Environment groups are concerned about the recent merger between Western Australia uranium hopeful Vimy Resources and Deep Yellow.
Deep Yellow was founded by John Borschoff who, in 2013,聽聽public concerns around Fukushima as a 鈥渟ideshow鈥. Borschoff is an enthusiast of less mining regulation. He told the聽聽that Australia and Canada鈥檚 regulations are 鈥渙verly sophisticated鈥. Borschoff has been proposed as the new CEO.
The proposed new chair is Chris Salisbury, a former head of Rio Tinto鈥檚 Iron Ore group who exited following the widespread backlash after Rio destroyed ancient Aboriginal cultural heritage at Juukan Gorge in May 2020. That public outrage has also led to greater community scrutiny on the wider costs and impact of mining operations.
Borschoff and Salisbury are now in charge of the , east of Kalgoorlie. The former CEO and Managing Director of Paladin until 2015 are now the CEO and Managing Director of Deep Yellow.
in Malawi and Namibia were聽plagued聽with聽worker聽fatalities,聽inadequate personal protection equipment,聽聽and other problems.
There have been reports of聽聽from Kaylekera,聽聽at two African mines and an incident in 2009 where workers were assaulted with tear gas by local police.
Nuclear-free campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation Dave Sweeney聽said: 鈥淲e have no reason to believe that Deep Yellow will operate any differently to how Paladin did in the bad old days.鈥
The WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation said in December the Mulga Rock project, the only WA-based uranium project, was a development possibility. Environment groups say work at the site has been destructive, but in the absence of the required funding or any board level Final Investment Decision to develop the mine, does not demonstrate 鈥渟ubstantial commencement鈥.
Mia Pepper, from the Conservation Council of WA, said: 鈥淲e fear Deep Yellow will be no different, or even worse, in addressing the Traditional Owners鈥 rights and interests, and their opposition to the planned mine.
鈥淲e are also deeply concerned about the survival of the endangered sandhill dunnart [a small carnivorous Australian marsupial], as this is one of just three areas left in the country where it is known to exist.
鈥淲A鈥檚 regulations and regulatory regime are not fit for purpose when it comes to operators who prioritise cutting costs and corners,鈥 she concluded.