WARNING TO FOSSICKERS ABOUT NSW SLUICING DEVELOPMENTS

Prospecting Australia

Help Support Prospecting Australia:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
when the NSW attacked the greyhound industry , they didn't care about the comet tail effect that follows an industry or a hobby, they may say, "You can go on fossicking, take your pan and shovel and go of it" but don't use your ingenuity and use other more effective methods, the mining act and regs where, as I believe , drawn up to address the big league, the ones that may , and do cause environmental damage as constantly reported in the Regulators monthly Business Activity Report, fossickers may be a backup to the statistics required to justify a departments existence , over the past 6 months , there has been little demonstrated by the regulators that the division is an effective regulator towards the top end of the mining industry, perhaps they need be persuaded by the Ministers to concentrate on those issues and let fossickers be , the receipt of thousands of letters from individuals and supported by associations might be an avenue to pursue, it was once said to me, a petition is a single document , doesn't matter how many signatures but 5000 individual letters piled up on a Ministers desk might be treated a little differently
 
So we are looking for reasons to allow highbankers rather than get them banned, how about this.

Highbankers should cause less siltation to waterways than sluices or panning, as generally highbankers are used (as Jemba said) to get the water to the dirt rather than the dirt to the water. At places like Oallen the water will make it back to the river but you are not washing dirt directly into the river.
You can also restore the soil profile much easier using a highbanker as you can sluice back into your hole as you dig if you set up correctly, any panning or sluiceing material is getting cleaned and washed directly into the waterway preventing the restoration of the soil profile generally.

Not sure if these point are more of a help or a hinder after reading the again, but still technically true.
 
It has been great, but not all surprising, to see such an active response from fossickers on this sluicing matter. THANK YOU! :Y:

NAPFA notes that various suggestions are being put forward to protest against this unreasonable policy and to seek to have it fixed. These range from letters and petitions to rallies and media activity.

While individuals are free to undertake their own campaigns, at this stage, our view is to leave it with NAPFA as we are in dialogue with both Planning, Environment, Resources and Energy (PERE) and the Resources Regulator on how to get a fair and reasonable outcome for fossickers.

If you have not done so already, I would urge you to read our May 2017 Sluicing Report
http://www.napfa.net/upload/NAPFA Reg nal%20.pdf
because it provides a comprehensive review on the current policy, why it needs to change and how it needs to change. It is possible that you wont agree with all of it, but I can assure you we have consulted at length within the fossicking community, and with manufacturers, in arriving at our final position.

We have an important meeting next week with PERE where we hope that resolution of this issue can be fast-tracked. Our immediate goal is to prepare for that meeting. Our objective is to have the regulation amended to enable highbanking.

Depending on what comes out of the meeting, then we may well seek to rally fossickers and sluicers from all corners of NSW and elsewhere in a strategic communications campaign aimed at overturning this unfair and flawed regulation.

In the meantime it is good that everyone becomes aware of the issue, and takes the time to read the Sluicing paper highlighted above. It is a bit of a read for sure, but please make the effort.

If you are not already a NAPFA member, please get on board as a member and support the organisation that is supporting your fossicking interests.

Here is a link to our membership page
http://www.napfa.net/Join-the-rebellion.html

You can join online.

Regards
Stephen Dangaard
President
NAPFA
 
Does length matter ????? the first highbanker I bought was a home made job , and it is long , about 2400mm (8 foot to you old blokes ) and just because of its length , it cant process more than a shovel full at a time , and at the end of few hours of shovelling, you certainly know it, if it was a cubic meter then I would be built by Arnold Schwarztaneggar, to me length does matter , it allows a longer wash for gemstone to settle out , the gold is always in the first 450 mm , the gemstone are further down so the helpers if any have time to sort thru to see if they can find something ,

The NAPFA submission is right on the mark . in every detail , and the response to any argument raised is fully address, the difference between a dredge and a highbanker is like comparing a industrial vaccum cleaner , the so called dredge to a dust pan and brush . two fact remains , why didn't the Government advisors respond to the questions relating to what appears to me as a dismissal of the facts when considering =the changes to the regulations, changes to an ACT requires Parliament t to decide , whereas what I believe , the changes to the Regulations only needs the Ministers consent, so why the runaround, perhaps as individuals we could ask our Member in Parliament t that question, any thoughts on that , and let NAPFA carry on with negotiations with PERE
 
Had a thought today and i am sure someone in the know is probly working on it , i am thinking if someone is affiliated with the gem and treasure magazines to get them to do a big artical on the issue with comment from towns that are going to suffer as well as a timeline of all the moves made by nsw goverment bodies in the last 20 years that are slowly killing the prospecting ability of nsw people and the way states that promote prospecting have their small towns thriving .
If its a great and informitive artical it should be possible to get a few major papers to run the story aswell.
 
Tathradj said:
Looks like it is spreading to Victoria.
Note the reference to Hosing down Banks. WTF. ??
https://au.prime7.yahoo.com/v1/video/-/watch/24143854/prospector-angry-over-sluicing-ban/
I did notice that the "environmentalist"didn't want to have her name displayed on the screen.Also at the end of the video,there is two big tree stumps where obviously two big trees have been cut down next to the creek,apparently that is acceptable practice to the habitat of our native species.As for the hosing down of banks,it just proves these people have no bloody idea what sluicing or highbanking involves.
 
Hosing down banks is hydraulic sluicing which is a no no anyway. Highbanking is completely different. Would think that someone would research the difference befor commenting on tv. Just like in the movie wog boy. Lion, elephant the same? Really? And these are the people trying to change our great hobby. Bullshit!
 
They dont care how its done they just want the bush locked up , imo.

20 years ago a sheila in Canberra asked what i did for a living so proud as punch i said farmer , she went of her nut saying all farm land should be returned to bush , i said get me your shopping docket and i will cross off everything thats a product of farming and i bet her there would only be chemicals left , these fools have no idea about the bush and dont want to learn about where things are come from or how things are done.

A part of me dreams of a day when people have to be self sufficient for a month or two and then we will either have a smarter race or maybe just the ones with guns left ;)
 
Hello All,

Its been a while since I have been on the forum and man, things have changed.
Straight from the horses mouth, this little black duck will not cease to use highbankers at all and will dulely fight to keep them.
Who are these people to say we cant use them, just a person who has a title to which they can say you cant do this and cant do that.
Well enough is enough, long live the stockade.
Sounds like we are living in a police state or country where every day going ones will be scrutinised. there are bigger problems out there than people using Highbankers. They can Stick it up their Jatzy.

Problem is people will complain about it but wont get of their butts and do anything about it.
A protest and a big one will get things noticed, this is a way of life that is slowly being eroded away and a way to control the people.
These people have been brainwashed into thinking its the norm not to do this sort of activity. Never been out of the city or even camping.

I would rant more but I gotta go back to work, lunch is over.

Cheers
Brad
 
hi I'm new and wanted to go search for gold with my family for fun... turns out the high banker I'm building is illegal. can i make or use a river sluice? its the same thing really just doesn't use a pump so am a bit unclear and wary on this. thank you
 
Top