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Mining Monitor - December 2013

Welcome to the final Mining Monitor for 2013.

While there is still much to be done to curb the impacts and excesses of the global mining industry, it's worth pausing for a moment at this time of the year to remember what we have achieved with the help of colleagues, affected communities, supporters, family, friends and donors.

This year MPI has been productive and effective with its support for mining affected communities in Australia, PNG, the Pacifc, Africa and Scandinavia - as well as producing a documentary, research articles and a revamped website and mining monitor.

MPI uses a range of strategies to a achieve our goal of securing improvements in mining projects, policy, law and practice. Our goal is ambitious and almost never-ending as we seek to prevent mining related  injustices, embed better practices in a global mining industry and secure better outcomes for those most at risk. To do his we have a varied work-plan; from attending an AGM, to undertaking and publishing new research, to assessing damaged sites or supporting remote communities.  Below is just a sample of what we have achieved this year.

Now to to say thanks. Thanks very much to our major funders and project partners, without you we would achieve little. Thankyou to the MPI Board; Mia, Gavin, Richard and Adam who provide the direction and the energy that keeps MPI on track. Thanks to Jessie, Andrea, Belle and Cathy for the work you do or for just helping out when needed. Thankyou to our member donors - for the energy and support your donation brings! Thanks to the Earth Welfare Foundation for understanding the importance of our Mining Legacies work and helping bring that to fruition.

MPI has some big ideas for 2014 and we would appreciate your help.

  • We really need a volunteer coordinator - so if donating a few hours to help maximize the effectiveness of our volunteers appeals to you then please contact me, ASAP.
  • Always need more volunteers too.
  • Help us spread the word. Keep up with our news on facebook or twitter or at our website and share it with those around you.
  • Share a little joy this Christmas, together we can help those impacted by mining. Whether its a community in PNG, El Salvador or Australia we promise to use your donation to hold the mining industry to account and deliver a real return for mining affected communities. Become a monthly donor for Christmas.

Merry Christmas and seasons greetings to you all, thanks.
Charles, ED, MPI.
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Mining Legacies Update
 
In December 2013 the MPI team completed state and territory case studies for the mining legacy website. These case studies include short summaries of the mining history in each state and territory and reviews of the different policies on legacy mine sites around Australia.

The project so far has revealed that most states and territories have focused on preventing future legacy mine sites with a clear mandate that abandoning mine sites is unacceptable. The response from Government in actually addressing the legacies we have now, however,  has been disappointing. There are insufficient funds available and little on the ground work completed. The mining legacy issues facing Australia are epic.
 
There are some new legacy sites uploaded on the website with sites from Tasmania thanks to local contributions and other sites in West Australia. There are many more to come and as always we encourage MPI supporters to contribute information and photographs of any known legacy mine sites.
 
MPI has also submitted an abstract for a paper on “Community Perspectives on Mining Legacies” for the Life of Mine Conference 2014. The abstract was accepted and we are looking forward to presenting this paper to the conference.
 
Through the ongoing research and investigation into these matters we have attracted some attention and many interesting visitors to the website including Government.  The project is ever evolving and changing and we would love your input.
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El Salvador
MPI was pleased to assist Vidalina Morales as she toured Australia gathering support for communities threatened by mining pollution in El Salvador. Vidalina is pictured here with Charles and the Greens [and past MPI Board member], Robin Chaple oputside the WA Parliament. There is to much too tell here, so get on board the campaign at  waternotgold.info/ or  facebook.com/WaterNotGold

If you support MPI continuing to provide assistance to Vidalina in 2014 then please donate to the El Salvador campaign.
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Deep Sea Mining
MPI's Executive Director, Charles Roche has co-authored two papers in a new report on deep sea mining [DSM]  as part of the SPC/SOPAC DSM Project in the Pacific that aims to inform Pacific Island Countries [PIC] about the potential and risks of DSM.

MPI has been involved in the project to ensure that PIC's get a more balanced perspective about the potential, impacts and benefits than that provided by industry proponents and the media. As soon as a copy is available a link will be provided on the MPI website.

QLD: Mount Morgan mining legacy
Gavin Mudd and Jessie Boylan from MPI traveled to Rockhampton, then on to Mount Morgan to document the famous Mount Morgan gold-copper mine, which generated not only extra-ordinary wealth for its major shareholders but has left Queensland and Australia with probably it’s largest and most polluting mining legacy.

The Mount Morgan mine is a ‘classic’ legacy site – generating enormous wealth in its heyday but leaving an environmental disaster, which will cost current taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

In January this year, a large storm hit the region and the pit filled up and over-flowed for the first time, sending huge AMD-rich waters further down the Dee River than ever before. Locals felt this was the worst impact yet from the Mt Morgan mine, a timely reminder of the need to urgent remediate the site. Full Report here.

Nuclear AGM's - Paladin and Toro
Part of keeping an eye on mining companies is through proxies or shares, during the AGM season MPI attended two AGM's. Toro were reluctant to allow MPI's proxy holders, Glen Cook a Ngaanyatjarra elder who lives in Wiluna and Kylie Fitzwater a Wongutha woman from Perth into the meeting despite their proxies. Read Mia's account on the MPI website.
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MPI NEEDS YOU!
We are currently looking for a volunteer coordinator as well as the usual call for anyone who wants to help mining affected communities.
Mineral Policy Institute 2013 ©

 mpi@mpi.org.au     www.mpi.org.au
PO Box 6043, Girrawheen WA 6064 AUSTRALIA

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