Protest Over Chinese-Owned Company’s Dumping of ‘Toxic’ Waste Tailings in Australia’s ‘Amazon’

Protestors hold a sign campaigning against the proposed tailings dam mine near the Tarkine rainforest in Tasmania, Australia, on July 7, 2022. Courtesy of Bob Brown Foundation

China-owned MMG is proposing to turn 140 hectares of the Tarkine rainforest, known as Australia’s “amazon” in Tasmania’s northwest, into a tailings dam where it will hold the company’s mining waste.

MMG, or Minerals and Metal Group, which is majority owned by China Minmetals Nonferrous Metals Company Limited (CMN), bought the Rosebery mine in 2009. The Rosebery mine lies on the boundary of the Tarkine rainforest and processes zinc, lead, and copper.