Olympic Dam Expansion Protest

Public submissions on BHP's Olympic Dam Expansion close this Friday 7 August 2009.  If allowed to proceed, it will become the world's largest open pit mine.

Conservation groups and concerned citizens from across the State will be gathering on the steps of Parliament House to demand that their concerns about the many flaws in BHP's plans be listened to and acted upon.

The Wilderness Society will be there with a banner decrying BHP's proposed desalination plant at Point Lowly, designed to feed the massive water requirements of their expanded operations.  This poorly considered proposal has the potential to irreparably damage this unique marine ecosystem.

Point Lowly itself is home to the only known breeding aggregation of giant cuttlefish in the world. These amazing creatures only live for 1-2 years, mating once and then dying soon after. Independent research has shown that cuttlefish eggs are extremely sensitive to changes in salinity. A single bad reproductive year could devastate the population, putting the species at risk of extinction.

There is deep concern the brine solution discharged by the desalination plant will not properly disperse, causing mass mortalities of cuttlefish eggs as well as having negative impacts upon the lifecycles of other important species, many of them unique to the region. Read more >>

Join with us to demand a better future from our Government!

When: Friday 7th August @ 12:30pm

Where: Parliament House, North Terrace, Adelaide

What: Large gathering of protesters. Please bring a placard, a banner or something visual