THE COMMUNITY is being asked to consider signing a petition that seeks to prevent environmental damage, due to a proposed gold mine at Dittmer, in the Whitsundays.
The environmental damage could impact threatened species such as the Proserpine Rock Wallaby and also the Whitsundays’ water resources.
The Federal petition requests that the Minister refer the action for Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) referral, and that the referral trigger a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The request is based on: ‘multiple Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) including the Great Barrier Reef, threatened species and water resources’.
Principal Petitioner Jeudi Croker, a local resident, is very concerned and she is being supported in her efforts by local action group Whitsunday Conservation Council (WCC).
“Jeudi has proved that Proserpine Rock Wallabies inhabit the area, assisted by recent footage from motion-operated night cameras supplied by us,” a WCC spokesperson said.
“It seems obvious that any leeching of toxic chemicals from the gold mine will be into an area proclaimed, by both State and Federal governments, as water catchment for both the Great Barrier Reef and Proserpine i.e. the Whitsundays’ water catchment area.”
The Federal Government Petition can be found at: https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN6605/sign
The closing date is October 9, 2024, at 11.59pm (AEST).
Extract from Federal Parliament Petition EN6605
Protect Water Resources and Threatened Species from Ballymore Mining
Petition Reason
Dittmer [proposed mine site] is in two critical catchments; GBR and Whitsunday water resources. No baseline water hydrogeology report has been submitted. Ore processing requires large water quantities, yet no water license or allocation data has been provided. No Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), or EPBC Referral has been conducted in over a year. Three departmental investigations into Ballymore have been prompted. The company holds a mere $18,000 surety. Critical principles like the Precautionary Principle and Intergenerational Equity appear absent in approval decisions. A remote desktop human rights assessment passed without data proving no significant dewatering for 79 bore reliant residents and Kelsey Creek. Four endangered MNES-listed species, including the endemic Proserpine Rock Wallaby colony—most viable yet at risk of extinction—inhabit this area. SaveWhitsundayWater
Petition Request
We therefore ask the House to, Under section 70, request the Minster refer the action for EPBC referral due to multiple Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) including the Great Barrier Reef, threatened species, and water resources under the precautionary principle. We request this EPBC referral trigger a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), including comprehensive independent ecological reports for four MNES-listed endangered and threatened species, a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for human rights impacts, hydrogeology reports including bore studies, and full independent assessments on the Great Barrier Reef, water resources, and the underground water table regime of Kelsey Creek. We ask the House place an injunction on any further activity by Ballymore until such time all requested referrals and studies are undertaken and concluded.
Link to petition: https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN6605/sign
The closing date is October 9, 2024, at 11.59pm (AEST).
