Remember how I talked about how the mining industry needs some PR help. Well, here’s example uno, primero, one:
Evidently, an Australian mining company by the name of Cape Alumina Pty made a horrible PR decision.They attempted to claim mining rights on a tract of land owned by the estate of the late Steve Irwin(aka “The Crocodile Hunter”). The company purchased the mining rights for 15% of that particular piece of property in 2004. Their express purpose was exploring the suitability of the land for mining bauxite.
Silverback Properties(owned by the Irwins) came into possession of the cattle grazing rights for the 135,000 hectare (333,600 acre property in 2006. In a highly “generous” gesture, the outgoing Environmental Minister, Malcom Turnbull, gave them $6 Million AUD in taxpayer grant money to purchase those rights. That, as most would readily gather, is nearly two years after Cape Alumina purchased (with privately raised funds, I might add) the mining rights. This was the same conclusion that the Australian courts came to in September of 2009.
It seems that Cape Alumina has found deposits of bauxite that amount to over 100 Million tonnes, during their exploration process. Not content with the courts’ ruling, Terri Irwin(Steve’s widow) and a few of their well known friends are attempting to appeal the ruling in the press. The most recent development was Russell Crowe’s visit to the David Letterman show. Check out the five minutes or so that they take to cover the subject below:
Notice how Russell skates over(never mentions) the fact that the rights were signed over before the Irwin estate took possession of the land. There’s no mention of the ruling in favor of Cape Alumina, either. The actual issues pertain to property rights, and they’ve turned this company’s legitimate right to mine into a defamation of Steve Irwin’s legacy. They are the masters of PR spin and the media domain. They’ve turned this into the moral equivalent of opening a shotgun factory in Kurt Cobain’s mansion.
What is the mining company’s response to the allegations? In an interview with Western Australia Today, the company’s head, Dr. Paul Messenger had this to say:
“I’ve written to Terri Irwin and Russell Crowe inviting him to come with me to Cape York to look at the land, to understand what we are doing, to talk to the locals,” he said.
“One of the unfortunate things about this whole process is that the rights, the interests and aspirations of the traditional owners of the land have been completely overlooked.
“And their very existence has been denied by claiming that area is Steve’s Place. It’s not Steve’s Place. This is traditional (Aboriginal) land.”
With all due respect to the native contingent of Australia, I would like to pose the following query: Since when does anyone care about the native population of a continent? Ask the Inuits, Native Americans, Mayans or Aztecs about the last time they were given even token thought(except when some country decides to trot them out to show how “diverse” their historical heritage is, during say… an Olympic opening ceremony). Cape Alumina is going to have to do better than that(not that their concern for indigenous peoples is insincere, or unwarranted). They are dealing with the ghost of one of Australia’s–nay, the World’s leading conservationists and celebrities.
So they did, by citing scientific environmental impact studies, and refuting the arguments of Crowe & Co. in rather wonkish fashion here. What’s wrong with this argument? It’s a logical response to an emotional issue, that is being presented out of context, to people who do not live in Australia and are unfamiliar with the peculiars of the case. Points for facts presented, demerits for daring to present facts in their response to the general public. The general public wants outrage, a sob story, an avoidable tragedy. Hard news be hanged.
What does the future hold for Cape Alumina? Sure, they have the law on their side, for now. Given enough public pressure during an election year, the laws can change , and in rapid fashion. Since CA won’t have the equipment in place to start extraction until 2012, there is more than enough time for the Australian political establishment to “see the light”, and reject the valid claims of the mining company in question. It’s a sad situation, but in the end, I believe the spin will win.
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Stay tuned, as we continue to bring you the lates news and commentary concerning the tire and mining industries. Until then, I’ll be…
Signing off…
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