Greenbushes Lithium Mine: Waste Rock Landforms, Salt Water Gully Dam and additional clearing for infrastructure
Published on Friday, 2 May 2025 at 2:09:56 PM
The Shire of Bridgetown - Greenbushes has submitted a Public Environmental Review recommendation with the below 500 word response to ‘whether or not the WA EPA should assess the proposal for referral’:
This proposal must be considered a ‘controlled action’ that will have a significant impact on several ‘protected matters’ of national significance.
Specifically, three Listed Threatened Species of birds occur throughout the proposed clearing areas and two Listed Threatened Species of mammals occur in the proposed Spring Gully Road realignment clearing area (confirmed through local surveys undertaken by the Blackwood Basin Group (BBG). That area also includes habitat of at least one Listed Threatened Species of plant and the habitat for a further five Listed Threatened Species may or is likely to occur in the area (see below).
Listed Threatened Species known to occur in the area
- BIRDS
- Calidris ferruginea – Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo; Vulnerable Species
- Calyptorhynchus banksii naso – Baudin’s Cockatoo/Long-billed Black-cockatoo; Endangered Species
- Zanda baudinii (listed as Calyptorhynchus baudinii) - Carnaby's Black Cockatoo/Short-billed Black-cockatoo; Endangered Species
- MAMMALS
- Pseudocheirus occidentalis – Western Ringtail Possum; Critically Endangered Species
- Dasyurus geoffroii – Chuditch/Western Quoll; Vulnerable Species
- PLANTS
- Caladenia harringtoniae - Harrington's Spider-orchid/Pink Spider-orchid; Vulnerable Species
Listed Threatened Species whose habitat may or is likely to occur in the area
- BIRDS
- Botaurus poiciloptilus - Australasian Bittern; Endangered Species
- MAMMALS
- Myrmecobius fasciatus – Numbat; Endangered Species
- Setonix brachyurus – Quokka; Vulnerable Species
- PLANTS
- Caladenia hoffmanii - Hoffman's Spider-orchid; Endangered Species
- Diuris micrantha - Dwarf Bee-orchid; Vulnerable Species
It is of grave concern that the clearing of an additional 162ha of existing forest and other native vegetation that currently provides habitat and forage will further impact these species as forest that may currently be too immature to support nesting of cockatoo species, will forever be gone and never become potential nesting sites into the future. Realignment of the Spring Gully road will also directly impact a multi-million dollar investment into wetland rehabilitation funded largely by the Federal government.
In addition, the proposed mine expansion project will have significant impacts on recreation and tourism amenity of the local area. Firstly, the visual impact of the 70m high waste rock landform on either side of the South-West Highway will essentially ‘frame’ the entrance to the region, having a significant negative impact on the region’s natural beauty whilst impacting tourism.
Secondly, the increased dust, noise and light emanating from the proposed expansion will be significant and should be assessed on a cumulative basis.
As can be seen from the above, the proposed project will have significant impacts on:
- several Listed Threatened Species;
- a major biodiversity investment made by the Federal Government;
- general community amenity and recreational facilities;
- landscape aesthetics, impacting tourism and local appeal of our region; and
- liveability due to cumulative dust, noise and light pollution.
It is therefore the Shire of Bridgetown–Greenbushes Council’s hope that the Minister will deem this project proposal to be a ‘controlled action’ and on the basis of that, request that further, in-depth assessments be made to determine whether the proposed activities require amendments or relocation, or potentially even refusal. These should include in-depth fauna and flora surveys around the project sites and full community consultation.
Cr Tracy Lansdell
Shire President
Click here to view a signed copy of this Public Notice.