Lightning Ridge community shafted by mining inquiry

Lightning Ridge tourism is closely aligned with opal mining and there are community fears both will be diminished by the NSW Opal Mining Inquiry. Inset: President of the Lightning Ridge Tourist Association Andrew Kemeny said residents face the possibility of being left homeless. Photos contributed

The mining industry goes hand in hand with the tourism industry in Lightning Ridge and both are in danger from the recommendations of the NSW Small Scale Titles (Opal Mining) Inquiry, according to the Lightning Ridge Tourism Association.

The iconic opal mining industry in Lightning Ridge has produced the world’s finest opals for over 120 years, but proposed changes could signal the demise of an industry that has made the town famous and provided livelihoods for thousands of locals and attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists.

Key recommendations from the inquiry include restrictions that would prevent new miners from staking claims over old underground workings unless they convert the claim into open-cut operations - an option that could lead to extensive environmental damage and render large areas of land unusable for future mining.

Currently, there are 3,166 small mineral claims around Lightning Ridge and every claim will need to be resurveyed and realigned within a new grid system, further increasing the cost burden on miners.

President of the Lightning Ridge Tourist Association Andrew Kemeny said that one of the most alarming recommendations is the transfer of responsibility for rehabilitating old mines to the current leaseholders.

According to Mr Kemeny, this would shift the financial burden of past governmental failures in mine inspection and remediation directly onto miners. […]

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