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Bauxite talks in Bindoon continue

About 100 people attended
the Conversation with the
Community meeting held by
Bauxite Resources Limited
(BRL) at the Bindoon Town Hall
recently to hear information
and ask questions about BRL's
proposed bauxite mining
operations in the Bindoon area.
Derek Gascoine, Convenor
of Residents for Responsible
Mining (R4RM), the community
group formed to address
concerns about the impacts
of BRL's mining in the Shire
of Bindoon said the majority
of questions and statements
from attendees were hostile to
the concept of further bauxite
mining in the Shire.
"Major concerns expressed
by community stakeholders
present included the sourcing
of industrial water, dust
and noise emissions, dieback
spread, salinity, trucking
frequency, road safety,
road degradation and the
complete lack of information
about BRI:s plans after
Stage 2," Mr Gascoine said.
"The consensus of R4RM
members present is that the
meeting was a token gesture
on the part of BRL. It was held
out to be an information session
and a `workshop' but it was
conducted improperly.
"The information provided by
BRL tended to be incomplete
and in some instances
inaccurate, with insufficient or
incorrect facts provided. For
example, no maps, plans or
other information about the
subject matter was provided to
participants prior to, or even
at the meeting other than a
brief PowerPoint presentation
which did not address the valid
concerns of the community."
"No map was provided of Lot
M2110 (approximately 70 Ha)
- the proposed site of BRL's
next mine (Stage 2) which has
been referred to the EPA for
assessment. The Stage 2 site
was described by BRL's officers
as having very few trees and
not being near the Julimar
Conservation Park. However
R4RM distributed a map to
the meeting attendees which
clearly showed the block to
be both heavily forested and
adjacent to the park."
"We trust that EPA will withhold
approval until such time as
BRL adequately addresses the
serious and negative impacts
of its operations, such as those
suffered by Bindoon residents
during BRL's first mining
phase," Mr Gascoine said.
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