MIC Up is calling for urgent changes to mining company behaviours and non-compliance, Government approval processes and regulatory enforcement. MIC Up calls for Government and mining companies to protect our air and water by:

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• Restoring legal rights to communities and nature by stopping “Public Hearings” that create a façade that communities have a voice, but instead silence communities by taking away their legal right to appeal planning decisions on the merits of the case. 

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• Creating exclusion zones where mining threatens human health, critical waterways, critical industries, cultural heritage and NSW’s food producing regions by amending the NSW State Environmental Planning Policy (Resources and Energy) 2021 (SEPP).​​

 

• Amending the NSW Mining Act 1992 to ban mineral exploration and mineral mining occurring in major urban drinking water catchments, in culturally and environmentally sensitive areas, in areas prone to flood and landslips

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• Exercising the power under Schedule 1B, clause 3 of the Mining Act 1992 to cause environmental impact studies to be carried out for all Exploration Licence Applications in NSW to assist Government in making decisions.

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• Stopping approval of unviable, unsustainable projects by changing the priority weighting of an approval from potential economic benefit, to protecting the sustainable and ongoing health and prosperity of the environment and community.

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• Requiring environmental and social assessment of the impact of a potential mining operation BEFORE granting exploration licences. This would eliminate the chances of the proposal being rejected, resulting in significant financial losses to the exploration company and its investors and cut out unserious, inexperienced mining companies from the process.

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• Protecting the environment from wet tailings dams which often contain toxic substances like arsenic, mercury, and sulfides. If a dam fails, these can flood rivers, forests, and farmland. Wet tailings storage consumes vast amounts of water, especially problematic in arid regions. Sulfide-rich tailings can oxidize when exposed to air, producing sulfuric acid that leaches heavy metals into groundwater.

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• Imposing proportionate financial penalties for non-compliance with conditions and regulations designed to protect thriving communities, remediating damage, and compensating those negatively impacted. ​

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• Stopping mining companies performing self-monitoring and self-reporting of regulatory compliance with little or no regulatory oversight. Evidence shows mining companies cannot be trusted due to obvious conflicts of interest.