Community fights lead mine near primary school as report highlights Australia’s failure to protect children

Children living near lead mines, like this one in Queensland, have been shown to have elevated lead levels in their blood. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

An application for a lead mine 2km from a primary school has failed to address concerns about its predicted emissions, relies on outdated evidence and has a community group in New South Wales rightly concerned for their health, a new expert report says.

The author of the report also noted Australia’s record of failing to protect children in the vicinity of lead mines. The environment watchdog sat on a report linking contemporary lead mining to health affects on children but failed to release it during the mine’s original application and a subsequent parliamentary inquiry into the mine.