OUTRAGEOUS CLAIMS AT LAKE COWAL: CLEAN WATER MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD.
The disastrous Timbarra goldmine has closed now, having never lived up to its expected profitability. Rehabilitation is underway, but the area will never fully recover. Yet, unbelievably, another open pit cyanide leach gold mine is on the drawing board at Lake Cowal in central west NSW. Canada's Barrick Gold, the world's 2nd largest gold producer, is planning a 1 kilometre wide open pit on the edge of the lake, producing 2.8 million ounces of gold. For every 1 tonne of rock leached, less than 1.5grams of gold is produced.
Lake Cowal, NSW’s largest inland lake, supports in excess of 1% of the national population of waterbird species. It is to be nominated under the RAMSAR wetland convention. It hosts 172 species of birds including waders protected under international migratory bird treaties. A cyanide leach mine on the edge of this precious system threatens drinking water, river life and birdlife.
Unless the project is commenced by March 2004, the development consent will lapse. This is the third Consent to Destroy under the National Parks and Wildlife Act Barrick has applied for in less than a year. The first was challenged as it was rushed through and signed on a Saturday by a NPW director who did not have full documentation before him. The second has a court injunction against it. If a Consent to Destroy is granted it cannot be revoked. However, developers have the right to appeal if the consent is not granted. They can keep reapplying even if the previous one has been injuncted and suspended by the court. Now Barrick Gold has reapplied to destroy ALL the Wiradjuri sites, artefacts and cultural objects, including very old marked river red gums, within the proposed gold mine area.
"How can the Crown claim they own our cultural objects? They belong to us and always will. But the Crown claims ownership, then makes the Director-General of National Parks the "Protector of Relics", which gives him the power to consent to their destruction in favour of development," said Neville "Chappy" Williams, traditional owner of Lake Cowal and Chair of the Mooka Traditional Owners Council within the Wiradjuri.
Barrick recently dropped the word "Lake" from the name to make it more enviro-friendly after environmental groups ran ads starring Jack Thompson on Toronto television for several weeks prior to Barrick’s annual general meeting.
Ruth Rosenhek of the Coalition to Protect Lake Cowal says Barrick's plans are ludicrous. "Not only are mining activities by Barrick Gold destroying the hub of Wiradjuri Being, but the proposed mine is flawed in its design, not nearly meeting world best practice guidelines. The technology that would break down the lethal cyanide complexes is inadequate, as is the proposed monitoring system. We cannot risk allowing cyanide complexes to enter into the groundwater system. There are plenty of other problems including the possibility of arsenic leaching out of waste rock and into the food chain before heading down to the Murray Darling basin. It is unacceptable for a Canadian company to come here with the offer of a few temporary jobs in exchange for the destruction of Aboriginal culture, the destruction of one of our few remaining wetlands, and the potential risk to many species of birds that breed and migrate at Lake Cowal. Barrick, go home!" Membership in the Coalition to Protect Lake Cowal includes Friends of the Earth Australia, Birds Australia, Nature Conservation Council, The Greens NSW and Humane Society International. For more information, call Ruth Rosenhek, Coalition to Protect Lake Cowal on 66213294 or Neville Williams, Mooka Traditional Owners Council on 0416316774 or email Ruth or visit rainforestinfo.org.au/gold/lakem.html
