Kakadu’s traditional owners to brief EU on Rio’s uranium mining
Oliver Wagg
Ethical Investor
Kakadu’s traditional owners - members of the Mirarr clan - will travel to Brisbane on Friday to brief a European Parliament delegation on concerns over the operations of Rio Tinto's uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia at Ranger uranium mine.
The traditional owners are opposing a massive expansion of the controversial Ranger uranium mine, which is surrounded by the Kakadu park, because of concerns about inadequate environmental protection.
Ranger has operated on Mirarr land for over 30 years and has a history of leaks, spills and regulatory breaches.
This week's visit will take place against the backdrop of suspended production at Ranger mine due to concerns over heavy rains and flooding as well as current plans by Energy Resources to expand the mine using heap leach technology.
Friday's briefing follows a series of meetings in 2010 when a delegation of Mirarr representatives travelled to Brussels to hold discussions with members of the European Parliament.
Mirarr and their representatives will detail for delegates key concerns including: mine waste and water management, contamination threats and the social and cultural impacts of long term mining.
In 1998 a European Parliament resolution called on the Australian federal government not to proceed with the then proposed Jabiluka mine, which has been since halted.
In the same year the World Heritage Committee sent a scientific mission to assess the impacts of uranium mining on the site.