Following a call from the Department of Mineral Resources to review the opal mining industry, farmers yesterday met with a department senior officer.
Under the new initiative - the Lightning Ridge Mining Strategy - all stakeholders will get the chance to have their say.
The department's principal advisor on minerals Garth Holmes was recently appointed to address problems and create an effective mining strategy.
One of the farming representatives at the meeting Bill Powell said a number of issues had existed for some time.
These included the lack of rehabilitation of mining claims, public liability, compensation and property rights.
He said farmers in the local area were unhappy with the present compensation scheme.
"I think it's a joke, we only get a few dollars per claim."
Mr Powell said another major concern was public liability.
"We have got some type of guarantee in the claim conditions, but a majority of miners would not have any type of insurance cover for worker's compensation or anything.
"They have argued they can't get any cover as a blanket approach, that is to cover the LRMA (Lightning Ridge Miners' Association), or as individuals, but that is not our problem.
"The department had told us that landholders were covered (by insurance) but they couldn't give us a written guarantee, and my concern is that as a third party we could possibly still get dragged in.
"To date this whole issue has just been swept under the carpet."
However Mr Powell said insurance companies had told him they would try to get the LRMA a blanket policy.
He said the farmers' final major concern raised at yesterday's meeting was property rights.
"This is mainly for security purposes, because you never know who is on your land.
"We get illegal pig shooters and miners, and it's harder to get people to justify being on the property.
"As a result we've got those who do damage to our properties, and while we can put in a claim and be compensated, it is a big problem.
"If a gate is left open and cattle get out, we have to move them back. It is an inconvenience.
"Ninety per cent of miners are good, but it's the 10 per cent who are not doing the right thing."
"I'm really hoping that Garth will be able to help us because we are under strict guidelines about what we can and can't do on our properties," he said.
"It is only now that the department and miners are beginning to realise it is just not good enough."
"I hope this is not just a 'snow' job and something that gets buried under bureaucracy.
"We might be a minority here, but we should be able to carry out our right to farm," Mr Powell said.
Meanwhile, LRMA secretary/manager Maxine O'Brien said there were issues that had been stagnating for the mining industry in the past few years.
She said the LRMA wanted to discuss matters on opal mining areas, management plans of claims, rehabilitation fees, and mullock dumps.
"Miners in the past have always managed to come to an agreement with graziers, but that has begun to change."
She said the other problem was that the current mining act was designed for large companies.
"We used to just come to an agreement with the mining board and the department, but it is becoming harder to reach a consensus, especially when there is no legislation to back it up.
"The issues are becoming more complicated and the landholders are just unwilling to negotiate," she said.
Ms O'Brien said there had been increasing pressure of late on the nominee system, because people who had other people listed on their claim lease (those that weren't mining), could then not be made responsible if a miner walked away from their rehabilitation obligations.
"Under the pressures of safety and liability who should then be responsible when an accident occurred, because under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the nominee is not in a position to do it."
Ms O'Brien said they had discussed with Mr Holmes wanting to increase the number of mineral claims per person to try and stop miners from using other people's names to get more leases.
She said the LRMA also wanted to increase the size of the claims, and the time span of the lease from 12 months to a proposed three years.
Ms O'Brien said the LRMA had also discussed the guidelines for policy and gazetted reserves.
"We want to make an amendment to the legislation to give a more secured access to opal prospecting blocks, in light of the Western Lands Amendment Bill of 2002."
Ms O'Brien said the LRMA was happy with the approach the department had taken so far.
However, she said the LRMA realised that at the end of the day the system not only needed to be better for miners but also for the landholders in question.
Email a friend