Mount Todd gold miner pleads guilty to damaging sacred site during drilling, after press release tip-off
A Canadian-owned gold miner caught drilling holes on a Northern Territory Aboriginal sacred site
after the regulator spotted the works in the company's own media release has pleaded guilty to damaging the area.
The Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) charged Vista Gold subsidiary, Vista Gold Australia Pty Ltd, with the breaches after the company announced the successful completion of an exploration project to the Australian Stock Exchange in June 2022, including a map and GPS coordinates of 26 drill holes.
Vista Gold operates the Mount Todd Gold Project on Jawoyn country outside of Katherine, 300 kilometres south-east of Darwin, which is estimated to hold about 10 million ounces of gold.
On Wednesday, the Darwin Local Court heard AAPA overlaid the GPS coordinates from the media release onto satellite imagery and determined 12 of the holes had been drilled within the boundaries of a sacred site, including parts of Yinberrie Hills.
Exploratory drilling at the Mount Todd Gold Project near Katherine.
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Supplied: Vista Gold
)
The authority's inspectors attended the site last year and found damage including grass and vegetation clearing, levelling of drill pads and, in some instances, excavated material deposited at the sites.
The court heard there was confusion over whether approvals for the drilling program were officially granted, but AAPA said they were not in place for that particular sacred site.
Vista Gold chief executive Frederick Earnest flew in from Colorado to give evidence at the plea hearing.
He said he was not embarrassed by the media release.
"We believed we had identified a number of targets that had a potential for a combined 1.8 to 3.5 million ounces of gold that may be added to resources in the future with more extensive drilling," he told the court.
Frederick Earnest told the court his exploration team had assured him the drilling program had been approved.
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ABC News: Steven Schubert
)
Mr Earnest said his exploration team and Australia-based general manager Brent Murdoch had assured him the drilling program was approved, but acknowledged responsibility went "all the way up to the board of directors".
He said none of the Jawoyn Association traditional owner representatives had "complained" during about six routine meetings with the company while the drilling program was under way.
"To my knowledge the drilling program was presented to the Jawoyn, complete with maps and figures," he said.
"I thought our people acted in good faith, I believed them when I was told we had all the authorisations".
But Mr Earnest admitted those assurances would have only been verbal and there was no formal "checklist" to ensure approvals were secured.
The Jawoyn Association says it will continue to work with Vista to ensure the ongoing protection of sacred sites at the Mount Todd mine.
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ABC News: Steven Schubert
)
"We now have a process that's been established to be formally executed," he said.
Mr Earnest said some staff involved in the incident had received a 25 per cent pay cut as a result.
An 'open and constructive relationship'
Mr Earnest said Vista Gold had a good relationship with the Jawoyn Association, and had paid 1 million Canadian dollars to the traditional owners for the right to explore the Mount Todd site.
He told the court about $120 million had already been invested in the project itself, but previous analyses showed it would require about $1.3 billion in additional funding to begin operating at full capacity.
Photo shows
a person sitting on a rock looking at a grassy savanna
The NT's Aboriginal sacred sites authority is investigating allegations of "interference with human remains" at a sacred site near a remote station in the Roper Gulf region.
Mr Earnest said the "exploration phase" of the project was "largely complete" and there was sufficient material to begin mining — a determination that was made largely through the unlawful drilling.
A Jawoyn Association spokesperson said "we want to acknowledge the open and constructive relationship" with Vista Gold.
"Vista's willingness to cooperate throughout this process, including their decision to plead guilty, reflects a fair and respectful approach that we value," they said.
"We have worked closely with Vista and traditional owners to strengthen cultural awareness, improve processes and ensure the ongoing protection of sites."
The company will return to court for sentencing on May 13.
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