Gov’t allowed mining on expired leases
Mining leases covering extensive areas of North Stradbroke Island are expired or expire soon. For example lease number 1117 expired in October 2007; most of the current mining at ‘Enterprise’ is within this lease. See image to the right.
Does that mean the government is allowing mining on expired leases?
Yes! The government allowed mining company Sibelco to mine on leases for more than three and a half years ago. This 1117 lease (in the image on the right) was grated way back in 1973.
Given this lease, and others, have expired the Bligh government had the perfect opportunity to stop mining by refusing to renew the leases.
“The truth is that sand mining should never have been allowed to begin on North Stradbroke Island. It was a mistake. The leases were issued during an era when it was easier to get a mining lease than it was to get a driving licence. It was the “rip it up and ship it out” era that saw the diggers begin to dig at our island’s heart”.
The alliance of environment groups wrote a letter to Premier Bligh in June 2010 with reasons why mining leases should not be renewed.
But instead, the government extended the leases by creating new laws to bypass safeguards in the legislation which applies to the rest of the state. See more.
