Government and Mining Giant MMG Provide Updates on Tasmanian Tailings Dam Proposals
In response to inquiries from 7NEWS Spotlight, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has clarified the status of several tailings dam proposals in Tasmania, emphasizing that no final decisions have been made under national environmental law.
Department Statements on Approval Processes
A spokesperson for the department detailed the ongoing assessment procedures. On Thursday, April 16, 2026, the department noted that work is continuing to determine whether exploratory works for a tailings dam at South Marionoak require approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. No proposed decision has yet progressed to the Minister or a delegated decision-maker.
The department highlighted that it is normal to have ongoing discussions with proponents like MMG during the decision-making process, but these discussions remain confidential. Importantly, the approval for a tailings dam on the site would require a separate, rigorous process, with no guarantee that exploratory works would lead to dam approval.
On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, the department reiterated that under the EPBC Act, decisions are made by the Minister or a delegate, not the department itself. These decisions include whether referred projects are controlled actions requiring further assessment. For instance, a recent referral for a tailings storage facility at Exe has been deemed a controlled action and will now undergo a full environmental assessment.
The department also clarified that no Commonwealth decision has been made for preliminary design and assessment works at South Marionoak, with that proposal being assessed by the Tasmanian Government separately.
Statements from Minister Watt and MMG
On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, a statement from Minister Murray Watt’s office confirmed that a decision on MMG’s proposed new tailings storage facility for its Rosebery mine has not yet been made under national environmental law.
An MMG spokesperson provided additional context, stating that the company’s priority is progressing feasibility studies for two alternative tailings storage locations south of the Pieman River, as part of future planning for the Rosebery Mine. MMG has no current plans to advance works at the South Marianoak site.
The spokesperson emphasized Rosebery Mine’s economic significance, now in its 90th year of operations, supporting over 650 direct jobs and contributing $91 million in royalty payments and $520 million to local suppliers over the past five years. The mine supplies around 30% of the total zinc feed to Tasmania’s only remaining smelter, Nyrstar.
Additional Project Details and Corporate Background
MMG has recently submitted a Notice of Intent to EPA Tasmania, along with an EPBC referral, for a proposed conventional tailings storage facility at Exe. A separate Notice of Intent has been lodged for a filtered tailings stack at Bobadil Heights.
The company is committed to ongoing engagement with employees, local communities, and governments to secure Rosebery’s future. MMG, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, is an international mining company with operations in Australia, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Peru. It produces base metals like copper and zinc, with China Minmetals Corporation as its major shareholder.
Approximately half of MMG’s base metals are sold to non-Chinese customers, a sales mix similar to other large Western mining companies. China is a major end destination due to its substantial downstream processing capacity.
7NEWS Spotlight contacted Sino Metals and China’s Embassy in Australia for comment but did not receive a response.
