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Friday, 29th September 2006 (6655 views)

The New South Wales premier has welcomed Barrick Gold's Lake Cowal gold mine and the stimulus it will provide to the region's economy, ABC News Online reports.

Morris Iemma, who will open the new Australian mine today (September 29), commented: "[Barrick has] chosen to invest in New South Wales, a big vote of confidence in the New South Wales economy, creating 240 permanent jobs and a big boost to our regional economy."

The Lake Cowal project has come up against opposition, especially from the indigenous Wiradjuri people, whose land the mine is located on. They want to prevent the destruction of artefacts in the area.

Other complaints levelled against Barrick are that the development is draining too much water from the local area, causing problems for local farmers, and that cyanide used in the production process could pose a risk to the environment.

On that point, the company reassures the public that "environmental protection design and operational controls are in place at all Barrick operations". It furthermore stresses its commitment to complying to all rules and regulations.

Barrick also maintains that its approval rating among local Lake Cowal residents is high.

Margaret McDonald Hill, who sits on the firm's consultative committee, said: "I think in this day and age most mining companies aspire to be good corporate citizens. Obviously some do it better than others and I think Barrick is a very clear example of a mining company doing it extremely well."

 

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