "Arts" doesnt receive government funding is blatantly wrong. We are not paying the miners to mine the tarkine so im not sure why government focus is a big issue for you. and as ive said before and as that articles mentions tasmania cant rely on just one inducstry but requires multiple, if anything extra money in the budget from mining will help the "arts" sector.

[Hallu]

if anything extra money in the budget from mining will help the "arts" sector.

Let's be serious, please.

[stepbystep]

if anything extra money in the budget from mining will help the "arts" sector.

Let's be serious, please.

Nah it's true woodside sponsored a major arts festival in Perth a few years back.

Frenchy I'm talking about the tax concessions and bend over backwards to help big corporates attitude when small business is getting forgotten at best and shafted most regularly. But I guess you'd have to try and run a small business to understand that.

[frenchy_84]

if anything extra money in the budget from mining will help the "arts" sector.

Let's be serious, please.

actually your probably right, considering the cuts to health and education i reckon the government will use the money there first

[mickstarr]

hi guys not been on for while but there is an old Cree Indian saying that seems to sum it all up

ONLY WHEN THE LAST TREE HAS DIED

AND THE LAST RIVER BEEN POISONED

AND THE LAST FISH CAUGHT

MAN WILL REALIZE WE CANNOT EAT MONEY

cheers Mick

[corvus]

A message from the Minister


[snip]

And.. I was in Queenie the other day, the hills are as orange as they've ever been !

.

On one trip you see what you want to !! and they are Orange however there is plenty of Green there if you had time to look
corvus

[Nuts]

Ok, no I only saw them from the car, they may be getting greener but they still looked generally orange I thought i read something about locals pulling the reveg trees out? Might have been a while ago iir. A local told me that the mine was owned by an Indian company? Lots of Indian workers?? Are trees still being planted?

[corvus]

hi guys not been on for while but there is an old Cree Indian saying that seems to sum it all up

ONLY WHEN THE LAST TREE HAS DIED

AND THE LAST RIVER BEEN POISONED

AND THE LAST FISH CAUGHT

MAN WILL REALIZE WE CANNOT EAT MONEY

cheers Mick

Nice Post Mick
Really doubt that this is an old Indian saying <SNIP by moderation> could be very wrong tho
corvus

[corvus]

Ok, no I only saw them from the car, they may be getting greener but they still looked generally orange I thought i read something about locals pulling the reveg trees out? Might have been a while ago iir. A local told me that the mine was owned by an Indian company? Lots of Indian workers?? Are trees still being planted?

Mine is owned by an Indian company and they employ professional Indian engineers(hardly lots) etc because ours went elsewhere
Doubt the locals are pulling out the re veg trees as the lower hills are verdant however the "orange hills will remain as such as a tourist attraction" and I found that the residents are really friendly.
corvus

[photohiker]

hi guys not been on for while but there is an old Cree Indian saying that seems to sum it all up

ONLY WHEN THE LAST TREE HAS DIED

AND THE LAST RIVER BEEN POISONED

AND THE LAST FISH CAUGHT

MAN WILL REALIZE WE CANNOT EAT MONEY

cheers Mick

Nice Post Mick
Really doubt that this is an old Indian saying as [irrelevant remark redacted] could be very wrong tho
corvus

Yep, you're very likely wrong corvus: http://bit.ly/13Bx6tJ

You don't have to look far to find very clever and intelligent things said by Native Americans.

[geoskid]

Old Cree Indian lament :
ONLY WHEN THE LAST BISON WAS KILLED
DID WE REALIZE WE COULD NOT EAT GRASS

[Beeper]

I am comfortable with some mining around the boundaries of the "Tarkine", but not in the middle and all through it. I am not surprised that Burke rejected the natural heritage request, the impression the Greens were peddling was the whole area is wall to wall untouched wilderness rainforest, which is simply not true. A heritage listing on the coastal aboriginal values was more significant IMO.

The core rainforest is protected within the Savage River National Park (can never be mined) and outlying rainforest is mostly protected within the Donaldson River Nature Recreation Area.

Alot of the remaining areas are crossed with roads, hydro infrastructure, 4wd tracks, existing mines and former mining exploration, certainly not wilderness or world heritage.

This is a large area, a blanket ban on development is rediculous, there is room for both conservation and mining if the latter is properly controlled and regulated.

[stepbystep]

Kind of a bizarre reference and list but hey if CNN says so....

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/05/trave ... index.html

[frenchy_84]

Kind of a bizarre reference and list but hey if CNN says so....

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/05/trave ... index.html

"10 of the worlds last greatest wildernesses"... that a tour company has advertised for...

[stepbystep]

Kind of a bizarre reference and list but hey if CNN says so....

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/05/trave ... index.html

"10 of the worlds last greatest wildernesses"... that a tour company has advertised for...

I wonder what the Tarkine Trails peeps have to say about that little piece.

Particularly this line "How to do it: Tasmanian Expeditions offers a five-night walk on the Tarkine Rainforest Track, the only multiday rainforest trek of its kind."

[Nuts]

Press Release, ambiguous wording, misleading, typical.

http://www.tarkinetrails.com.au/our-tou ... est-track/

[Hallu]

Yeah and the Tassie devil is NOT "near extinct". It's endangered, but it's unlikely it'll be extinct. It's easier to save the devil than the kakapo for example, devils breed more easily.

And if I were to pick one of the last wildernesses in the tropical region of Australia, I'd pick Arnhem Land, the Northern Kimberley, or Cape York. Kakadu is a bit too swamped with tour operators, and one of the biggest uranium mines in the world right in its center doesn't really scream "wilderness". I also guess they picked Scotland and the UK because they had too... but Bhutan isn't on that list, neither is Russia. They picked areas readily accessible for tourists I suppose.

[wayno]

tasmanian devils will probably never be extinct.
they have captive populations free from the disease that is killing them in the wild, a park ranger told me, worst case scenario, if they are ever sure they are extinct in the wild they an reintroduce them to the wild from the captive population,

[stepbystep]

tasmanian devils will probably never be extinct.
they have captive populations free from the disease that is killing them in the wild, a park ranger told me, worst case scenario, if they are ever sure they are extinct in the wild they an reintroduce them to the wild from the captive population,

We'll all be extinct one day Wayno.
The bad news is the facial tumour disease has infiltrated 'The Tarkine' and it's a matter of time before it hits the coast...

Lot's of good people trying damn hard to figure out whats going on though

[stepbystep]

Oops, Sulphur leaking from a tailings dam into the Savage River, danger to health of the river and marine life.

Just as well as there is only one mine there and it has an 'award winning' record for environmental management.....

Can't wait for more mines, won't that be great for jobs

[corvus]

Oops, Sulphur leaking from a tailings dam into the Savage River, danger to health of the river and marine life.

Just as well as there is only one mine there and it has an 'award winning' record for environmental management.....

Can't wait for more mines, won't that be great for jobs

So one leak is a disaster what do you propose sbs close it down ??
corvus

[stepbystep]

Oops, Sulphur leaking from a tailings dam into the Savage River, danger to health of the river and marine life.

Just as well as there is only one mine there and it has an 'award winning' record for environmental management.....

Can't wait for more mines, won't that be great for jobs

So one leak is a disaster what do you propose sbs close it down ??
corvus

Did I use the word disaster corvus? No need to be alarmist, someone might lose their job!