McARTHUR RIVER MINE
Reporter Keira Jenkins travelled to Borroloola and the land nearly 100km south of Darwin on which mining giant Glencore’s McArthur River mine continues to make controversy, with traditional owners facing the poisoning of their water and wildlife.
“It is like a garden to Aboriginal people,” said Garawa elder Jack Green, who is now too scared of lead poisoning to fish in the river.
Locals say the lead and zinc mine has had an enormous impact and warn that even after it closes the environmental impact will need to be monitored for 1000 years.
Elder Josie Davey says: “I’m really worried about the mine, what they’ve done is not right. It’s my great-grandfather’s country and it hurts so much that I can’t even take my kids back there no more.”