❓ Mr. Hunter raises concerns about South 32's bauxite mining near Boddington, questioning the Minister for Environment on groundwater and salinity impacts on farmland and forests, seeking details on investigations, mitigation, compensation, and community engagement.
⏳ Awaiting AnswerQoN 2063Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 April 2026
Member
Portfolio: the Environment
Question
I refer to South 32's bauxite mining operations near Boddington and report of changes to groundwater levels and salinity which are adversely impacting surrounding farmland and protected forest areas and I ask:(a) is the Minister aware of these reports and concerns raised by local landholders and stakeholders;(b) what investigations/testing is currently underway into groundwater and salinity levels in the areas surrounding the mine or in the general Boddington area;(c) will these investigations/tests include reviewing long term historical records and independents monitoring of water and salinity levels in the affected area;(d) if investigations/testing is currently underway, what results or findings have been identified to date;(e) will the Government commit to independent monitoring and verification of water levels and salinity, separate from any proponent-led assessments;(f) what specific measures will be taken to mitigate or reverse any identified impacts on agricultural land and protected forest areas;(g) has the Government considered compensation or remediation frameworks for affected landholders, and if so, what do these include;(h) what engagement has occurred with local communities, landholders and environmental groups regarding these concerns; and(i) will the Minister table any reports, data or findings arising from these investigations?
I refer to South 32's bauxite mining operations near Boddington and report of changes to groundwater levels and salinity which are adversely impacting surrounding farmland and protected forest areas and I ask:
(a) is the Minister aware of these reports and concerns raised by local landholders and stakeholders;
(b) what investigations/testing is currently underway into groundwater and salinity levels in the areas surrounding the mine or in the general Boddington area;
(c) will these investigations/tests include reviewing long term historical records and independents monitoring of water and salinity levels in the affected area;
(d) if investigations/testing is currently underway, what results or findings have been identified to date;
(e) will the Government commit to independent monitoring and verification of water levels and salinity, separate from any proponent-led assessments;
(f) what specific measures will be taken to mitigate or reverse any identified impacts on agricultural land and protected forest areas;
(g) has the Government considered compensation or remediation frameworks for affected landholders, and if so, what do these include;
(h) what engagement has occurred with local communities, landholders and environmental groups regarding these concerns; and
(i) will the Minister table any reports, data or findings arising from these investigations?
Answer
⏳
This question is awaiting a response from the Minister.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.