22nd Nov 2011 – Senate Motions - Tarkine Wilderness - Failure to list

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Christine Milne, which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) the Tarkine is the last great unprotected wilderness in southern Australia and is recognised to be of World Heritage significance,

(ii) the Tarkine has been under consideration for inclusion on the National Heritage List since 2004, making it the longest continuous assessment process in the history of the National Heritage process,

(iii) the delay in heritage listing means mining companies only need be assessed on potential impacts on threatened species and not the impacts on heritage values, which include wilderness, geological, cultural, flora and fauna diversity and natural history values,

(iv) the recently referred Venture Minerals Limited tin, tungsten, copper and hematite mine at Mt Lindsay is a Pilbara style open cut super pit to a depth of 220 metres that will devastate an area of 3.5 km by 3 km of the Tarkine rainforest wilderness,

(v) this proposed pit is within an existing reserve and is completely inconsistent with the protection of the Tarkine,

(vi) the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (Mr Burke) is legally unable to consider the impacts on the rainforest, the 25 watercourses to be disrupted, or the recognised wilderness values of the area in the mine's assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the Act) unless the Tarkine is heritage listed, and

(vii) a diseased Tasmanian devil has been discovered on the eastern side of the Arthur River, making the area to the west of the Arthur River the only disease free part of Tasmania, highlighting the urgent need to permanently protect the Tarkine from further major developments, including mining and roading that directly threaten the devil; and

(b) calls on the Minister to:

(i) immediately include the Tarkine on the National Heritage List before he considers the Venture Minerals Limited proposed mine under the Act,

(ii) acknowledge that Venture Minerals Limited has deliberately split the project for assessment purposes,

(iii) require Venture Minerals Limited to submit the entire mining proposal for the Tarkine area for assessment,

(iv) recognise that failure to list the Tarkine before 2 December 2011 is a deliberate choice to exclude heritage values from the mine proposal assessment, and

(v) acknowledge that a decision not to list the Tarkine on the National Heritage List is a decision to prioritise mining over the protection of wilderness values.