The South Australian Government has finalised approvals to permit mineral exploration at Lake Gairdner – a large endorheic salt lake which is located 150 kilometres north-west of Port Augusta.
The former Labor Government granted the approvals required for an exploration program proposed by Cartwheel Minerals Pty Ltd and Mr Rudy AM Gomez in July 2017.
However, an application for a further approval lodged in late 2016 to deal with Aboriginal Heritage had not been finalised by the time of the state election in March 2018.
Following further consultation which lasted another 12 months with Aboriginal stakeholders and the project proponents, the South Australian Government has now approved a Native Title Mining Agreement (NTMA), negotiated by Cartwheel and Mr Gomez with the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal Corporation (GRAC) which represents the native title holders over Lake Gairdner.
In essence, the NTMA is an agreement under the Mining Act that demonstrates agreement with native title holders for exploration to occur.
In July 2018, Treasurer Rob Lucas sought amendments to the NTMA presented to the former Government which included the provision of a Cultural Heritage Management Plan.
“This recognised the fact that in 2004, the whole of Lake Gairdner and areas surrounding it had been registered as Aboriginal Heritage sites by a former Labor Government,” Mr Lucas explained.
“As well as consulting with GRAC, which has informed me it supports the proposed exploration program, I have also taken advice from the State Aboriginal Heritage Committee in requiring the project proponents to enhance the protections to Aboriginal Heritage provided in their NTMA,” Treasurer Lucas said.
“In deciding not to accept the advice of the Heritage Committee in its entirety, I note that just prior to the last election the then Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Kyam Maher, approved an exploration program on Lake Torrens even though the Committee had declined to make any recommendation about that program,” he added.
The Treasurer emphasised that these approvals are confined to exploration.
“Should any exploration undertaken result in the proponents deciding to proceed to mining, they will have to seek further Government assessment of their plans,” he said.