PRESS RELEASE: Proposed Opal Mining Inquiry Recommendations Could Lead to a Surge in Environmentally Destructive Open Cut Mining

Proposed Opal Mining Inquiry Recommendations Could Lead to a Surge in Environmentally Destructive Open Cut Mining
Lightning Ridge, NSW – The recent recommendations from the Opal Mining Inquiry threaten to force a dramatic shift in opal mining practices, pushing miners towards open cut mining – an environmentally harmful method that could devastate the landscape and jeopardise the future of the industry.
Under the proposed recommendations, all old mining shafts, as well as shafts from expired leases, must be filled in, and any future mining on these claims would be restricted to trenching or open cut methods. This approach would effectively sterilise the land and undermine ongoing efforts to rehabilitate mining sites.
This will make it impossible to continue the traditional underground mining methods that have been in use for generations.
The inquiry’s claim that backfilling shafts with loose material poses a safety risk is misleading. In fact, backfilling helps preserve tunnels by reducing air convection that can cause walls to dry out and crumble. Re-drilling and clearing out loose material at the bottom of the shaft is a routine process that has been safely performed on countless claims for decades, with no recent evidence of death or serious injury.
The shift to trenching and open cut mining would be particularly damaging for claims where high quality opals are found deep underground. On a standard 2,500 m² claim, open cutting is not feasible as there is not enough space to accommodate machinery or stockpile dirt. Trenching is limited to shallow deposits, making vast areas of opal bearing land unusable.
Continuing the current method of underground mining causes far less environmental degradation compared to open cut mining, which would permanently scar the landscape and disrupt overland water flows, potentially harming neighbouring properties.
Currently, only four open cut mines exist out of the 3,166 mineral claims in the area. If the inquiry’s recommendations are implemented, this number could rise dramatically, leading to widespread environmental damage.
Miners and community members are urging Minister Houssos to visit Lightning Ridge and meet with those directly affected by these recommendations before making any decisions. The future of opal mining – and the environment – depends on maintaining sustainable underground practices.
“We ask Minister Houssos to reject these proposals and see firsthand the impact they will have on the land and our livelihoods,” a local miner said. “Open cut mining is not the solution.”
Media Contacts:

Andrew Kemeny
President
Lightning Ridge Tourism Association Inc
Mobile: 0407 557 638
[email protected]
Scott Bailey
Vice President
Lightning Ridge Tourism Association Inc
Mobile: 0467 597 681
[email protected]