EDS seeks funding for independent scrutiny of Bendigo-Ophir Gold Mine
The Environmental Defence Society is seeking funding to scrutinise the proposed Bendigo-Ophir Gold Mine in the fast-track approvals process. It said its review found potentially significant and permanent environmental risks.
The Environmental Defence Society is seeking funding support to enable independent expert scrutiny of the proposed Bendigo-Ophir Gold Mine, which is progressing through the Government’s fast-track approvals process. The group said it has been monitoring the project for some time and that concerns about environmental risks have deepened following a detailed review of the application material.
The proposed mine involves several large open pits and an underground component, an unlined tailings dam, a processing plant, and extensive supporting infrastructure and tracking. The group said its preliminary analysis identifies potentially significant and permanent risks to threatened species, ecological values, outstanding landscapes, conservation covenants, and freshwater systems.
A seven-member Panel will decide the application and set any conditions if approval is granted. The Panel process begins on 25 February, with a decision expected later this year.
The group said it will seek to be heard by the Panel and that fast-track processes significantly limit opportunities for wider public participation. It said that makes independent, expert scrutiny especially important.
For the case, the group said it has engaged senior counsel and independent specialists, including experts in economics, terrestrial ecology and freshwater. It said its evidence will critically evaluate both the asserted economic benefits and the environmental risks, and that it is now calling for public and philanthropic support to help fund the expert work required.