A NEW coalmine in Bacchus Marsh could take up to three years to receive approval, according to the Department of Primary Industries.
Speaking at a five-hour information session in Bacchus Marsh last Thursday, DPI’s executive director of earth resources, Chris Brooks, said partners Mantle Mining and Exergen faced a rigorous process if they applied for a mining licence.
He said the DPI had heard “nothing more” from the company since exploration work around Bacchus Marsh and Parwan was completed earlier this year.
“It’s a very detailed and rigorous process; there’s plenty of procedures to go through. They will need to get landowner permission, council approval, engage with the community.”
An Exergen spokesman said a detailed scoping study examining the potential of a mine site was expected to be completed by late September or early October.
Mr Brooks said there was still a long way to go. He hoped the information session, at which more than 30 people officially registered, cleared any misinformation clouding the issue.
“I noticed there was a bit of confusion about the difference between an exploration licence and a mining licence,” he said.
Meanwhile, Moorabool Environmental Group has described its freedom of information request to the DPI as a “waste of time”.
In July, the Weekly reported that the group had requested information on who the DPI consulted before approving an exploration licence to Mantle Mining.
Secretary Deb Porter said the response was lacking in detail.
“I was sent a printout of what’s on their website,” she said. “It was a total waste of time for them to print off the information and send it to me and for us to put in a request.
“We were never consulted [about the exploration licence]. Consultation is about having an opportunity to make a change to the outcome, we didn’t get that opportunity.”
