ACTIVISTS descended on Bacchus Marsh’s Eddy Clark Reserve on Saturday to “wave goodbye” to Mantle Mining as its exploratory drilling program draws to a close.
About 50 members of the Moorabool Environment Group (MEG) and Quit Coal, along with residents, doctors and MPs, waved placards declaring “No new coal”.
MEG secretary Deb Porter said she was pleased with the turnout, with many “new local faces” turning up to offer support.
“It was very peaceful,” Ms Porter said. “It was more of a celebration that the exploratory drilling is finishing and to emphasise that we don’t want them back in our town.
“The community is still incredibly starved of information from Mantle about the next stages.”
Mantle has two boreholes to complete before exploration around Parwan and Bacchus Marsh is complete, exploration manager Callum Lamont said.
On Friday, the company announced the thickness of coal found in 12 holes completed by March 31 had continued to exceed expectations.
It also confirmed a draft joint venture agreement was being developed with larger mining company Exergen Pty Ltd.
Quit Coal campaign spokesman Shawn Murray said Exergen “had the connections to the mining heavyweights”.
“They have the power and money, the technology and links to big engineering companies,” he said.
“The economic incentive to turn brown coal into an exportable resource is massive – coal is worth $200 a tonne.
“Without a strong community campaign there will be quite a chance a mine could go ahead.”
At Saturday’s rally, MEG president Kate Tubbs warned about the effect mining could have on tourism and Bacchus Marsh’s reputation as a food bowl area.
Doctors for the Environment paediatrician Merryn Redenbach discussed the possible health effects of coal mining on residents.
Mr Lamont said the exploration program
should wrap up by early June.
There are five “levels of confidence” required by the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) before a mine can be established, with each one defining quality, quantity and characteristics of the coal.
The next real level of confidence, an “indicated” resource status, would allow Mantle to seek financial backers for mining plans.
“Once we finish this stage of resource affirmation we are proving our level of resource from inferred to indicated,” Mr Lamont said.
“At the end of the last borehole we will get to an inferred status automatically. At the indicated level, Mantle will be able to draw up an initial mine plan – we will start looking at theories of how to go about the mine and put a plan together and then begin those processes of consulting with all relevant stakeholders.”
