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Gemstones, Minerals & Fossils
Gemstones and Minerals
Save the Mintabie Town and Opal Fields From Closure
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<blockquote data-quote="Lefty" data-source="post: 398458" data-attributes="member: 2976"><p>Yes, that was the impression my experience left me with as well - crushing the life out of the future of small-scale gem mining has been an absolute money honeypot for city law firms <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite3" alt=":(" title="Frown :(" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":(" /> </p><p></p><p>We were able to negotiate collectively together with a lot of other claimholders and reduce the costs down to below $1000 I think. I was informed that if we wanted to negotiate alone it would cost us a minimum of $7000 - $9000 in legal fees to make an agreement. The traditional owners would scarcely see a penny of that, it would virtually all go to a law firm.</p><p></p><p>My fear is that the costs now incurred by the legislation signal the end of small-scale mining in Australia, perhaps apart from a few government-managed opal and sapphire mining areas where the little bloke might be able to cling on. I believe that Eastern Australia especially is likely one of the great untapped gem reserves of the world - but it will never be tapped now. The legislation has erected barriers that appear insurmountable for anyone without the resources of a mining company.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lefty, post: 398458, member: 2976"] Yes, that was the impression my experience left me with as well - crushing the life out of the future of small-scale gem mining has been an absolute money honeypot for city law firms :( We were able to negotiate collectively together with a lot of other claimholders and reduce the costs down to below $1000 I think. I was informed that if we wanted to negotiate alone it would cost us a minimum of $7000 - $9000 in legal fees to make an agreement. The traditional owners would scarcely see a penny of that, it would virtually all go to a law firm. My fear is that the costs now incurred by the legislation signal the end of small-scale mining in Australia, perhaps apart from a few government-managed opal and sapphire mining areas where the little bloke might be able to cling on. I believe that Eastern Australia especially is likely one of the great untapped gem reserves of the world - but it will never be tapped now. The legislation has erected barriers that appear insurmountable for anyone without the resources of a mining company. [/QUOTE]
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Gemstones, Minerals & Fossils
Gemstones and Minerals
Save the Mintabie Town and Opal Fields From Closure
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