Introduced by: Guy Barnett (LIB)

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If this bill passes, it means that:

Topics

acid drainage environmental protection mining waste water pollution

Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Minister for Environment — 2025-09-25

The Mt Lyell copper mine is one of the most significant copper mines in Australian history and has been in care and maintenance since 2014 after the tragic deaths of three miners. For over one hundred years, the Mt Lyell operation has provided jobs for generations of Tasmanians and was considered an economic mainstay of Tasmania's West Coast.

Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Minister for Environment — 2025-09-25

Despite this, there remains some acidic waters entering the aquatic system sourced from the mine area via the percolation of rain waters through the waste rock dumps and old underground workings, draining to the Queen River.

Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Minister for Environment — 2025-09-25

The Mt Lyell Acid Drainage Reduction Act was made to provide a framework for a private company to treat acid mine drainage on behalf of the State, and to incentivise them by giving them the rights to any metals or minerals recovered through that treatment process.

Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Minister for Environment — 2025-09-25

The Act has never been used, and it is not foreseeable that it will ever be used. The lack of viable technology and the decreasing quality of metals in the acid drainage that has occurred over time, reduces the potential for any future commercially viable operation.

Guy Barnett MP, Minister for Environment and Climate Change — 2026-08-13

The best environmental outcome for Mt Lyell and the West Coast is a safe, modern operating mine, enabling active management and rehabilitation rather than long-term inactivity. Reopening the mine would provide the opportunity for active treatment and management of legacy acid drainage under strict regulatory oversight by the Environment Protection Authority. By repealing this redundant legislation, we are removing a barrier to investment and supporting the most effective pathway to improved environmental management at Mt Lyell.