By Bradley Mariori
Bulolo MP Sam Basil Jr is pushing for a major overhaul of PNG’s 32-year-old Mining Act 1991.
He says the old law is failing landowners and host districts like Bulolo, which has over 100 years of mining history from alluvial to Hidden Valley and Wafi-Golpu.
In his Private Member’s Bill, Basil Jr wants the host DDAs to be a formal party to mining agreements, with its role clearly recognised in law.
He wants the State to give 5% free equity to the district hosting the mine, and he wants royalties increased to 10% of export value, with 5% going straight to the host district through its DDA.
He also wants mining companies to submit a Mine Closure and Rehabilitation Plan five years before closure, and a detailed plan three years before closure.
He is calling for a 1% environmental levy on every sale to pay for closure, rehabilitation and environmental management, with leftover funds used for reforestation and sedimentation control.
Basil Jr called on the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority to carry out joint environmental inspections every two years with Mining, provincial governments and DDAs, covering operations, rivers, ecosystems and communities within a 10-kilometre radius.
He said the Act must provide for environmental levies, business grants, a Future Generations Trust Fund and infrastructure grants, including for district cultural centres and want real mine townships to be built inside the districts that host major mines.
“I want to ask every MP to support this when it comes before Parliament.”
He said that the mining must benefit the people who own the land and not just the companies and Waigani.
