Environment and Water Minister playing favourites with information
WA Gre
ens Water Spokesperson Alison Xamon MLC has accused the Environment Minister of withholding key, taxpayer-funded information from the public while sharing it with a private mining firm.
In response to questions put by Ms Xamon in Parliament today, the Government has confirmed that it gave a copy of a submission by the Department of Environment and Conservation regarding Karara Mining Limited’s controversial water licence application to Karara Mining Limited, despite earlier refusing a request to make the submission available to the public by tabling it in Parliament.
“Here we have a key document produced by the Department of Environment and Conservation on the taxpayer dollar relating to an issue of widespread public concern, yet the Minister is only making the document available to the proponent and not the farmers and landowners voicing just as strong an interest in information likely to be discussed in the document,” Ms Xamon said.
“I worry what this signifies about the attitude of the Environment Minister towards transparency and accountability in his public decision-making.
“I note that the Minister for Agriculture and Food willingly tabled his Department’s submission to the Department of Water on Karara’s water licence application but that the Environment Minister would not.
“Mr Marmion is also the Minister for Water and in that capacity will make the final decision about whether Karara’s application for 5.3 gigalitres of water each year from the Parmelia aquifer should be approved,” Ms Xamon continued.
“Will he be able to make an unbiased decision on Karara’s water licence application, given he has already demonstrated an apparent bias favouring the mining proponent over other stakeholders in his capacity as Minister for the Environment?
“Can the people of the Mid-West expect a fair decision? Certainly, Mr Marmion is not being open with the public about publicly-paid-for information that is quite possibly crucial to the final decision.”