Residents asked to remain vigilant on site operations
Mount Cannibal & District Preservation Group - Media Release
October 7th 2020
The Mount Cannibal and District Preservation Group are encouraging residents to remain alert throughout upcoming drilling works on Hanson Construction Materials proposed Bunyip North quarry site.
Hanson announced that they would be undertaking works as part of their Environmental Effects Statement (EES) in their Project Update #18 on 2 October 2020:
“It is proposed for the drilling works to be undertaken by Apex Drilling Pty Ltd, from Monday 19 October 2020 for up to 12 days (not including weekends).
“The drilling works will comprise the drilling of four holes, two in the proposed location of the southern and south-eastern pit wall, and two in the proposed location of the north-western pit wall.
“The holes will be drilled using a track or truck mounted drilling rig, and in situ tests and material sampling for laboratory testing will be also be conducted.”
Mount Cannibal and District Preservation Group (MCADPG) Secretary David Bywater thanked residents for their ongoing support, and asked them to remain vigilant throughout Hanson’s drilling period.
“The fight to stop this mega quarry from proceeding in this entirely inappropriate location is well and truly still alive, and we would like to thank our community for their incredible efforts over the last 14 years. If it weren’t for their support and unanimous opposition to this proposal, I shudder to think what Hanson would have already done to our irreplaceable and invaluable area, ” Mr Bywater said.
“However, Hanson’s recent announcement that they will commence drilling works is a harsh reminder that there is still a fight to be fought - but I do stress that it is not, in any way, a sign that this proposal has progressed or that this quarry will go through.
“We are encouraging residents in the vicinity of the quarry site to be particularly aware of movements on the site between Monday 19 October and 2 November 2020. Remain vigilant - what can you see, what can you hear? Is there extra traffic on your road?
“The reason we’re asking this of our residents and community members is to highlight the fact that anything that is witnessed during this time will be exceptionally minor compared to what Hanson is proposing. Hanson’s proposal is a very real threat to our way of life and this will be a brief and small insight into the 100 years of destruction that they are proposing.”
Hanson Construction Materials (Heidelberg Cement, Germany) are proposing to extract 130 million tonnes of granite via blasting from the green-wedge, environmentally significant site over a period of 70 - 100 years. They have also stated that this quarry could see 500+ truck movements (update #3 March 2018) on local roads and at the Tonimbuk/Bunyip intersection daily. Hanson’s own documentation (EES Referral of 5 July 2013) states that there would only be between 7-10 individuals required onsite once the site is fully operational.
“We would once again like to reiterate that the MCADPG are not against quarrying as an industry. This group has always maintained that we are against this quarry as it is being proposed in an entirely inappropriate location,” Mr Bywater said.
“Alternative, more appropriate, sites for this proposal must be investigated and selected. As it stands, Bunyip North is an exceptionally valuable asset to Victoria’s agricultural, tourism, equestrian and lifestyle industries - offering more to our state and its residents than what Hanson’s destructive and short-sighted proposal ever will. If Bunyip North were to be destroyed in such a way that Hanson is proposing, we would never be able to return it to its former glory and Victoria would lose an incredible region .
“This community has been devastated by, and is still recovering from the March 2019 Bunyip Complex Bushfires, which saw around 30 homes, more than 100 outbuildings, hundreds of kilometres of fencing and thousands of acres of native bush and pastoral land incinerated. On top of this, our residents are now dealing with the mental and financial impacts of COVID-19. All facets of this community need time to heal. They do not need a mega granite quarry hindering their ability to recover and prosper.
“Hanson have proved time and time again they hold little regard for this community, having continuously misled and deceived residents. This community has never given them, or any quarry company, an unpurchased social license to operate and we never will.”
To show your support for the Mount Cannibal and District Preservation Group and say NO to Hanson’s proposed Bunyip North Quarry, sign the change.org petition today:
Proposed Drilling sites
