BHP ‘buried $1m equipment at mine’ ABC News 9 July 09
A former BHP Billiton contractor says he helped the company bury vast quantities of equipment at its mothballed Ravensthorpe nickel mine.
Julian Kelton has told the ABC’s 7.30 Report that BHP disposed of equipment, ranging from chemical cleaners to office furniture, in two massive pits on the site since the mine closure was announced in January.
He says he helped bury an estimated $1 million worth of equipment.
“Everything from the day-to-day use of the mine really: office chairs, office furniture, fridges, freezers, grinders, computers – new and used,” he said.
BHP Billiton has denied the claims, but the Department of Environment and Conservation is investigating.
The State Opposition has called for an inspection of the mothballed mine to confirm whether chemicals and office equipment have been dumped there.
The Opposition’s Sally Talbot says an investigation by the Department of Environment and Conservation does not go far enough.
BHP ‘buried $1m equipment at mine’ – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
