The Riley Creek Iron Ore project in Tasmania is now set to go ahead after a challenge by environmental group, Save the Tarkine, was dismissed by the Federal Court last week.
Project owners, Venture Minerals, can now proceed with the iron ore and tungsten mine after being in a trading halt since August last yea while the legal battle played out in the courts., due to a legal battle with the Save the Tarkine environmental group, which has tried to block plans to go ahead with the proposed iron ore and tungsten mine at Riley Creek, near Tullah in Tasmania.
Justice Tracey dismissed all four grounds of appeal and upheld the environmental approval given by the previous Federal Minister in August 2013. Any appeal to Justice Tracey’s decision would need to be lodged within 21 days.
CEO of the Tasmanian Minerals and Energy Council, Terry Long, said the delays caused by the court case had come at a great cost the company and the Tasmanian industry.
“Even though the Tarkine National Coalition have lost the case, they have still managed to delay the
project and frustrate the company for months, at great cost,” Long said.
“In addition, they have prevented the small and medium businesses which would have been working
on the project since early last summer from doing so.”
“I note that costs have been awarded against the TNC and expect they will be substantial – in the
hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
However, the significant damage to the company and Tasmania’s economy has been the frustration
and long delay in starting the project, which had been approved by all of the relevant agencies.”
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