Aboriginal elder takes on BHP over mine
The Age November 27, 2008 An Aboriginal elder has taken on the heavyweights at BHP’s annual general meeting to urge the mining giant to abandon plans to expand its Olympic Dam mine because it was taking “sacred water”.Kevin Buzzacott patiently waited for almost three hours for question time at BHP Billiton’s AGM in Melbourne on Thursday when he meekly stood up to the microphone and read out a prepared speech.He politely addressed the board of the world’s biggest miner, asking them to stop the planned expansion of the copper, gold and uranium mine in South Australia.Do not expand this mine. We don’t want an open cut mine; we do not want any more water taken out of the Great Artesian Basin; we want that to stop,” Mr Buzzacott said.He was supported by about 100 protesters who gathered on the Melbourne Park lawn outside the venue to oppose the expansion, which would make Olympic Dam one of the largest mines in the world………………Another shareholder, documentary filmmaker David Bradbury, asked the board if it had done forward estimates on how much they would have to pay in future class actions for people, including mine workers, adversely affected by the mining……………………….The protesters claimed the miner is legally able to override important environmental legislation because of the South Australian Roxby Downs Indenture Act.
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