MPI Employment Opportunity: Operations Coordinator (3-days p/week)

The Mineral Policy Institute Inc. seeks to employ a highly motivated Operations Coordinator with demonstrable prior experience in coordination of donor fundraising, communications, logistics and administration. The Operations Coordinator will play an important role in advancing the operational capacity and cohesiveness of MPI’s small core staff team and volunteers.    more»

Killing of local boy at Barrick Gold Porgera mine creates crisis point

The shooting of a young boy at Barrick Gold's Porgeran copper gold operation has ignited the frustrations and outrage of local community groups and landowners around the mine site in the remote Engan province of Papua New Guinea.    more»

Indigenous People of Bismark and Solomon Seas Petition PNG Government to suspend sea bed mining in their territorial seas

Indigenous peoples from around the Bismark and Solomon Seas gathered at Karkum village, Madang last week and signed a statement seeking to halt the current fast tracking of deep sea mining in their territorial seas.    more»

Karkum National Sea Bed Mining Forum Statement

Indigenous people of the Bismark-Solomon Sea declare their rights to Free Prior Informed Consent over anything potentially impacting their land or sea resources.    more»

FIELD NEWS: Indigenous Resistance Against Gold Mining

The Mineral Policy Institutes communications officer, Natalie Lowrey, reports on her recent trip to North America with Indigenous leaders opposing the largest gold mining company, Barrick Gold, on their lands.    more»

Porgera operations subject to shareholder concern in Canada: Ipili representatives travel from Porgera mine to seek justice

Ipili leaders are raising concerns over the conduct of Barrick Gold's Porgera operation in the PNG Highlands in Canada at the companys' annual general meeting today after concerned shareholders provided them with proxies to attend the event.    more»

Meet the Resistance: a speaking tour of affected Indigenous communities

The Mineral Policy Institute is supporting the 'Meet the Resistance: A Speaking Tour of Affected Indigenous Communities' which is traveling through the US and Canada from 21st April - 18th May. MPI's Communications Officer, Natalie Lowrey, is working with Ipili from Papua New Guinea and Wiradjuri from Australia, who are voicing their concerns about gold mining on their lands at the Seventh Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York and through the Indigenous Resistance Against Gold Mining tour.    more»

Rio Tinto head claims tailings are not toxic

Shareholders queries were met with inadequate responses from the Rio Tinto board at their annual general meeting held in Brisbane on 24th April 2008, including the outlandish claim by Paul Skinner that mine tailings dumping into the river from the notorious Freeport mine are not toxic.    more»

Calls for preservation of country and a halt to Rio Tinto's proposed Hope Downs Iron Ore mine

A day before their London based Annual General Meeting, Senior Elder of the traditional owners of the country impacted by the Hope Downs mine site has requested Rio Tinto to halt operations and reconsider its proposed mining activities on site. Slim Parker urged the company: "In light of what they have done in the past destroying important sites in the area, they have the opportunity to make amends - they have the capacity today to make the decision not to mine this area at all. Our wish is to protect the scientific, historical cultural and spiritual heritage values of the area, and that they be preserved so everyone can share the significance. I have always maintained that this area should not be mined at all, that it should be preserved. Rio Tinto should halt their operations. The traditional owners, the Fortescue Martidja Banyjima people and the Nyarparli people are united in our desire to preserve this area."

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FIELD NEWS: Mined Your Own Waste

Campaign Coordinator, Dr. Helen Rosenbaum

My name is Helen Rosenbaum. I have recently come on board with the Mineral Policy Institute as Campaign Coordinator for the Mined Your Own Waste (MYoW) campaign. The MYoW coalition is facilitated by MPI, and consists of an international coalition of over 30 organisations calling for the elimination of the dumping of mine waste into waterways.

Today we are asking for you to support the growing campaign for the safe disposal of mine waste.    more»

Wiradjuri Elder exposes mine pit collapse at Lake Cowal

Wiradjuri Traditional Owner, Neville 'Chappy' Williams, has exposed a massive collapse at Barrick’s Cowal Gold Project in Lake Cowal, 45 km north-west of West Wyalong, central western NSW.    more»

PNG – FULL OF KOKODAS BUT WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE AUSTRALIANS

All over Papua New Guinea mining companies, many of which have Australian connections, are destroying sites of cultural, economic and spiritual significance to local people.

Traditional burial sites, hunting and fishing grounds, subsistence gardens, waterways and forests are often destroyed by the construction of mine sites and the disposal of wastes containing a cocktail of heavy metals and processing chemicals. Australia is silent while communities in our near Pacific neighbour lose their livelihoods, their social fabric and their environment.    more»

Malawian NGO challenges alleged settlement of court case over the Kayalekera mine

Malawian NGO Citizens for Justice has indicated that it intends to proceed with legal action against Paladin Resources and challenges the legitimacy of the alleged settlement agreement between the company and NGOs concerned about the impacts of a proposed uranium mine in the country's north.    more»

PEAK MINERALS: Ground breaking report warns of resource depletion.

A groundbreaking new report to be presented at the Minerals Council of Australia Sustainable Development Conference in Cairns today is the first comprehensive analysis of Australian mineral production figures gathered since the beginning of the mining industry. In an Australian first, mining data from as far back as 1829 has been collected and analysed by Monash University academic, Dr Gavin Mudd in conjunction with the Mineral Policy Institute to determine the long term sustainability of a range of Australia’s mineral resources.    more»

Renewed calls for Lafayette’s Rapu Rapu mine to be permanently halted - major fish kill renews fears of mine contamination.

Troubled miner Lafayette is the subject of local protests with reports of over a thousand locals from Rapu Rapu island holding protests outside the offices of the municipal government today. The discovery of a massive fish kills three days ago after heavy rains on the island has led to renewed calls for the closure of Lafayette’s Rapu Rapu mine- with fears that mine contamination is to blame for the latest incident.    more»

Turning the Tide

Turning the Tide is a music project by Australian artists calling for action to address the grave threats posed by climate change in a manner that respects all those who share our planet. Turning the Tide is an initiative of the Mineral Policy Institute in collaboration with the Rainforest Information Centre, Friends of the Earth Australia, Australian Student Environment Network, Australia Youth Climate Coalition, USYNC and UM Records    more»

FIELD NEWS: Ramu nickel mine

MPI Executive Director, Techa Beaumont, reports from PNG

It's hot and steamy here in Madang Province, PNG, and the mining issues here are definitely making it hotter. The Ramu nickel project is a huge development being promoted by the national government in PNG, but many people on the street are far from happy.

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