Thank you Madame Chair. First I would like to acknowledge the participation of the
Ministers present today.
Australia welcomes the inclusion of Mining as a theme in this cycle of CSD because we
believe mining can make a significant contribution to progress toward sustainable
development.
Managed appropriately, mining can be a key economic driver, alleviating poverty,
supporting the broader economy and generating employment and training opportunities
for both indigenous and non-indigenous communities. Certainly this has been our
experience over the past 50 years.
In his opening address this morning the Chairman of CSD posed the question how can
we generate the full involvement of all local and national actors in sustainable mining?
Furthermore at this roundtable we have been asked how can action be streamlined,
what are the remaining challenges and are there concrete steps that could be taken to
move forward.
Australia believes that mining can be sustainable in both developing and developed
countries ? achieving that requires a partnership between the mining companies,
communities and government. The key elements of a successful partnership are:
? Strong and transparent governance, regulations, legislation and clear revenue
arrangements;
? Trained and experienced government officials who can implement these
regulations and undertake assessments such as Environmental Impact
Assessments; and
? A legislative system that offers protection to the environment, biodiversity,
indigenous and non indigenous communities, and security to the mine
operations themselves.
Australia recognises that the absence of these elements has been identified by many
countries as barriers and challenges to moving toward sustainable mining.
These challenges can be overcome ? in fact they must be overcome to maximise the
development impact of the mining sector.
Australia is working with a range of countries and international organisations to transfer
knowledge and provide practical guidance to support efforts to promote environmentally
sound mining.
We have produced the Leading Practice Sustainable Development Program for the
mining industry. This program makes available information on best practices including
engagement with Indigenous communities; biodiversity, water and tailing management;
hazardous materials management; and product stewardship.
In summary, a cooperative partnership approach, between all local and national actors,
and promotion of best practices is a model that the CSD could consider to assist
developing countries to gain the greatest benefit from the development of their mineral
resources.
Thank you.
