Response to Senator Pocock’s embellished and incorrect claims about our business

Bravus Mining and Resources (Bravus) wholly rejects the embellished and incorrect claims made about its business by Senator David Pocock in Parliament today.

Bravus is likewise disappointed that Senator Pocock made no effort to contact the company to verify the facts of these erroneous claims before using his Parliamentary privilege to air them.

The facts are that in September 2022 a journalist based in Europe and working for a foreign news publication contacted Bravus requesting access to the Carmichael mine as part of a story he said he wanted to do on thermal coal use in Switzerland.

As Europe is not a major market for the high-quality coal the Carmichael mine produces, the foreign journalist was advised that Bravus’ operation was not the right fit for the story, and there was no need for him or the photographer he identified – Mr Matthew Abbott from Sydney – to come to the mine.

The foreign journalist was advised, in writing, that Bravus did not provide its consent for him or for any other contractor engaged by him to visit or enter any part of the company’s mining or pastoral leases.

This is in keeping with Bravus’ responsibilities as holder of these leases under the Mineral Resources Act 1989 (Qld) (MRA).

The journalist and Mr Abbott chose to ignore that direction and instead chose to enter Bravus’ Mining Lease in October 2022 without the authorisation of the owner of the land (as defined in the MRA).

Bravus wrote to the foreign journalist advising that he and Mr Abbott had likely committed statutory offences by entering the land unlawfully to visit the anti-fossil fuel protesters encamped there.

There is no basis at law to suggest either the foreign journalist or Mr Abbott as non-traditional owners had any right to be on Bravus’ Mining Lease, without the leaseholder’s permission.

We requested that the journalist and Mr Abbott did not publish materials taken on or of our Mining Lease without our consent, which is what any other law-abiding business would do.

We welcome legitimate media and answer their questions almost daily, but we don’t welcome trespassers.

ENDS

Download PDF