Argonaut to drill for copper against Aboriginal wishes in South Australia

Argonaut Gold

12/03/2021 03:16

MELBOURNE, March 12 (Reuters) - Miner Argonaut Resources
 ARE.AX  is preparing to start drilling for copper next week on
the shores of South Australia's Lake Torrens, it said on Friday,
against the stated wishes of local Aboriginal groups.
    Drilling for the Murdie project is set to begin after 20
semi-trailer trucks delivered accomodation units, ground
protection matting, vehicles and specialist drills, Argonaut
said in a filing to the stock exchange.    
    "Argonaut anticipates that drilling will be underway early
in the week commencing 15 March 2021. Drilling be conducted 24/7
in two daily shifts," it said. 
    The project comes after the miner received approval from
South Australia's government in January to drill, which came
despite opposition from Indigenous groups who say they have
ancestral ties to the lake.
    "We are telling them, 'you can't do that mate, it's against
our beliefs," said heritage services manager Glen Wingfield of
Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation.
    "They disregard the stories and the importance for our
community - they just want to go off and mine," he told Reuters,
adding that Argonaut had not obtained their consent to drill.
    Argonaut director Lindsay Owler did not immediately respond
to a request for comment on Friday.
    Last year mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd  RIO.AX  destroyed two
ancient and sacred Indigenous rock shelters in the Pilbara
region of Western Australia as part of an iron ore mine
expansion.
    The destruction focused a spotlight on Australia's laws that
have been skewed to favour development at the expense of
Aboriginal heritage, sparking international condemnation and a
national inquiry.   
    Below Lake Torrens are fragile fresh water acquifers that
local Aboriginal groups fear could be damaged by mining,
jeopardising water supplies in the arid region, while the lake
itself is part of their spiritual beliefs.
    A native title judgement in 2016 raised questions about
whether local Aboriginal groups had ancestral and ongoing ties
to the region, citing a lack of ethographic evidence. 



 (Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Michael Perry)
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