11 DECEMBER 2013www.abc.net.au
Mayor says bauxite mine closure could end a bitter dispute in Cape York
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
1 min read
The Mayor of an Aboriginal Shire in far north Queensland's Cape York says the closure of a bauxite mine could end a bitter dispute in the town.
Cape Alumina is abandoning its Pisolite Hills project on the Western Cape after the State Government banned mining in the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.
Mapoon Mayor Peter Guivarra says the debate over whether to mine the area had caused divisions and the mine's closure should end that chapter of the town's history.
"I mean it was all focused on Pisolite Hills and that's no more, so hopefully the community will settle down a bit for sure," he said.
Councillor Guivarra says he hopes the wildlife reserve will offer job opportunities for young Indigenous locals.
He says while some were looking forward to jobs with the mine, others have welcomed the ban and hope there will be opportunities on the reserve.
"I think in the past there was one ranger employed over there, I don't know whether he's [still] employed there," he said.
"That's a minimum but other than that they haven't given any indication of what's going to ... [happen] over there but if there is anything certainly keep Mapoon people in mind."
Cape Alumina is abandoning its Pisolite Hills project on the Western Cape after the State Government banned mining in the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.
Mapoon Mayor Peter Guivarra says the debate over whether to mine the area had caused divisions and the mine's closure should end that chapter of the town's history.
"I mean it was all focused on Pisolite Hills and that's no more, so hopefully the community will settle down a bit for sure," he said.
Councillor Guivarra says he hopes the wildlife reserve will offer job opportunities for young Indigenous locals.
He says while some were looking forward to jobs with the mine, others have welcomed the ban and hope there will be opportunities on the reserve.
"I think in the past there was one ranger employed over there, I don't know whether he's [still] employed there," he said.
"That's a minimum but other than that they haven't given any indication of what's going to ... [happen] over there but if there is anything certainly keep Mapoon people in mind."
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