The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended the Telfer-Havieron gold mining project for approval, subject to strict conditions designed to protect the region’s rare and endangered wildlife.
Located approximately 400 kilometres south-east of Port Hedland in Western Australia, the project involves the development of the Havieron underground mine and the construction of a 55-kilometre haul road to transport ore to the existing Telfer operation for processing.
The combined project expects to produce 32 million tonnes of ore.
An important part of the EPA’s recommendation is the protection of the critically endangered night parrot. To mitigate the risk of collisions and disturbance, the authority has mandated a strict ban on night-time haulage along the Telfer-Havieron corridor.
EPA Chair Darren Walsh emphasised that the assessment prioritised the preservation of significant local fauna, including the greater bilby and the great desert skink.
“The EPA’s recommended conditions would ensure that implementation of the proposal would result in no disturbance to critical habitat for the night parrot, and protections for the greater bilby population within and adjacent to the project area,” he said.
In addition to the night-time haulage ban, the EPA has recommended strict speed limits for day-time operations, the deployment of fauna spotters and the establishment of exclusion zones around active burrows and the construction of dedicated fauna crossings to maintain ecological connectivity across the haul road.
The proposed site is situated on land within the Native Title Determination Areas of the Martu and Ngurrara Peoples.
Addressing cultural concerns, the EPA has also included conditions to guarantee that the development does not interrupt access to the land for traditional and cultural purposes.
“To ensure ongoing access to land for traditional and cultural purposes, the EPA has also recommended conditions to ensure no interruption of entry by native title holders,” Walsh said.
The EPA’s report has been forwarded to the Minister for Environment, who will make the final decision on the project.
A three-week public appeal period is now open, closing on April 29.
