Argonaut will be drilling for copper in South Australia despite protests

Mining company Argonaut Resources is preparing to begin drilling for copper on the shores of Lake Torrens in South Australia next week, it announced on Friday - against the declared will of local Aboriginal groups. The drilling for the Murdie project should begin after 20 articulated lorries have delivered accommodation units, ground protection mats, vehicles and special drills, Argonaut said in a message to the stock exchange. "Argonaut expects drilling to begin early in the week beginning March 15, 2021. The drilling will be carried out around the clock in two day shifts," it said. The project comes after the mining company received permission to drill from the South Australian government in January, which came despite opposition from indigenous groups who say they have an ancestral connection to the lake. We tell them, "You can't do this, it's against our beliefs," said Glen Wingfield of the Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation, which is responsible for cultural heritage. "They disregard the stories and what it means to our community - they just want to go ahead and dismantle," he told Reuters, adding that Argonaut had not obtained their consent to drill. Argonaut director Lindsay Owler did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Last year, mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. destroyed as part of the expansion of an iron ore mine in the Pilbara region in Western Australia, two ancient and sacred rock shelters of the indigenous people. The destruction drew attention to Australia's laws favoring development at the expense of Aboriginal heritage and sparked international condemnation and national investigation. Below Lake Torrens are fragile freshwater springs that local Aboriginal groups fear may be damaged by mining, which would endanger the water supply in the arid region, while the lake itself is part of their spiritual beliefs. A 2016 Native Title ruling raised questions about whether local Aboriginal groups have an ancestral and enduring connection to the area, citing a lack of ethographic evidence.