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VMS seeking court costs only, not seeking damages from STT for the 10 month delay.

Any costs will be fed back into the local community by VMS.


Text below:


Venture Minerals wants Save the Tarkine to pay
By SEAN FORD
May 23, 2014, 10:30 a.m.

A MINING company wants court costs from Save the Tarkine in a move which could help bankrupt the anti-mining group.

Venture Minerals has just confirmed it has started a legal process to pursue costs, following Federal Court proceedings.

Costs could go as high as $100,000, and the Commonwealth and state may also seek costs from the environmental group.

Venture said any funds recovered would go to the community.

Justice Richard Tracey last week dismissed the Tarkine group's action against federal approval of Venture's planned Riley iron ore mine near Tullah.

Justice Tracey said his provisional view was cost orders should be made in favour of the federal Environment Minister and Venture, but not the state government.

The Commonwealth is considering whether to seek costs, according to a spokesman for Environment Minister Greg Hunt.

The state's position is not clear,

Venture said it would not seek damages as well ``despite the fact that the action taken by them had delayed the project by 10 months''.

It said if it was successful in getting costs, it would ``direct the entirety of those funds back into the North-West Tasmanian community, which has been negatively impacted by anti-mining activity in recent years''.

"Venture Minerals already supports junior football in the region, honours research programs for UTAS students and the Tullah Progress Association's community projects.''

Save the Tarkine campaign coordinator Scott Jordan this week told The Advocate the group was considering whether to appeal the court decision.