Nationals' candidate for Calare, Sam Farraway, has travelled to Canberra to raise concerns about Federal Labor's decision to block the Regis Resources' proposed McPhillamys gold mine at Blayney.
Regis planned to build a tailings dam to store waste from the proposed $1 billion mine, but has been informed by Federal Environment Minister Tanyas Plibersek the dam cannot be placed at the proposed location.
Regis, in a statement to the Stock Exchange, said "Minister Plibersek has stated this declaration 'will not stop the mine.' To the contrary, this decision does impact a critical area of the project development site and means the project is not viable."
The statement goes on: "Regis further notes that this project has already been assessed and approved under both State and Commonwealth legislation."
NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said questions have been raised around why Ms Plibersek would intervene in a project that had already secured approval from the NSW Independent Planning Commission, and directly contradicts the EPBC Act approval provided from within the Minister's own department.
Mr Farraway said the Albanese Labor Government has ignored its own departmental experts, ignored the local Aboriginal Land Council, and ignored the people of Blayney to unilaterally reject this project.
He said Labor is "killing the prospect of 800 new, good paying local jobs, even though the project had the necessary state and federal environmental approvals as well as the support of the local Aboriginal Land Council."
Mr Farraway said he travelled to Canberra so he could voice the community's concerns to Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Nationals Leader David Littleproud, Shadow Indigenous Affairs Minister Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, and Shadow Environment Minister Senator Jonno Duniam.
He said Federal Labor owes Central Western NSW an explanation.
- Why was this project rejected?
- What advice did the Minister use to reject this mine?
- Will the Minister release the advice used to reject the mine?
