Tasmania sand mine proposal sparks Aboriginal concerns over cultural and environmental impacts

A company that will next month apply to mine millions of tonnes of sand for export from Tasmania's largest farm says it plans to build a 700-metre jetty that would also support other businesses in the state's remote north-east.

But Aboriginal groups have raised concerns about the environmental and cultural impacts of the project, which would be about 150 metres inland and would depend on the construction of the lengthy jetty for exports.

Tony Ellis, the director of North Scottsdale Resources, said next month the company would lodge its mining lease application to dredge and treat around 90 million to 100 million tonnes of sand, over 30 to 40 years, from a 500-hectare site on Tasmania's north-eastern tip.

He said they were targeting a type of sand used to make concrete, which he said was in short supply across Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, as well as cities in South-East Asia.

Mr Ellis said the proposed mining area was "wholly enclosed on the Rushy Lagoon property" — Tasmania's largest farm, which recently sold to UK investment firm Gresham House and plans to plant roughly 12 million pine seedlings across it.

Rushy Lagoon is also slated to host wind turbines as part of ACEN's 210-turbine North East Wind project, which is currently applying for a major project permit.

Gresham House's Tasmanian Natural Asset Trust manager Jonathan Craven said it had had "preliminary discussions with the proponent about the proposed sand mine".

But he said Gresham House was yet to see details of the environmental, cultural and commercial impacts of the project.

Mr Ellis said the proposal would provide dual benefits to the region's other operators, through the construction of a 700-metre jetty, south of Petal Point.

He said this would be used to load sand onto a transfer vessel, which would transport it over shallow waters to larger ships, "which will carry it to various ports on the mainland, possibly Hobart and also South-East Asia".

But he also said the jetty could have multiple users, suggesting ACEN could use it to bring in bulky wind turbines, or others could use it to transport container freight.

An ACEN Australia spokesperson said the jetty proposed by North Scottsdale Resources was not critical to its development, which would require its own transport solution.

Mr Ellis anticipated the proposed sand mine would initially employ 25-30 people, increasing as production ramped up.

"If we have a day and an evening shift, it could be up around the 40 odd people," he said.

He said the company had undertaken Aboriginal heritage studies and flora and fauna assessments, as well as drilling to assess the quality of the sand and any potential acid sulphate soils that may exist on site.

Aboriginal groups raise concerns

But the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) and the Melaythenner Teeackana Warrana Aboriginal Corporation (MTWAC) have each separately raised concerns about the environmental impact of the proposed sand mine.

The TAC's country and culture manager Andry Sculthorpe said its members gathered at Pupiyala/Boobyalla Beach yesterday to make their opposition to the project clear.

"The sandy coastlines of the North East are areas where our ancestors lived their lives and buried their dead," he said.

"Those connections are fundamental to who we are, and we will not allow them to be destroyed."

He said there were serious concerns about the environmental impact of sand mining more broadly, and Tasmania should not volunteer its beaches to feed a "questionable international demand" for sand.

MTWAC co-chair Mark Harriss said his organisation was concerned about the project's size, the ecological impact of the jetty and the vessels it would accommodate, risks to the Boobyalla sand dunes and a plan to progressively transform the mined area into a lake.

Mr Ellis confirmed the lake was part of the company's plan, and said it was investigating whether it could be used for aquaculture or to host solar panels.

He also said waste sand would be used to create wetlands.

But he also said "the coastal dunes will not be touched" and the mining will occur about 150m inland from the dunes on "old degraded agricultural grazing land".

"I think that's an indicator of [the land's] mistreatment rather than its ecological value as a space," Mr Harriss responded.

Calls for broader consultation

Mr Harriss, a pakana man, said while there had been engagement between the parties, Aboriginal community members had not yet been adequately consulted about the project and its potential impacts.

"For us, it's being at the table at every stage around consultation and being involved in what that plan looks like," he said.

"We are absolutely in support of industry.

"However, it needs to be done in the right way.

He said the company's Aboriginal heritage assessment needed to be coupled with "meaningful, deliberate and comprehensive engagement" with Aboriginal people, which would allow them to provide free, prior and informed consent.

He called on the Dorset Council, which will eventually assess the proposal, to ensure proper consultation occurred.

A state government spokesperson said Mineral Resources Tasmania was "engaging directly with members of the local Aboriginal community to address their concerns over future activity near sensitive areas".

Mr Ellis said he was "more than happy" to sit down with concerned parties for further consultation.

He said North Scottsdale Resources had held an exploration permit over the area since 2015, and planned to lodge its mining lease application next month.

He guessed the earliest it could be approved for mining was late 2027.