Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Abandoned mine shafts

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (18:51): (1177) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Environment, and the action I seek is for him to commit to fencing off dangerous mine shafts across Victoria. Last month after two attempts by volunteer rescuers a kangaroo joey was successfully rescued from one of these mine shafts in Ararat. ‘Digger’, as they named him, was frozen, dehydrated and covered in fly eggs when he was found. Victoria’s landscape contains at least 19,000 abandoned mines, the most of any state in this country. Research from the Australia Institute estimates at least one mine is disused a year across the state, and when they are no longer of use they are not closed down or sealed, they are simply walked away from. Many in the Victorian goldfields remain open with no cover, no safety fence and no signage to warn of the dangers. It is rare for a person to fall down a remote mine shaft, although the risk is still prevalent. For native animals, however, these deathtraps are dotted throughout their homes. Most appear as shallow, leaf-covered dips rather than 100-metre gaping holes. It is no surprise that for many wild animals these pits will eventually become their grave.

The wildlife community know Manfred Zabinskas as their expert in mine shaft rescue. When he abseils 10 metres into the darkness to rescue native animals, he is doing a job that even the SES avoid performing. In 2015 Manfred was called out to an abandoned shaft in Trentham after three bushwalkers spotted the nose of a large male kangaroo poking out from the large entrance. Upon further inspection, four kangaroos had fallen inside. Miraculously the 80-kilogram male had clawed himself up the sheer wall of the shaft and stabilised on a tree root to poke his head out and be noticed by the onlookers. To rescue the kangaroos Manfred first tranquilised them using a syringe on the end of a painter’s pole. He then carried them out one by one for transfer to the nearest wildlife shelter. The rescued kangaroos had severe lacerations and broken bones, but two of the four made a full recovery.

It has been nine years since this rescue, and Manfred estimates that he alone has rescued at least 18 animals from mine shafts in the time since. Many disused mine shafts contain floors which can collapse at any moment to expose even deeper holes, and due to their remote location it is a miracle when trapped animals are called in by members of the public. It is clear that volunteers will continue to be called to dangerous mine shaft rescues unless simple steps are taken by this government to ensure that they can be made safe. I hope that the minister will work with my community to secure this.