LAKE COWAL CAMPAIGN

LAKE COWAL CAMPAIGN

MEDIA RELEASES

1 May 2008 UN to hear Lake Cowal gold mine worries - Wiradjuri man Neville 'Chappy' Williams is in New York for the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Listen to Aboriginal Spirituality Fundamental Freedom a utube video of Neville Williams speaking at the UN conference.

6 April 2008 Fly Over of Mine Site and Wiradjuri Elder Speaks - Note the collapse of the Open Pit Wall!

28 March 2008 Barrick rejects halt, cover-up claims

26 March 2008 Miner plans Lake Cowal Goldmine Expansion

11 October 2007 Mine strike could cost unions $176,000 each

13 July 2007 Aboriginal Elders Occupy Barrick Gold's Australian Head Office

3 May 2007 Peter Munk, Chair of Barrick Gold Admits Liability for The Desecration Of Lake Cowal Sacred Site, Australia

2 May 2007 Lake Cowal goldmine: Greens call for an info, not cyanide, spill

2 May 2007 Sydney residents raise con cerns about cyanide by Caro Meldrum (ABC News Online)

1 May 2007 Barrick's Dirty Secrets: Communities Respond to Gold Mining's Impacts Worldwide

24 April 2007 Gold Miner Urges Water Equality (ABC News Online)

12 April 2007 Right to Demonstrate and Protest at Lake Cowal Upheld

9 April 2007 Police Foiled in Attempt to Re-Arrest Lake Cowal Protestor

9 April 2007 14 Protestors Arrested at Wiradjuri Lake Cowal demonstration

8 April 2007 Protest forces closure of NSW mine. ABC News Online

17 November 2006 Office Occupation at Oricas Head office in Melbourne

7 November 2006 Mining Company's Gross Use of River Water Is Left Out Of Water Debate

29 October 2006 Unfolding environmental catastrophe in the heart of the fragile Murray-Darling Basin

25 October 2006 Gold mine operator agrees to provide water to farmers

24 October 2006 Landholders monitor falling underground water level (and they wonder if it has anything to do with the Cowal Gold Project?!)

18 October 2006 Govt dept rejects mine water use claims. Orange News

29 September 2006 Premier to open Lake Cowal Gold Mine

23 August 2006 Walk Against Cyanide (W.A.C.) is carrying a message of support for the Wiradjuri Traditional Owners and the Coalition to Protect Lake Cowal, who have been fighting to protect Lake Cowal in central NSW from devastation from a cyanide-leach open-cut gold mine.

July 2006 What is the real price of gold? Case Study: Lake Cowal
A collaborative project between The Mineral Policy Institute, UTS Online Journalism 1 and UTS Shopfront.

5 July 2006 "There is Death in them thar' Pits" Canada's Barrick Gold in Tanzania The Dominion, News from the Grassroots by Tracy Glynn

June 4 2006 Two Perth Based Mining Giants Ignore Traditional Elders

27 April 2006 Fears raised over cyanide transport Blue Mountains Gazette by Jacqui Knox

21 April 2006 Cyanide Watch to protest for ban in Dubbo ABC Western Plains NSW

21 April 2006 Cobb condemns mine protesters Daily Liberal by Jeremy Scott

17 April 2006 RAIN Corroborree media release from Friends of the Earth Australia

16 April 2006 Eight arrests after goldmine raid - See also Indymedia Perth and Green Left Weekly article

13 April 2006 Modern Midas Men and the Threat of Cyanide

12 April 2006 Fool’s gold: the fight to protect Lake Cowal from Green Left Weekly, by Natalie Lowrey of Friends of the Earth Australia

7 April 2006 Cyanide route revealed - potential disaster for local communities

5 April 2006 Miner rejects flood study, native title claims

31 March 2006 AGH! LAKE COWAL GOLD MINE HAS STARTED UP!

30 March 2006 Protesters crank up anti-gold mine campaign as gold pour imminent at Lake Cowal

23 March 2006. 10:40am (AEDT) abc news Greens Want Answers to Cyanide Transport Questions

22 March 2006 Interview on The Wire: Lake Cowal at risk on International Water Day

22 March 2006 International Water Day : Talking Cyanide

21 March 2006 National Day Action for Water - Stop the Cyanide!

The Sydney office of the NSW Minister for Minerals Resources and also Natural Resources, the Hon Ian McDonald, will be the target of environmental activists celebrating the National Day of Action for Water.

noon Wednesday 22 March 2006
Level 6 / 201 Elizabeth Street Sydney

The controversial Barrick Gold mine near Lake Cowal is about to start up. See aerial photos taken 9 March @ www.peacebus.com/LakeCowal/060309MinePics.html

The mine, which has been consistently opposed by the Wiradjuri Native Titleholders and major environmental groups, will pump to the pit and permanently poison 3,650 mega litres of artesian water a year for the next 13 years.

To extract the gold the Lake Cowal mine will also consume 6,090 tonnes of sodium cyanide a year for 13 years. This cyanide will be carted to Lake Cowal from the Orica manufacturing plant in Gladstone, Queensland, 1600 km away.

But the Minister is refusing to reveal the cyanide route. (See response to the question put in the NSW Legislative Council 8 March by Green MLC Lee Rhiannon @ www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20060308028)

"The transport of these huge tonnages of cyanide represents a major hazard to other road users and the communities and water ways along the route", said Graeme Dunstan of Cyanide Watch.

"Citizens have a right to know the scale and the nature of the hazard their government has committed them to," said Mr Dunstan. "We are demanding that the Minister make information about cyanide routes public knowledge."

The protest action will be supported by Peacebus.com and Friends of the Earth Australia in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

Further Information
http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/gold/lakep.html
wwww.savelakecowal.org
www.peacebus.com/CyanideWatch

21 Mar 2006 Protect Lake Cowal National Day of Action on International Water Day

All supporters of the Campaign to Protect Lake Cowal, will be activating across the nation tomorrow.

Wednesday 22nd of March Is International Water Day and supporters of this culurally and environmentally significant wetland will be gathering at Parliament House in Melbourne, 11am, to march through the city and end with a performance in front of the State Gallery, St Kilda Road at midday.

Don't miss this chance to see a beautiful spectacle and learn more about
the campaign to PROTECT LAKE COWAL!

Further Information:
http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/gold/lakep.html
wwww.savelakecowal.org
www.peacebus.com/CyanideWatch

3 Feb 2006 Indigenous Group Warns Miner of Lake Cowal Costs

Wiradjuri Elder Slams Tender For Mine Waste Management Contract
21 October 2005

Wiradjuri Elder, Neville “Chappy” Williams, has slammed the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation (WCC) for submitting a tender for the mine waste management contract at the Lake Cowal gold mine.

“Shame on Percy Knight and on the WCC for their latest ridiculous, dangerous action. They’ve no idea of the environmental and health risks involved in mine waste management,” Mr Williams said.

“The waste from the Cowal Gold Project is sure to be toxic, including cyanide compounds and who knows what else. At this stage no-one can know exactly what will be in the waste. Nor do we know exactly where it’ll be dumped.

“If this tender goes ahead, Percy Knight will be sitting snugly in his Condo office while our people are exposed to toxic chemicals which can have a range of health effects such as cancer. Also the workers could develop long-term ill health, such as lung diseases, from other mining activities. Next thing Barrick will have Jacky Jacky mixing the cyanide used to remove the gold from the ore! This is just another cynical action from multinational companies that are only after quick profits for the benefit of overseas shareholders.

“It’s time Aboriginal people stopped doing the dirty work for the greedy, particularly multinationals. We should not be putting our people at risk of long-term health problems from handling waste and doing other mining work. People in our community are sick enough already with illnesses like cancer, diabetes, heart and kidney disease.

“The WCC is complicit in the destruction of our cultural heritage. The work on the Cowal Gold Mine has already destroyed many, many artefacts, marked trees and sacred Aboriginal sites that are thousands of years old.

“The Native Title agreement with Barrick, that has allowed all this to happen, was shonky from the start. It was only signed by a handful of Wiradjuri people and wasn’t authorised by the majority of Wiradjuri with ties to the Lake Cowal area. Around 160 Wiradjuri signed a petition against the mine some years ago and there is still strong opposition to it by the majority who’ve been sold out by the few.

“The mine only has a life of about 13 years. What’s important is the future for our people, especially our kids. We need long-term ecologically sustainable jobs based on our culture, not short-term fixes. You don’t see Lake Cowal mentioned any more as a place for recreation such as fishing. People in the Lake Cowal region should be very worried about this mine and its likely consequences such as damaged and destroyed environment, polluted rivers and groundwater, increased greenhouse gas emissions, toxic dust, sick animals, birds and people”, Mr Williams said.

Canberra
Contact: Neville Williams 0416 316 774

NO MORE CONSENT TO DESTROY|
Friday 30 September 2005

Supporters from around Australia for the Protection of Lake Cowal, both indigenous and non-indigenous, are calling for the removal of Section 90 from the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.

They will be gathering outside the Newcastle and Sydney CBD offices of the Department of Environment and Conservation next week in Solidarity with Traditional Owners of the Wiradjuri Nation and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs who have called for the removal of section 90 and other associated sections of the NPW Act 1974.

‘With the demand to remove the current legislation is also the demand to draft a new Aboriginal Heritage Act’, said Lake Cowal Campaigner, Mia Pepper. ‘The current legislation is unworkable and racially discriminatory.’

For the past five years Wiradjuri Traditional Owner, Neville Williams, has been in the courts in his endeavor to hold off the destruction of Significant Aboriginal Sites. Mr Williams has been recently represented in the NSW court of appeals by top Sydney Silk Tim Robertson SC.who has claimed that the Department of Environment and Conservation have no statutory power to issue Consents to Destroy Aboriginal Culture.

The supporters are also calling for the artifacts removed from Lake Cowal to be returned to the Traditional Owners, the Mooka/Kalara United Families who are the Native Title claimant group for Lake Cowal.

It is estimated that in the last 30 years over 1000 consents have been issued to deface, disturb or destroy Aboriginal Sites in NSW.

Lake Cowal is in central western NSW and is home to the controversial Lake Cowal gold mine licensed to Canadian Gold giant Barrick.

Comments and Interviews available
Mia Pepper, Lake Cowal Campaign m. 0415 380 808
Natalie Lowrey, Friends of the Earth Australia m. 0431 194 083
Neville Williams, Mooka Traditional Owners Council within the Wiradjuri Nation m: 0416 316 774

September, 2005

A challenge by Traditional Owner, Wiradjuri Elder, Neville Williams is be heard in the NSW court of appeal. This may cause a major hold up to the
controversial Lake Cowal Gold Mine in Central West NSW.

Over the last five years the Lake Cowal Gold Project has been subjected to protracted lititgation by Mr Williams in his endeavour to hold off the
destruction of Significant Aboriginal Sites. The Challenge in the court of appeal concerns the construction of 130k Electricity Transmission line (ETL)
without whih the mine would be unable to operate. The appeal follows a decision made in the Land and Environment court which declared that the
Consents to Destroy Aboriginal Sites on the ETL ROute are invalid.

Mr Williams is being represented by top Sydney Silk Tim Robertson SC who has upped-the-anti by claiming that the Department of Environment and
Conservation have no statutory power to issue Consents to Destroy Aboriginal Culture.

The three judges, inc Chief Judge Spiegleman were told that all major infrastructure projects in NSW should be halted if it were found that Consents to Destroy could not be issues. It is estimated that in the last 30 years over 1000 consents have been issud to destroy Aboriginal Sites in NSW.

Traditional Owners and the Dep't of Aboriginbal Affairs have called for the removal of the legislation and a new Aboriginal Heritage Act be drafted as the current legislation is unworkable and racially discriminatory.

CANADIANS BACK LAKE COWAL STRUGGLE

On June 10th, 2005, at 12:30pm, members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) will join a representative from the Australian "Coalition To Protect Lake Cowal" to deliver a statement to transnational mining company Barrick Gold Corporation, located at: BCE Place, Canada Trust Tower, 161 Bay Street, Suite 3700, Toronto.

The statement, signed by Wiradjuri Traditional Owner Neville 'Chappy' Williams and a coalition of 25 Australian organizations, is demanding an end to all operations at Barrick's 2650 hectare mining lease at Lake Cowal, situated in Western New South Wales, Australia.

Lake Cowal is included in the Australian Register of the National Estate and it is listed on Australia‚s „Directory of Important Wetlands. It is home to endangered flora and fauna species and many of the 277 bird species found here are listed in two International Migratory Birds Agreements with China and Japan (CAMBA & JAMBA).

This lake is the sacred heartland of the Wiradjuri Nation, part of the central ceremonial ground of one of the largest indigenous nations of Australia. During the mine construction, numerous ancient artifacts and sacred sites were destroyed or removed from the area .

There is great concern from traditional owners and supporters that the mine will irreparably damage the fragile and important ecosystem of the lake. The mining lease, situated in integral part of Australia‚s Murray-Darling basin includes two cyanide tailing dams and an open-pit, 1km wide and 325 meters deep.

"Don‚t desecrate our dreaming site, don‚t mine our sacred site. I have fought Barrick in the courts for over two years. Now it is time for us all to work
together to stop this disaster waiting to happen" stated Traditional Owner, Neville 'Chappy' Williams.

"As a worldwide commodity, water is more precious than gold. Yet Barrick has been granted a license to take 17 million litres of water a day in a region suffering severe drought", added Natalie Wasley (from Australia) , who will deliver the declaration.

This is the third „notice to quit‰ Barrick Gold has been served by Wiradjuri traditional owners and supporters.

For more information contact Hazem at OCAP: 416 925 6939
see http://www.savelakecowal.org

COUNTRY ENERGY SHOULD PAY ABORIGINAL ELDER
13 April 2005

Greens MP and mining spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has called on Country Energy to pay an Aboriginal elder for his work monitoring the collection and relocation of Aboriginal artefacts facing destruction from the construction of the electricity transmission line to service the Lake Cowal gold mine.

If Country Energy can afford to pay lawyers from the big end of town to write letters saying Aboriginal elder Mr Neville Williams won’t be paid, and is willing to cream a profit from constructing the line at the expense of Aboriginal heritage, then they can certainly afford to pay Mr Williams, Ms Rhiannon said.

Mr Neville Williams is participating in the five day project now underway. But as a pensioner, he can’t afford a motel and is sleeping in his car.

Country Energy have said that they’re not strictly obliged to pay Mr Williams. But last year they did pay him for his survey work and other Aboriginal monitors from local land councils are currently being paid for the same work.

I can only speculate that Mr Williams is being punished for his past work in taking court action to protect Wiradjuri heritage and for obtaining independent expert advice that shows the archaeological survey commissioned by Country Energy to be woefully inadequate.

Mr Williams has found artefacts, sites and scarred trees where Country Energy’s archaeologist said there were none.

Mr Williams sees it as his cultural duty to attend the site where 1,000s of years worth of Aboriginal cultural heritage faces destruction from the construction.

This treatment of Mr Williams is just not fair, said Ms Rhiannon.

More information: Kristian Bolwell, 9230 3551, 0411638320

WORLD WETLANDS DAY THROWS SPOTLIGHT ON LAKE COWAL
Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon today urged the Carr Government to use World Wetlands Day (today, February 2) to halt the construction of a potentially destructive cyanide-based gold mine at one of NSW’s most important wetlands, Lake Cowal.

“World Wetlands Day would be an ideal time for the Carr Government to halt this project before it gets underway and causes irreversible ecological damage,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“Lake Cowal is listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands of Australia and meets at least three * if not more * of the criteria for a Ramsar listing as an internationally significant wetland.

“Although Lake Cowal goes through periodic dry spells, this doesn’t mitigate its vital importance to the ecology of western NSW, particularly as a habitiat for thousands of migratory birds.

“A large number of migratory birds have disappeared in the past decade as agricultural practices, climate change and other factors have curtailed their habitats. Barrick Gold’s mine at Lake Cowal will only exacerbate this.

“The mine uses cyanide to extract the gold, yet there is no cyanide management plan available at this stage. Water systems are under threat from leakage, seepage and spills * as has happened many times with cyanide mining in Australia and around the world.

“A cyanide spill or seepage could potentially damage the Upper Lachlan Groundwater Area, an aquefer which is earmarked to provide water to communities in western NSW in future,” Ms Rhiannon said.

Hans van Leeuwen
Media Adviser, Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon
Tel: (61 2) 9230 3551
Fax: (61 2) 9230 3550
Mob: 0425 310 562
hans.vanleeuwen@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Article from the Forbes Advocate, NSW
MIXED NEWS FOR COWAL
Thursday, 11 November 2004

A bid to ban cyanide-based mining has been overturned in NSW Parliament but the Lake Cowal Gold Project has suffered a setback in the construction of a transmission line at the Lake Cowal gold mine.

The Land and Environment Court ruled last week Barrick Gold should stop building a transmission line at its future Lake Cowal mine because it had not followed the correct development application process.

However, Barrick Gold issued a press release saying its mine construction was on schedule and on budget.

On announcing the commencement of construction in January this year, Barrick estimated it would be pouring the first gold in early 2006.

Nine months into the construction phase, the project is meeting all its milestones.

"We expect everything to be in order for first production in early 2006, as planned," Richard Weston said.

Major works have included an 11 kilometre public road diversion and travelling stock reserve around the boundary of the mining lease, drilling and equipping of four water bores.

Barrick appointed Aker Kvearner to design and build the processing plant and have 70 staff working on final plant engineering and procuring materials.

The company has built a water pipeline to deliver water from the bore site in Forbes Shire and bund wall to isolate mine site water from the lake.

The first two tailings storage dams have been completed as have a series of surface water diversion channels and water storage dams around the onshore portion of the mining lease to make sure water from outside the lease is diverted around the mine to drain naturally into the lake.

Earthworks have begun at the plant site to prepare for concrete pouring this month, the next major milestone for the project.

The Cowal gold mine is estimated to be worth over $300 million in investment to the local reg