Public meeting report

Public Meeting about exploration at Angela/Pamela sites

A public meeting hosted by the ASAP Collective and supported by Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation, Public Health Association Australia (PHAA) and the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW) was held at Anzac Hill High School Hall on Wednesday 7 May 2008.

The meeting was attended by approximately 200 people. The keynote speaker was Dr Gavin Mudd - hydrogeologist, civil and environmental engineer at Monash University, Melbourne. Dr Mudd is a specialist engineer in the mining sector and has extensive knowledge of the Angela Pamela sites.

Speakers and members of the public raised numerous concerns about the potential effects of exploration and/or mining at the Angela and Pamela sites and further concerns with the Northern Territory Government regarding the exploration application process and lack of accessible information.

Two resolutions were passed unanimously by the public meeting including:

1) That exploration of the Angela Pamela uranium deposit should not be allowed to proceed and;

2) That Federal Energy and Resources Minister Martin Ferguson and NT Government Mining Minister Chris Natt organise and attend another public meeting where they can address the concerns of Alice Springs residents and answer queries directly.

On behalf of the 200 community members who attended the public meeting, the ASAP collective sent a letter to NT Minister for Mines and Energy Chris Natt and Federal Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson informing them of the resolutions passed unanimously at the meeting.

We received a response from Minister Martin Ferguson on June 12 who said that he would unfortunately be unable to attend a public meeting in Alice Springs and ensures that 'any new uranium mine would be subject to comprehensive environmental assessment by the Commonwealth under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999"

So far there has been no response from NT Mining Minister Chris Natt.

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Dr Gavin M Mudd has been an active researcher and advocate on the environmental impacts and management of mining for over a decade. He has been involved with many aspects of industry with a particular specialty in brown coal wastes, uranium mining and environmental management. His work has been showcased in several international journals and conferences.

Gavin maintains an independent perspective, and has undertaken research for mining companies, community groups and aboriginal organisations. In particular, Gavin has had extensive involvement in examining the underlying scientific issues associated with uranium mining in Australia, with detailed knowledge of the Australian uranium mining sector as well as globally.

With strong qualifications and experience, he has developed a unique understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of the environmental aspects of mining in Australia and globally, culminating in a distinctive view on how to quantify an apparent oxymoron – that of “sustainable mining”. Additionally,

Gavin has active research interests in urban groundwater issues, groundwater management and assessment, especially with respect to climate change and sustainability. [ bio borrowed from http://www.earthportal.org/]

A copy of Gavin Mudd's presentation can be downloaded below.